William of Ypres to the English throne following Henry I's death in 1135 finally changed William's fortunes for the better. He commanded Stephen's troops against the forces of their cousin, Henry's daughter Empress Matilda, who claimed the throne. Many of the soldiers were William's fellow Flemings, including his brother. Stephen's campaign in Normandy failed because the local noblemen refused to co-operate with William and other Flemings. William was much more active in England, where he took part in the Battle of Lincoln (1141), during which Stephen was captured by the Empress's forces. William led his contingent away when it became clear that the
Henry VI the Good a pretext they used the fact that Henry III was directly responsible for the premature death of Henry V (Henry and Bolesław III's father). In the end, Władysław I the Elbow-high managed to capture almost all of Greater Poland, but his allies only took the towns of Uraz (which was given to Henry) and Wołów and Lubiąż (granted to Bolesław III). In 1314 Henry supported his brother-in-law Frederick the Fair of Austria in the battle for the throne of Germany. The war with Głogów began again in 1321. This time, however, Henry wasn't convinced as to the appropriateness of it,