Louis VI of France of Anjou. This was a very dangerous alliance for Louis and would prove so during the reign of his successor, Louis VII of France. As Louis VI approached his end, there seemed to be reasons for optimism. Henry I of England had died on 1 December 1135 and Stephen of Blois had seized the English crown, reneging on the oath he had sworn to Henry I to support Matilda. Stephen was thus in no position to bring the combined Anglo-Norman might against the French crown. Louis had also made great strides in exercising his royal authority over his barons, and
Henry I, Duke of Bavaria Henry I, Duke of Bavaria Henry I (919/921 – 1 November 955), a member of the German royal Ottonian dynasty, was Duke of Bavaria from 948 until his death. He was the second son of the German king Henry the Fowler and his wife Matilda of Ringelheim. After the death of his father, the royal title passed to Henry's elder brother Otto I, who immediately had to face the indignation of several Saxon nobles. Moreover, the late king's son from his first marriage, Thankmar, revolted in alliance with Duke Eberhard of Franconia and had young Henry captured and arrested. While