Heinrich II Jasomirgott of Austria ^{1 2}

  General Notes:

Markgreve av Østerrike 1141-1156.
Hertug av Østerrike 1156-1177.

Heinrich ble også hertug av Bayern, men måtte senere avstå dette til Henrik Löwe. Til gjengjeld fikk han avstått til seg det nåværende Øvre Østerrike og begge sine land forenet til Hertugdømmet Østerrike, utskilt fra den tidligere avhengighet av Bayern.

Han forla sitt fyrstesete til Wien og påbegynte bygningen av Stefanskirken.

I 1147 deltok han i det annet store korstog.

Han var første gang gift 01.05.1142 med Gjertrud, datter til keiser Lothar III. Hun døde 18.04.1143.

Heinrich døde da han falt av hesten i 1177.
_________________________________

Henry II of Austria

Heinrich (Henry) II, Count Palatine of the Rhine 1140-1141, Margrave of Austria from 1141 to 1156, Duke of Bavaria from 1143 to 1156, Duke of Austria 1156-1177, was a prince from the dynasty of Babenberg.

As the son of Markgrave Leopold III, he first became Count Palatine of the Rhine until being appointed Duke of Bavaria and Margrave of Austria after the unexpected death of his brother Leopold IV. In the course of the dispute between the Welfen and Staufen dynasties in the Holy Roman Empire, the duchy of Bavaria had been taken away from the Welf Henry the Proud by the emperor and given to the Babenberg dynasty. The new Emperor Friedrich I tried to reach a compromise with the Welfen and endowed the son of Henry the Proud, Henry the Lion, with Bavaria in 1156. A replacement had to be found for the Babenberg family, namely the Privilegium Minus, by which Austria gained complete independence from Bavaria as a duchy.

Other than his father, who resided in Klosterneuburg for most of the time, Henry moved his residence to Vienna in 1145. Only by this act, the modern Austrian capital could surpass cities such as Krems, Melk or Klosterneuburg. Since then, it has remained the capital of the country. Also in 1147, the Cathedral of Saint Stephan was completed, which became a visible landmark of the city, showing its prominence. In 1155, Henry founded the Schottenstift monastary in Vienna, in the courtyard of which there is a statue of him to this day.

Until 1143, he was married to Gertrud, a niece of Emperor Lothar II, from 1148 to Theodora Kommnena, a niece of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I. Both marriages strongly show the importance of the House of Babenberg in Central Europe in that time.

Henry's brother was the important chronicler Otto of Freising.

Henry's surname "Jasomirgott" is first documented during the 13th century in the form of Jochsamergott, the meaning of which is unclear. According to one theory, it is derived from an Arab word bearing a connection to the Second Crusade, in which he participated in 1146. According to a popular etymology, it is derived from the formula "Ja so mir Gott helfe" (="so help me God").

Heinrich married Theodora Komnena, daughter of Andronikos Komnenos and Irene Manases, in 1149. (Theodora Komnena died on 2 Jan 1184.)