Silver Pfennigs and Small Silver Coins of Europe in the Middle Ages

Leopold IV, Margrave 1136-1141
Duke of Bavaria 1139-1141
Leopold IV, the Generous (c. 1108–October 18, 1141) was Margrave of Austria from 1136 and Duke of
Bavaria from 1139 until his death.
He was one of the younger sons of Margrave Leopold III, the Holy. It is not known why he was originally
preferred to his brothers Adalbert and Henry Jasomirgott.
Through his mother Agnes, he was related to the Hohenstaufen. In the course of their struggle against the
competing Welfen family, he was given the formerly Welfish Bavaria as a fief by Emperor Conrad III. He
managed to maintain his position there, as his brother Otto was Bishop of Freising there.
The most important measure of his short reign was the Exchange of Mautern entered into with the Bishop of
Passau in 1137. The bishop was given the Church of St. Peter in Vienna, while the Margrave received
extended stretches of land from the bishop outside the city walls, with the notable exception of the territory
where a new church was to be built, which was to become St. Stephen's Cathedral.
Leopold died at Niederaltaich (Bavaria) unexpectedly and was succeeded by his brother Henry.
HENRY II - 1141-1177
Heinrich (Henry) II, (1107 – January 13, 1177), Count Palatine of the Rhine, 1140-
1141, Margrave of Austria from 1141 to 1156 and, as Heinrich (Henry) XI, also
Duke of Bavaria from 1141 to 1156, Duke of Austria, 1156-1177, was a prince of
the Babenberg dynasty.
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 when his brother
Leopold IV unexpectedly died.
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 Welfs 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
was elevated to a duchy and gained complete independence from Bavaria.
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 could the modern
Austrian capital surpass cities such as Krems, Melk or Klosterneuburg. Since
then, it has remained the capital of the country. Also in 1147, St. Stephen's Cathedral was completed, which became
a visible landmark of the city, showing its prominence. In 1155, Henry founded the Schottenstift monastery in Vienna,
in the courtyard of which a statue of him stands to this day.
Until 1143, he was married to Gertrud of Supplinburg, the daughter of Emperor Lothar II. In 1148 he married
Theodora Comnena, a niece of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I. Both marriages strongly show the importance of the
House of Babenberg in Central Europe in that period.
Henry's brother was the important chronicler Otto of Freising. His sister Judith was the wife of William V of Montferrat.
Henry's surname, Jasomirgott, was 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 where Henry participated in 1146. According to a popular etymology, it is derived from the formula Ja so mir
Gott helfe (meaning: "Yes, God willing").