Henry VI was born in Nijmegen on 1 November 1165 to Frederick I Barbarossa and Beatrice of Burgundy. A highly educated and perceptive ruler, he was interested in the arts and sciences and knew not only Latin but also Roman and Canon law. In 1169 he became King of Germany, and, in 1191, he became Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He married Constance of Hauteville, the daughter of Roger II, in the Cathedral of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan, on 27 January 1186, becoming King of Sicily in 1194. From their union Frederick II, future king and emperor, was born. Henry VI died in Messina, at a young age, on 28 September 1197.
