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Why did Frederick I depose Henry the Lion in 1180?

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Medieval manuscript miniature showing Frederick I as a crowned crusader holding an orb and scepter, with Henry of Schaftlarn kneeling and presenting a book to him. — Frederick I Frederick I as a Crusader with (right) Henry of Schäftlarn dedicating to him a copy of the *History of the First Crusade* by Robert of St. Remy; miniature from a manuscript in the Vatican Library.

Frederick I Barbarossa deposed Henry the Lion in 1180 primarily due to Henry's refusal to support the Emperor during the 1176 campaign against the Lombard cities in northern Italy. This refusal, which Frederick viewed as a betrayal, served as a catalyst for the Emperor to address the long-standing grievances held by other German princes against Henry.123

The formal legal basis for the deposition was a series of proceedings instituted by Frederick in 1178, following complaints from Saxon nobles regarding Henry’s repeated breaches of the "king's peace" and his aggressive territorial expansion. When Henry refused to appear in the imperial court to answer these charges, he was declared an outlaw and stripped of his duchies of Saxony and Bavaria.123

Following the deposition, Frederick redistributed Henry's lands to other allies, such as the Archbishop of Cologne and Otto von Wittelsbach, effectively breaking up the power of the Welf dynasty and strengthening the feudal structure of the empire.123