Death of Henry VI

September 28, 1197

At thirty-two, the Hohenstaufen emperor who had inherited Germany and conquered Sicily died of malaria at Messina while preparing a new crusade. His three-year-old son Frederick was left under the nominal regency of the pope. Germany fell into civil war and Sicily into chaos. Henry's premature death shattered the union of Germany and Sicily that had been the central project of Hohenstaufen diplomacy.