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Henry took part in the Second Crusade under the leadership of Louis VII o f F r a n c e. He carried a letter of recommendation from Bernard of Clairva ux a d d r e ssed to Alexius I Comnenus, Byzantine Emperor; he is listed amo ng t h e n o t ables present at the assembly held by Baldwin III of Jerusale m a t A c r e o n 24 June 1148.
On his father's death, Henry chose to take Champagne, leaving the famil y ' s o l d er holdings (including Blois, Chartres, Sancerre, and Chateaudun ) t o h i s y o unger brothers. At the time this may have been surprising, f or t h e o t h er territories were richer and better developed. Henry must h ave f o r e s een the economic possibilities of Champagne, and it is during h is r u l e t h at the county achieved its high place as one of the richest a nd s t r o n gest of the French principalities.
Henry established orderly rule over the nobles of Champagne, and could f a i r l y r eliably count on the aid of some 2,000 vassals, which just by it s e l f m a de him a power few in France could equal. This order in turn mad e C h a m p agne a safe place for merchants to gather, and under the count's p r o t e c tion the Champagne Fairs became a central part of long-di stance t r a d e a n d finance in medieval Europe.
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1127 - 1181 (54 years)