Henry VIII (German: Heinrich, Czech: Jindřich; 15 February 1418 – 19 August 1493), was Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1472, King of Bohemia from 1452, as well as Margrave of Brandenburg, Duke of Livonia, and Count Palatinate of Burgundy. He was the head of the Přemyslid dynasty during the later half of the fifteen-century, during which time the Přemyslids expanded to become the preeminent power of Central Europe.
Following the death of his father, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, Henry stood for election and was contested by Wenceslaus III, Duke of Saxony. They became co-kings, with Henry at first allowing Wenceslaus to use the title Holy Roman Emperor. However, when Wenceslaus died in 1479, Henry sought re-election and formal recognition as the sole Holy Roman Emperor. After being elected in 1479, Henry became at the center of a brewing rivalry between his Přemyslid dynasty and the House of Lenzburg, who his Saxon rivals were also aligned with. The feud was partially a debate over the influence the Swiss Confederacy held over German elections and politics, and a continuation of the struggle between the German Emperors and the Pope in Rome—the Lenzburgs' ardent ally.
This would eventually lead to the outbreak of the Lenzburg-Premyslid War, in which Bohemia joined Bavaria, Thuringia, Hesse, and others against the Swiss and their allies, notably the Papal States and the Duchy of Saxony. The Treaty of Zurich would conclude the war in a victory for Henry, toppling the Lenzburg dynasty. To this end he was aided by and empowered longtime ally the Thin White Duke of Thuringia, who would become the chief rival to Bohemia's power in Germany after the Reformation, about a decade after Henry's death. Much of his reign would also be dedicated to defending and aiding the states of the Empire: he would succeed in defeating the Kingdom of Lotharingia after the Aachen Crisis (1491), which saw the liberation of several Rhinelander states in the Treaty of Spa, and he would repulse the Spanish in their invasion of Florence, beginning the Italian Wars. His successful arbitration of the Treaty of Paris involving those at war with the Kingdom of France, and his numerous laws such as the Decree of 1479, would give him a reputation as a wise reformer and administrator.
Henry's reforms, which would be gradually accepted despite initial opposition, helped consolidate the Holy Roman Empire's power while maintaining the balance of power between the Prince-Electors and the Princes. He is credited with creating the nation's permanent legislative branch, the Reichstag, as well as for creating an Imperial court system, military, and other institutions. The end of his reign saw the beginning of the colonization of the New World, primarily under the Hanseatic League, with Henry's policies have an influence on their direction. His careful statecraft left Bohemia in the strongest position it had been in centuries, and laid the foundation for the Přemyslid inheritance of France under Henry's grandson Jaromir. At the time of his death, Henry was regarded as one of the most successful and dynamic Emperors of the era. Almost immediately following his death, the election of his successor Henry IX sparked the Henrician Civil War and a series of poor emperors, before the imperial title returned to the Přemyslids under Henry VIII's son Ottokar I.
