Leopold VI was the younger son of
Duke Leopold V and his wife,
Helena of Hungary (daughter of
Géza II of Hungary and
Euphrosyne of Kiev). He was betrothed to the
Damsel of Cyprus in 1193, but the marriage never took place. In contravention of the provisions of the
Georgenberg Pact, the Babenberg reign was divided after the death of Leopold V: Leopold VI's elder brother, Frederick I, was given the Duchy of Austria (corresponding roughly to modern Lower Austria and eastern
Upper Austria), while Leopold VI himself became Duke of Styria. The duchies were reunified under Leopold VI when Frederick died after only four years of rule. Leopold VI participated in the
Reconquista in Spain and in two crusades, the
Albigensian Crusade in 1212 and the failed
Fifth Crusade from 1217 to 1221, and—like his predecessors—attempted to develop the land by founding monasteries. His most important foundation is Lilienfeld in the Lower Austrian valley of the Traisen River, where he was buried after his death. Besides that, he supported the then highly modern mendicant Orders of the Franciscans and Dominicans. He elevated
Enns to the status of a city in 1212, and
Vienna in 1221, the territory of which was nearly doubled. Under Leopold's rule, the
Gothic style began to reach Austria - the
Cappella Speciosa in his temporary residence of
Klosterneuburg is known as the first building influenced by it in the
Danube area - a reconstruction of it can be seen today in the palace gardens of
Laxenburg. Leopold's court is known as a center of the
Minnesang,
e.g.,
Walther von der Vogelweide,
Neidhart von Reuental and
Ulrich von Liechtenstein were active here. Also, the
Nibelungenlied may have been written in his court. Babenbergian Austria reached the zenith of its prestige under Leopold's rule. Evidence of this is given by his marriage to the Byzantine princess
Theodora Angelina and his attempt to end the
War of the Keys by mediating between
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and
Pope Gregory IX. This is what he was working on when he died in 1230 at
San Germano. ==Children==