enry I (of Germany), called Henry The Fowler (876?-936), king of Germany (919-36), the first of the Saxon line of German kings. In 912 Henry succeeded his father as duke of Saxony. Following the death of Conrad I, king of Germany, in 918, Henry was chosen king by the Franconian and Saxon nobles. Bavaria, Swabia, and Lotharingia refused to acknowledge him at first, and it was not until 925 that he managed to win recognition from all the German states. In 926 Henry secured a nine-year truce from warfare with the Magyars. During that period he transformed many of the small towns of Germany into fortified cities with trained troops of mounted warriors. His military preparations were successfully tested in a war against the Wends in 929. When the Magyars invaded Thüringen in 933, Henry repulsed them decisively. He defeated the Danes in the following year and seized territory from them. Henry was the first to create a united Germany, and, although he never received the imperial crown, he is generally recognized as one of the Holy Roman emperors. He was succeeded by his son, Otto. [Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia]

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