Upon his father's death in 1126 Henry became duke of Bavaria as Henry X. In May 1127 he married Gertrude, daughter and heiress of the German king (later Holy Roman emperor) Lothar III. Henry at once joined the war against the Hohenstaufens, who had challenged Lothar's right to the German crown. He played an important part in the capture of Speyer in 1130. After peace was made with the Hohenstaufens (1135), Henry accompanied Lothar to Italy as commander of part of the German army.

When Lothar died in December 1137 Henry, as his son-in-law, inherited the duchy of Saxony. But with the election of the Hohenstaufen Conrad III as German king in March 1138, a conflict arose. Conrad, on the pretext that it was unlawful for two duchies to be held by the same person, refused to invest Henry with the Saxon duchy. After attempts at a settlement failed, Henry was placed under the ban of the empire in July 1138 and deprived of Saxony and, shortly thereafter, of Bavaria as well.

Civil war soon broke out in both duchies. Although driven out of Bavaria, Henry succeeded in conquering Saxony. He then assembled an army at Quedlinburg for the purpose of reconquering Bavaria, but he suddenly became ill and died. He was succeeded by his son Henry the Lion.