Henry Wenceslaus invited the composer and hymn writer Matthäus Apelt to Bernstadt in 1625 and appointed him in 1631 as secretary of his chancellery.

After Duke Georg Rudolf resigned in 1628 as Landeshauptmann of Silesia, an imperial decree reduced the political influence of future office holders.

In 1629, King Ferdinand III appointed Henry Wenceslaus to the office, after the latter had promised to respect the freedom of religion.

When in 1632, the Protestant princes of Silesia approached to Swedish and Saxon invaders, Henry Wenceslaus, who remained loyal to the emperor, refused to convene the Estates and temporarily left the country.

Henry Wenceslaus never lost not the imperial favor, unlike his brother Charles Frederick, who in 1633, together with Duke John Christian of Brieg and George Rudolf of Liegnitz and the City Council of Breslau joined a defensive league, which sought the protection of Saxony, Brandenburg and Sweden.