[4] Henry's election included a deal stipulated with Henry's father Francis I, who waived any Saxe-Lauenburgian claim to the Land of Wursten, earlier raised by his father Magnus I, as well as to the bailiwick of Bederkesa and Elmlohe, de facto held by Bremen city and abandoned the lawsuit, which Francis had brought to the Imperial Chamber Court to this end.

[2][3] In his election capitulation (Wahlkapitulation) Henry covenanted to accept the privileges of the Estates of the Prince-Archbishopric (Stiftsstände) and the existing laws.

[3] Due to his minority he agreed, that Chapter and Estates would rule the Prince-Archbishopric until coming of age, paying him an annual appanage of 500 rixdollars.

[5] Thus Maximilian granted Henry an imperial liege indult (Lehnsindult) in 1570, investing him with the princely regalia for the prince-archbishopric although he still lacked the papal confirmation.

[8] The chapter fulfilled the religious functions as in case of sede vacante until 26 September 1580, in order not to complicate a papal confirmation, which, however, never materialised.

[6] On 25 October 1575, Court Preacher Hermann Gade married Henry and Anna of Broich (also known as Betzdorf) secretly in the chapel of Burghagen Castle in Hagen im Bremischen.

Bremen's cathedral chapter approved the wedding, violating Henry's election capitulation, but ordered that future administrators were not to marry.

[7] The year after Henry prompted the renovation of the Vörde hospital and infirmary founded by Prince-Archbishop Johann Rode, as he generally promoted the development of his residential town.

[7] Since 1576, in anticipation of the inheritance of the Land of Hadeln, Henry served as regent of that Saxe-Lauenburgian exclave, consented by Emperor Rudolph II.

[7] The publication of the Estates Laws of Hadeln (Hadler Landrecht, 1583), the compilation of which his father Francis had begun, fell into Henry's regency.

[6] The Catholic opposition, forming in Paderborn, troubled Henry's reign there, he failed to expel the Jesuits and Nuncio to Cologne, Giovanni Francesco Bonomi, even considered his impeachment.

[11] The emperor esteemed his skills and thus charged Henry with arbitrations in lawsuits at the Imperial Chamber Court and the Aulic Council.

[6] Thus Henry adopted pastoral functions as a Lutheran in all the Prince-Archbishopric, also in its northeastern part, which belonged in ecclesiastical respect to the Verden See, held by Administrator Eberhard of Holle.

Henry urged the Altkloster [nds] nunnery (part of today's Buxtehude) to accept the Lutheran Christoph von der Hude as their provost, however, the steadfastly Catholic nuns refused.

On Palm Sunday, 8 April 1585, after a Lutheran church service in Vörde, riding home Henry met with an equestrian accident, his horse baulked and pitched him.

[16] While in Bremen, the Catholic cause was lost forever, Henry's unexpected death led to a success for the Counter Reformation in Paderborn.