When the Holy Roman Empire was in the middle of the struggles between the Staufer and the Welfs, at first, Henry wasn't directly involved in this fight.

Henry remained neutral, and refused to take part in the conflict between the Holy Roman Empire, the Staufer and the Welfs.

The loss of the Seniorate Province caused Władysław III to change his alliance, increasing his presence in West Pomerania).

He owed a debt of gratitude to the archbishop, who helped him at the beginning of his reign, but he decided to support Władysław III.

He gave the newly acquired Kalisz to Odonic, except for Poznań, causing a temporary rift between Henry and Władysław III.

Archbishop Henry Ketlicz, who had returned from exile some time before, called the Synod of Borzykowa [pl] to try to find a solution to the situation.

Leszek and the other Piast princes, bestowed a gift on the clergy, ensuring the integrity of the bishop's territorial possessions (the privilege wasn't signed by Henry or Władysław III, but they did comply with its provisions).

Each member of this Piast triumvirate (later including Leszek's younger brother Konrad of Masovia) brought some mutual benefits to the alliance.

Initially, he tried to settle the dispute peacefully, sending ambassadors to the court of Emperor Otto IV at Altenburg to obtain the return of Lubusz to Silesia.

Henry was finally able to add this strategically important area to his duchy, although he did so without the consent of Duke Władysław III of Greater Poland.

Henry also managed to obtain another asset; a castle in Cedynia, conquered after a local conflict with Duke Barnim I of Pomerania.

In the Duchy of Sandomierz Bolesław was declared the rightful heir under the regency of his mother Grzymislawa of Luck, with the help of local nobles.

In the Poland, Władysław III had the upper hand in the fight for Kraków, especially after the Congress of Cienia Pierwsza near Kalisz on 5 May 1228, where he granted several privileges to the church and promised to respect the old laws.

Initially, Henry was successful as he repelled Konrad forces at the Battles of Międzyborze, Skała and Wrocieryż (all in Lesser Poland).

Władysław III escaped to Upper Silesian Racibórz, while Konrad, entered Kraków and took the title of High Duke.

The expedition against Konrad, undertaken in 1231, ended in a defeat at the walls of Gniezno; but, luckily for Henry, Władysław III died unexpectedly in Środa Śląska, killed by a German girl whom he tried to rape.

At first, Henry decided to take care of the fate of Lesser Poland, especially after the death of his cousin Duke Casimir I of Opole and the minority of his sons Mieszko II the Fat and Władysław Opolski, both under the guardianship of their mother Viola.

He decided to take the regency of Opole on behalf of the infant Dukes, in view of the strategic location of their Duchy on his way to Kraków, and also certainly they helped him to fight.

But the most important card in the next conflict wasn't in the hands of Henry and Konrad, but Lesser Poland noble House of Gryfici who decided to support the Silesian Duke.

In 1232, Henry entered Kraków and was proclaimed High Duke and overlord of Poland, and with this, he finally recovered for his Silesian Piast dynasty the title and power which his grandfather Władysław II the Exile had lost in 1146.

Under the terms of this agreement, he had to resign henceforth any pretension over the Lesser Poland lands of Łęczyca and Sieradz, but in return received recognition of his rule over Kraków and the title of High Duke.

Also, Henry was confirmed in the regency of Sandomierz on behalf of Bolesław V, a post which Konrad tried to obtain after he ordered the imprisonment of the infant Duke and his mother.

Above all, it was because Władysław Odonic lost the support of the nobility, giving part of the royal prerogatives to the Archbishop of Gniezno, Pełka.

The control of Opole was vital to Henry, because this territory, through which all major commercial tracks from Wrocław to Kraków were made, was extremely strategically important.

In 1234 Henryk decided to separate (under his authority) between the Upper Silesian co-Dukes Mieszko II and Władysław the Ziemia wieluńska as the common frontier, in return for which he assumed direct control over Opole.

In order to achieve full protection of the possession of Kraków in his bloodline, Henry began efforts towards the coronation of his son as a King of Poland.

During his reign, Henry also improved the economy and infrastructure of his lands by supporting the immigration of German settlers (Ostsiedlung), mainly from the home of his wife, Franconia and Bavaria.

Although it is alleged that this policy contributed to the significant Germanization of Silesia, some historians believe that was a common fact during the 13th century and Henry was misunderstood as a result of this.

Henry died in 1238 in Krosno Odrzańskie (Crossen an der Oder) and was buried in the Cistercian church of Trzebnica (Trebnitz) which he had founded in 1202 on the request of his wife.

In general historians agree that if the disaster at the Battle of Legnica had never happened, Poland would have been united in the middle of the 13th century, and avoided the territorial losses that occurred.