At a young age, he moved in with his maternal uncle, Bishop Udo of Hildesheim.
At the age of sixteen, he travelled with his uncle to Mainz, to be presented to the emperor on 9 November 1099.
He fulfilled his obligations as bailiff of Corvey Abbey from a distance.
When the sons of Count Widekind I of Schwalenberg attacked the abbey, Herman remained inactive.
This meant that he had to flee to the area where he was born, on the upper Inn.
Later that year, his father died, and Herman I inherited Windberg and Formbach as well.
His death was mentioned in a document about the family that founded Reinhausen Abbey, written by abbott Reinhard sometime between 1153 and 1156.