The Georgenberg Pact resulted in Leopold being enfeoffed with Styria by Roman-German Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1193, which would lead to the eventual creation of modern Austria.

In 1182 Leopold went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and was received with honour at the courts of King Béla III of Hungary and of Emperor Alexios II Komnenos in Constantinople.

Back in Germany, he began negotiating on the Georgenberg Pact with the last Otakar duke of Styria, Ottokar IV, who had received the ducal title from Emperor Frederick in 1180.

In January 1192 he proceeded to the court of Emperor Henry VI and complained bitterly about Richard, who also was suspected of involvement in the murder of Conrad shortly after his election as King of Jerusalem in April the same year.

When King Richard left the Holy Land in late October 1192, he found the French ports closed[citation needed] and sailed up the Adriatic Sea.

Whilst travelling under disguise, he stopped at Vienna shortly before Christmas 1192, where he was recognized (supposedly because of his signet ring) and arrested in Erdberg (modern Landstraße district).

Initially Duke Leopold had the king imprisoned in Dürnstein, and in March 1193 Richard was brought before Emperor Henry VI at Trifels Castle, accused of Conrad's murder.

As a result of deathbed promises to make restitution given to the hastily summoned Archbishop Adalbert of Salzburg, he was reconciled and received a Christian burial at Heiligenkreuz Abbey.