As a younger son, he did not expect to inherit. He carried on an adventurous youth and took part in the Third Crusade in 1192. In 1208, the imperial candidate Philip of Swabia died and Walern, his erstwhile supporter, turned to his opponent, Otto of Brunswick. In 1212, he accompanied his first cousin Henry I, Duke of Brabant, to Liege, then in a war with Guelders.