Albert I(German:Albrecht I;c. 1175 – 7 October 1260) was a Duke ofSaxony,Angria,andWestphalia;Lord ofNordalbingia;Count ofAnhalt;andPrince-electorandArchmarshalof theHoly Roman Empire.Even though his grandfatherAlbert the Bearhad held the Saxon dukedom between 1138 and 1142, this Albert is counted as the first.[1]
| Albert I, Duke of Saxony | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1175 |
| Died | 7 October 1260 |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Agnes of Austria Agnes of Thuringia Helene of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Issue | Judith of Saxony John I, Duke of Saxony Albert II, Duke of Saxony |
| House | House of Ascania |
| Father | Bernard III, Duke of Saxony |
| Mother | Judith (Jutta) of Poland |
Biography
editA member of theHouse of Ascania,Albert was a younger son ofBernard III, Duke of Saxony,and Judith (Jutta) of Poland, daughter ofMieszko III the Old.After his father's death in 1212, the surviving sons of the late duke divided his lands according to the laws of the House of Ascania: The elderHenryreceived Anhalt and the younger Albert the Saxon duchy. Albert supportedOtto IV, Holy Roman Emperor,in his wars against theHohenstaufen.[citation needed]
In 1218, Albert's maternal uncle Prince-ArchbishopValdemar of Denmark,who had been deposed from hisPrince-Archbishopric of Bremen,found refuge in Saxony, before he joined theLoccum Abbeyas monk.[citation needed]
On 22 July 1227, Albert I asserted as fellow victor in theBattle of Bornhöved,commanding the Holy Roman left flank, his earlier disputed rank asliege lordof theCounts of Schauenburg and Holstein,a privilege, however, lost by his successorJohn Vin 1474.[2]After Bornhöved Albert reinforced and extended his fortress and castle inLauenburg upon Elbe,which his father Bernard had erected in 1182.[3]
Albert came into conflict withLudolph I,Prince-Bishop of Ratzeburg,and duly imprisoned Ludolph, where he was badly beaten, and later sent into exile.
After Albert's death atLehnin Abbey,his sons, the elderJohn Iand the youngerAlbert II,ruled together as Dukes of Saxony, with John succeeded by his three sonsAlbert III,Eric IandJohn II,until before 20 September 1296 they split Saxony intoSaxe-LauenburgandSaxe-Wittenberg,with the brothers jointly ruling the former, and Albert II ruling the latter.[4]
Marriages and issue
edit
In 1222, Albert marriedAgnes of Austriadaughter of DukeLeopold VI of Austria.[5]They had:
- Bernard (d. after 1238)
- Judith of Saxony,(1) ∞ 17 November 1239 KingEric IV of Denmark(*1216–1250*); and (2) ∞Burchard VIIIof Querfurt-Rosenburg,Burgrave of Magdeburg (1273–1313 recorded)
- Ann Mary (Anna Marie; d. 7 January 1252), ∞ DukeBarnim IofPomerania
- Bridget (Brigitte Jutta) (d. 4 April 1266), fiancée of Otto of Brunswick and Lunenburg, ∞ before 1255 MargraveJohn Iof Brandenburg [founder of the Johannean line Brandenburg-Stendal]
- Mathilde (Mechthild) (d. 28 July 1266), ∞ ca. 1241 Count John I of Schauenburg and Holstein-Kiel
In 1238, Albert marriedAgnes of Thuringia(*1205–1246*), daughter of LandgraveHermann I of Thuringia.[6]THey had:
- Agnes, ∞ DukeHenry IIIof Silesia-Breslau
- Jutta, ∞ m. 1255,John I, Margrave of Brandenburg;2m: Burkhard VIII of Rosenburg, Burgrave of Magdeburg
- Margaret (d. 1265), ∞ 1264 CountHelmold IIIofSchwerin
In 1247, Albert marriedHelene of Brunswick-Lüneburg(*1231–6 September 1273*), daughter of DukeOtto the Child
- Helene (*1247–12 June 1309*), (1) ∞ in 1266 DukeHenry III the Whiteof Silesia-Breslau,and (2) ∞ in 1275 BurgraveFrederick III of Nuremberg
- Elisabeth (d. before 2 February 1306), (1) ∞ in 1250 CountJohn IofSchauenburg and Holstein-Kiel,(2) ∞ in 1265 CountConrad IofBrehna
- John I(* after 1248–30 July 1285*, inWittenberg upon Elbe), co-ruling Duke of Saxony with his younger brother Albert II, resigned in 1282, John I married in 1257Ingeborg(*1247/or ca. 1253–1302*), daughter or grandchild ofBirger Jarl
- Albert (Albrecht) II(*1250–25 August 1298*), co-ruling Duke of Saxony with his elder brother John II (till 1282), then with the sons of the latter (till 1296), then as the sole duke of the partitioned branch duchySaxe-Wittenberg,∞ in 1273Agnes (aka Hagne)(*c. 1257–11 October 1322*, in Wittenberg), daughter of KingRudolph I of Germany
- Rudolf (d. after 1269), ∞ Anna, daughter of Count Palatine Louis of Bavaria
References
edit- ^Different counting traditions developed, following the arguments, that with Albert I's father Bernard ascending to dukedom, this was either (1) a successor of the oldstem duchyof Saxony, with its two prior dukes named Bernard or (2) the sharply belittled territorial rest of Saxony remaining after the carve-up of the old duchy in 1180 formed the so-calledYounger Duchy of Saxony,whose first duke of this name was then Albert I's fatherBernard I (or III).Both traditions compete, more so with Bernard sometimes counted I or III, less so with Albert, usually counted I, but with his grandfather of the same name also having ruled as Saxon duke.
- ^Cordula Bornefeld, "Die Herzöge von Sachsen-Lauenburg", in:Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg[De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 373-389, here pp. 373seq.ISBN978-3-529-02606-5
- ^Cordula Bornefeld, "Die Herzöge von Sachsen-Lauenburg", in:Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg[De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 373-389, here p. 383.ISBN978-3-529-02606-5
- ^Cordula Bornefeld, "Die Herzöge von Sachsen-Lauenburg", in:Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg[De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 373-389, here p. 375.ISBN978-3-529-02606-5
- ^Lyon 2013,p. 242.
- ^Lyon 2013,p. 243.
Sources
edit- Lyon, Jonathan R. (2013).Princely Brothers and Sisters: The Sibling Bond in German Politics, 1100-1250.Cornell University Press.