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Albert II, Duke of Austria

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For other people named Albert of Austria, seeAlbert of Austria (disambiguation).
Albert II
16th century portrait of duke Albert II byAnton Boys
Duke of AustriaandStyria
Reign13 January 1330 – 16 August 1358
PredecessorFrederick the Fair
SuccessorRudolf IV
Duke of Carinthia
Reign2 April 1335 – 16 August 1358
PredecessorHenry of Bohemia
SuccessorRudolf IV
Born12 December 1298
Habsburg Castle,Swabia
Died16 August 1358(1358-08-16)(aged 59)
Vienna,Austria
SpouseJohanna of Pfirt
IssueRudolf IV, Duke of Austria
Catherine
Margaret
Frederick III of Austria
Albert III, Duke of Austria
Leopold III, Duke of Austria
HouseHouse of Habsburg
FatherAlbert I of Germany
MotherElizabeth of Carinthia

Albert II(12 December 1298[dubious–discuss]– 16 August 1358), known asthe Wiseorthe Lame,a member of theHouse of Habsburg,wasduke of AustriaandStyriafrom 1330, as well asduke of Carinthiaandmargrave of Carniolafrom 1335 until his death.

Biography[edit]

Albert II was born atHabsburg CastleinSwabia,a younger son of KingAlbert I of Germanyand his wifeElizabeth of Carinthia,[1]a member of theHouse of Gorizia(Meinhardiner). He initially prepared for an ecclesiastical career and, though still a minor, was electedBishop of Passauin 1313. However, he had to rival with an opposing candidate and finally renounced the office in 1317.

After the death of their elder brotherFrederick the Fairin 1330, the surviving sons Albert II andOtto the Merrybecame joint rulers of all Habsburg dominions inAustriaandStyria.Albert was able to further increase his possessions by the inheritance of his wifeJoanna of Pfirt,which was made up of theAlsatiancounty of Pfirtand several cities. Furthermore, upon the death of his maternal uncle DukeHenry of Carinthiain 1335, Albert succeeded in establishing his claims on theDuchy of Carinthiaand theMarch of Carniola,when he reached his enfeoffment byEmperor Louis IVagainst the claims raised by his mightyLuxembourgrival KingJohn of Bohemia.

Reflecting his high reputation among the secular and church leaders of Europe, in 1335Pope Benedict XIIasked him to mediate in the church's conflict with Emperor Louis. Two years later, KingPhilip VI of France1337 asked him for help against theWittelsbachemperor and KingEdward III of England.Nevertheless, Albert remained faithful to the emperor until Louis' death in 1347; he also was a close ally of his son DukeLouis V of Bavaria.After the demolition ofRapperswil Castleby the forces ofRudolf Brunin 1350, the Austrian duke marched against theSwiss Confederacyand laid siege to the city ofZürich,though to no avail.

In Austria, Duke Albert had the construction of theGothicChoir begun inSt. Stephen's CathedralinVienna,known as theAlbertinian Choir.He established the "Albertinian House Rule" (Albertinische Hausordnung) to predetermine the rules of succession in the Habsburg lands according to the principle ofprimogeniture.Although the rule was disregarded after his death, it was re-assumed under EmperorMaximilian.Adopted as part of thePragmatic Sanctionin 1713, the Albertinian House Rule effectively remained one of the basic laws of Austria until 1918. Styria owes him its (former) constitution, the so-called "Mountain Book" (Bergbüchel); the same is true for Carinthia.

It has been speculated that Albert had experienced temporal paralysis (explaining his nickname "Albert the Lame" ) caused bypolyarthritis.If so, however, it did not prevent him from fathering numerous children, of whom six survived childhood.

Albert died at Vienna in 1358 and was buried in a monastery of his own foundation,Gaming Charterhousein present-dayLower Austria.In 1782 the Gaming Charterhouse wassecularizedbyJoseph II, Holy Roman Emperor;at that time Albert's remains were transferred to the local parish church. In April 1985 they were returned to the Gaming Charterhouse in a ceremony attended byRegina von Habsburg,wife of the Head of theHouse of Habsburg,Otto von Habsburg,as well as her sonKarl von Habsburg.[2]

According to his House Rule, Albert was succeeded by his eldest sonRudolf IVwhose younger brothers acted as regents. However, after Rudolf's death in 1365, the Habsburg lands were divided among Albert's younger sonsAlbert IIIandLeopold IIIby the 1379Treaty of Neuberg.

Family and children[edit]

On 15 February 1324, Albert married CountessJohanna of Pfirt,[3]daughter of Count Ulrich III of Pfirt, in Vienna. The couple had the following children:

  1. Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria(1 November 1339,Vienna– 27 July 1365,Milan), who succeeded his father as Duke of Austria, Styria and Carinthia. His marriage withCatherine of Luxembourgremained childless; upon his death, he was succeeded by his younger brothers Albert III and Leopold III.[4]
  2. Catherine (1342, Vienna – 10 January 1381, Vienna), Abbess of St. Klara in Vienna.
  3. Margaret (1346, Vienna – 14 January 1366,Brno), married:
    1. inPassau4 September 1359 CountMeinhard III of Gorizia-Tyrol;[4]
    2. in Vienna 1364 MargraveJohn Henry of Moravia.[4]
  4. Frederick III of Austria(1347, Vienna – 1362, Vienna). Died unmarried.[4]
  5. Albert III, Duke of Austria(9 September 1349, Vienna – 29 August 1395, CastleLaxenburg). His first marriage withElisabeth of Bohemia,a daughter of the Luxembourg emperorCharles IVremained childless;[3]secondly, he marriedBeatrix of Nuremberg,a daughter of theHohenzollernburgraveFrederick V.[3]Progenitor of the HabsburgAlbertinian line.
  6. Leopold III, Duke of Austria(1 November 1351, Vienna – 9 July 1386,Sempach). Married toViridis Visconti,second daughter ofBarnabò Visconti,Lord of Milan;progenitor of the HabsburgLeopoldian line.[3]

Ancestry[edit]

Male-line family tree[edit]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^Previte-Orton 1952,p. 796-797.
  2. ^Cugnac, Sophie de (26 April 1985). "Transfert des cendres d'Albrecht II duc d'Autriche".Point de Vue, Images du Monde.36(1917): 20–22.
  3. ^abcdPrevite-Orton 1952,p. 797.
  4. ^abcdPrevite-Orton 1952,p. 796.

Sources[edit]

  • Gabrielle Caerr-Stamm:Johanna von Pfirt, Gattin des Habsburgers Albrecht II. Herzog von Österreich oder das europäische Schicksal einer Elsässerin( "wife of Habsburg Albert II Duke of Austria or the European Fate of anAlsatian"). Sundgaugeschichtsverein, Riedisheim 1996,ISBN2-908498-06-5.
  • Franz Kurz:Österreich unter Herzog Albrecht dem Lahmen( "Austria under Duke Albert the Lame" ), Haslinger, Linz 1819.
  • Previte-Orton, C.W. (1952).The Shorter Cambridge Medieval History: The Twelfth Century to the Renaissance.Vol. 2. Cambridge University Press.

External links[edit]

Albert II, Duke of Austria
Born:12 December 1298Died:16 August 1358
Preceded by Duke of Austria and Styria
1330–1358
With:Otto the Merry1330–1339 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Duke of Carinthia
1335–1358
With:Otto the Merry1335–1339
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