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Albert II
Albert II
	16th century portrait of duke Albert II by Anton Boys
Duke of Austria and Styria
Reign	13 January 1330 – 16 August 1358
Predecessor	Frederick the Fair
Successor	Rudolf IV
Duke of Carinthia
Reign	2 April 1335 – 16 August 1358
Predecessor	Henry of Bohemia
Successor	Rudolf IV
Born	12 December 1298; Habsburg Castle, Swabia
Died	16 August 1358 (aged 59); Vienna, Austria
Spouse	Johanna of Pfirt
Issue	Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria; Catherine; Margaret; Frederick III of Austria; Albert III, Duke of Austria; Leopold III, Duke of Austria
House	House of Habsburg
Father	Albert I of Germany
Mother	Elizabeth of Carinthia

Albert II (German: Albrecht II. von Österreich; 12 December 1298^{[dubious – discuss]} – 16 August 1358), known as the Wise (der Weise) or the Lame (der Lahme), a member of the House of Habsburg, was duke of Austria and Styria from 1330, as well as duke of Carinthia and margrave of Carniola from 1335 until his death.

Biography

Albert II was born at Habsburg Castle in Swabia, a younger son of King Albert I of Germany and his wife Elizabeth of Carinthia,^[1] a member of the House of Gorizia (Meinhardiner). He initially prepared for an ecclesiastical career and, though still a minor, was elected Bishop of Passau in 1313. However, he had to rival with an opposing candidate and finally renounced the office in 1317.

After the death of their elder brother Frederick the Fair in 1330, the surviving sons Albert II and Otto the Merry became joint rulers of all Habsburg dominions in Austria and Styria. Albert was able to further increase his possessions by the inheritance of his wife Joanna of Pfirt, which was made up of the Alsatian county of Pfirt and several cities. Furthermore, upon the death of his maternal uncle Duke Henry of Carinthia in 1335, Albert succeeded in establishing his claims on the Duchy of Carinthia and the March of Carniola, when he reached his enfeoffment by Emperor Louis IV against the claims raised by his mighty Luxembourg rival King John of Bohemia.

Reflecting his high reputation among the secular and church leaders of Europe, in 1335 Pope Benedict XII asked him to mediate in the church's conflict with Emperor Louis. Two years later, King Philip VI of France 1337 asked him for help against the Wittelsbach emperor and King Edward III of England. Nevertheless, Albert remained faithful to the emperor until Louis' death in 1347; he also was a close ally of his son Duke Louis V of Bavaria. After the demolition of Rapperswil Castle by the forces of Rudolf Brun in 1350, the Austrian duke marched against the Swiss Confederacy and laid siege to the city of Zürich, though to no avail.

In Austria, Duke Albert had the construction of the Gothic Choir begun in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, known as the Albertinian Choir. He established the "Albertinian House Rule" (Albertinische Hausordnung) to predetermine the rules of succession in the Habsburg lands according to the principle of primogeniture. Although the rule was disregarded after his death, it was re-assumed under Emperor Maximilian. Adopted as part of the Pragmatic Sanction in 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 by polyarthritis. 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 Charterhouse in present-day Lower Austria. In 1782 the Gaming Charterhouse was secularized by Joseph 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 by Regina von Habsburg, wife of the Head of the House of Habsburg, Otto von Habsburg, as well as her son Karl von Habsburg.^[2]

According to his House Rule, Albert was succeeded by his eldest son Rudolf IV whose younger brothers acted as regents. However, after Rudolf's death in 1365, the Habsburg lands were divided among Albert's younger sons Albert III and Leopold III by the 1379 Treaty of Neuberg.

Family and children

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

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 with Catherine of Luxembourg remained childless; upon his death, he was succeeded by his younger brothers Albert III and Leopold III.^[4]
Catherine (1342, Vienna – 10 January 1381, Vienna), Abbess of St. Klara in Vienna.
Margaret (1346, Vienna – 14 January 1366, Brno), married:
1. in Passau 4 September 1359 Count Meinhard III of Gorizia-Tyrol;^[4]
2. in Vienna 1364 Margrave John Henry of Moravia.^[4]
Frederick III of Austria (1347, Vienna – 1362, Vienna). Died unmarried.^[4]
Albert III, Duke of Austria (9 September 1349, Vienna – 29 August 1395, Castle Laxenburg). His first marriage with Elisabeth of Bohemia, a daughter of the Luxembourg emperor Charles IV remained childless;^[3] secondly, he married Beatrix of Nuremberg, a daughter of the Hohenzollern burgrave Frederick V.^[3] Progenitor of the Habsburg Albertinian line.
Leopold III, Duke of Austria (1 November 1351, Vienna – 9 July 1386, Sempach). Married to Viridis Visconti, second daughter of Barnabò Visconti, Lord of Milan; progenitor of the Habsburg Leopoldian line.^[3]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Albert II, Duke of Austria

8. Albert IV, Count of Habsburg

4. Rudolf I, King of the Romans

9. Hedwig of Kyburg

2. Albert I, King of the Romans

10. Burkhard V, Count of Hohenberg

5. Gertrude of Hohenberg

11. Matilda of Tübingen

1. Albert II, Duke of Austria

12. Meinhard I, Count of Gorizia-Tyrol

6. Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia

13. Adelaide of Tyrol

3. Elisabeth of Carinthia

14. Otto II, Duke of Bavaria

7. Elisabeth of Bavaria

15. Agnes of the Palatinate

Male-line family tree

House of Habsburg^{[n 1]}

Original line

Albert
Count of Habsburg
c. 1188–1239

Rudolf I
of Germany
c. 1218–1291

Albert I
of Germany
1255–1308

Hartmann
1263–1281

Rudolf II
Duke of Austria
1270–1290

Rudolf I
of Bohemia
1281–1307

Frederick
the Fair
c. 1289–1330

Leopold I
Duke of Austria
1290–1326

Albert II
Duke of Austria
1298–1358

Henry
the Friendly
1299–1327

Otto
Duke of Austria
1301–1339

John
Parricida
c. 1290–1312/1313

Albertinian line

Leopoldian line

Rudolf IV
Duke of Austria
1339–1365

Frederick III
1347–1362

Albert III
Duke of Austria
1349–1395

Leopold III
Duke of Austria
1351–1386

Frederick II
Duke of Austria
1327–1344

Leopold II
Duke of Austria
1328–1344

Albert IV
Duke of Austria
1377–1404

William
Duke of Austria
c. 1370–1406

Leopold IV
Duke of Austria
1371–1411

Ernest
Duke of Austria
1377–1424

Frederick IV
Duke of Austria
1382–1439

Albert II
of Germany
1397–1439

Frederick III
HRE
1415–1493

Albert VI
Archduke of Austria
1418–1463

Sigismund
Archduke of Austria
1427–1496

Ladislaus
the Posthumous
1440–1457

Maximilian I
HRE
1459–1519

Philip I
of Castile
1478–1506

Spanish / Iberian line

Austrian / HRE line

Charles V
HRE
1500–1558

Ferdinand I
HRE
1503–1564

Philip II
of Spain
1527–1598

Maximilian II
HRE
1527–1576

Ferdinand II
Archduke of Austria
1529–1595

Charles II
Archduke of Austria
1540–1590

Carlos
Prince of Asturias
1545–1568

Philip III
of Spain
1578–1621

Rudolf II
HRE
1552–1612

Ernest
of Austria
1553–1595

Matthias
HRE
1557–1619

Maximilian III
Archduke of Austria
1558–1618

Albert VII
Archduke of Austria
1559–1621

Wenceslaus
Archduke of Austria
1561–1578

Andrew
Margrave of Burgau
1558–1600

Charles
Margrave of Burgau
1560–1618

Ferdinand II
HRE
1578–1637

Maximilian Ernest
of Austria
1583–1616

Leopold V
Archduke of Austria
1586–1632

Charles
of Austria
1590–1624

Philip IV
of Spain
1605–1665

Charles
of Austria
1607–1632

Ferdinand
of Austria
1609–1641

John-Charles
of Austria
1605–1619

Ferdinand III
HRE
1608–1657

Leopold Wilhelm
of Austria
1614–1662

Ferdinand Charles
Archduke of Austria
1628–1662

Sigismund Francis
Archduke of Austria
1630–1665

Balthasar Charles
Prince of Asturias
1629–1646

Charles II
of Spain
1661–1700

Ferdinand IV
King of the Romans
1633–1654

Leopold I
HRE
1640–1705

Charles Joseph
of Austria
1649–1664

Joseph I
HRE
1678–1711

Charles VI
HRE
1685–1740

Notes:

^ "Habsburg family tree". Habsburg family website. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.

Notes

References

Citations

^ Previte-Orton 1952, p. 796-797.
^ 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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Previte-Orton 1952, p. 797.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Previte-Orton 1952, p. 796.

Sources

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 an Alsatian"). Sundgaugeschichtsverein, Riedisheim 1996, ISBN 2-908498-06-5.
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

Media related to Albert II, Duke of Austria at Wikimedia Commons

Albert II, Duke of Austria House of Habsburg Born: 12 December 1298 Died: 16 August 1358
Preceded by Frederick the Fair	Duke of Austria and Styria 1330–1358 With: Otto the Merry 1330–1339	Succeeded by Rudolf IV
Preceded by Henry VI	Duke of Carinthia 1335–1358 With: Otto the Merry 1335–1339