Albert, Duke of Prussia
Albert | |
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Spouse |
Anna Marie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (m. 1550) |
Catholicism (until 1525) (from 1525)Lutheranism |
Albert of Prussia (
Albert was great-grandson of the converted pagan ruler
Albert's rule in Prussia was fairly prosperous. Although he had some trouble with the peasantry, the confiscation of the lands and treasures of the Catholic Church enabled him to propitiate the nobles and provide for the expenses of the newly established Prussian court. He was active in imperial politics, joining the
Early life
Albert was born in
Turning to a more active life, Albert accompanied Emperor Maximilian I to Italy in 1508 and after his return spent some time in the Kingdom of Hungary.[2]
Grand Master
The new grand master, aware of his duties to the empire and to the papacy, refused to submit to the crown of Poland. As war over the order's existence appeared inevitable, Albert made strenuous efforts to secure allies and carried on protracted negotiations with Emperor Maximilian I. The ill-feeling, influenced by the ravages of members of the Order in Poland, culminated in a war which began in December 1519 and devastated Prussia. Albert was granted a four-year truce early in 1521.[2]
The dispute was referred to Emperor
The grand master then journeyed to Wittenberg, where he was advised by Martin Luther to abandon the rules of his order, to marry, and to convert Prussia into a hereditary duchy for himself. This proposal, which was understandably appealing to Albert, had already been discussed by some of his relatives; but it was necessary to proceed cautiously, and he assured Pope Adrian VI that he was anxious to reform the order and punish the knights who had adopted Lutheran doctrines. Luther for his part did not stop at the suggestion, but in order to facilitate the change made special efforts to spread his teaching among the Prussians, while Albert's brother, Margrave George of Brandenburg-Ansbach, laid the scheme before their uncle, Sigismund I the Old of Poland.[2]
Duke in Prussia
After some delay Sigismund assented to the offer, with the provision that Prussia should be treated as a Polish fiefdom; and after this arrangement had been confirmed by a treaty concluded at Kraków, Albert pledged a personal oath to Sigismund I and was invested with the duchy for himself and his heirs on 10 February 1525.[2]
The Estates of the land then met at Königsberg and took the oath of allegiance to the new duke, who used his full powers to promote the doctrines of Luther. This transition did not, however, take place without protest. Summoned before the imperial court of justice, Albert refused to appear and was proscribed, while the order elected a new grand master, Walter von Cronberg, who received Prussia as a fief at the imperial Diet of Augsburg. As the German princes were experiencing the tumult of the Reformation, the German Peasants' War, and the wars against the Ottoman Turks, they did not enforce the ban on the duke, and agitation against him soon died away.[2]
In imperial politics Albert was fairly active. Joining the League of Torgau in 1526, he acted in unison with the Protestants, and was among the princes who banded and plotted together to overthrow Charles V after the issue of the Augsburg Interim in May 1548. For various reasons, however, poverty and personal inclination among others, he did not take a prominent part in the military operations of this period.[2]
The early years of Albert's rule in Prussia were fairly prosperous. Although he had some trouble with the peasantry, the lands and treasures of the church enabled him to propitiate the nobles and for a time to provide for the expenses of the court. He did something for the furtherance of learning by establishing schools in every town and by freeing serfs who adopted a scholastic life. In 1544, in spite of some opposition, he founded
Osiander's appointment was the beginning of the troubles which clouded the closing years of Albert's reign. Osiander's divergence from Luther's doctrine of
After Osiander's death in 1552, Albert favoured a preacher named
Virtually deprived of power, the duke lived for two more years, and died at Tapiau on 20 March 1568[2] of the plague, along with his wife. Cornelis Floris de Vriendt designed his tomb within Königsberg Cathedral.[5]
Albert was a voluminous letter writer, and corresponded with many of the leading personages of the time.[2]
Legacy
Albert was the first German noble to support Luther's ideas [
A relief of Albert over the Renaissance-era portal of Königsberg Castle's southern wing was created by Andreas Hess in 1551 according to plans by Christoph Römer.[6] Another relief by an unknown artist was included in the wall of the Albertina's original campus. This depiction, which showed the duke with his sword over his shoulder, was the popular "Albertus", the symbol of the university. The original was moved to Königsberg Public Library to protect it from the elements, while the sculptor Paul Kimritz created a duplicate for the wall.[6] Another version of the "Albertus" by Lothar Sauer was included at the entrance of the Königsberg State and Royal Library.[6]
In 1880
Albert was oft-honored in the quarter Maraunenhof in northern Königsberg. Its main street was named Herzog-Albrecht-Allee in 1906. Its town square, König-Ottokar-Platz, was renamed Herzog-Albrecht-Platz in 1934 to match its church, the Herzog-Albrecht-Gedächtniskirche.[8]
Spouse and issue
Albert married first, to Dorothea (1 August 1504 – 11 April 1547), daughter of King Frederick I of Denmark, in 1526. They had six children:
- John Albert I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow.
- Katharina (b. and d. 24 February 1528).
- Frederick Albert (5 December 1529 – 1 January 1530).[3]
- Lucia Dorothea (8 April 1531 – 1 February 1532).
- Lucia (3 February 1537 – May 1539).
- Albert (b. and d. March 1539).
He married secondly to
- Elisabeth (20 May 1551 – 19 February 1596).
- Duke of Prussia.
Ancestors
8. Elisabeth of Austria (1435–1505) | ||||||||||||||||
15. Elizabeth of Luxembourg (1409–1442) | ||||||||||||||||
Notes
- ^ Albert (duke of Prussia). Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 497.
- ^ a b c d Ward, Prothero & Leathes 1934, p. table 37.
- ^ "An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics - 1". dictionary.obspm.fr. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ Mühlpfordt, p. 73
- ^ a b c Mühlpfordt, p. 90
- ^ Mühlpfordt, p. 82
- ^ Mühlpfordt, p. 133
References
- Albinus, Robert (1985). Lexikon der Stadt Königsberg Pr. und Umgebung (in German). Leer: Verlag Gerhard Rautenberg. p. 371. ISBN 3-7921-0320-6.
- Mühlpfordt, Herbert Meinhard (1963). Welche Mitbürger hat Königsberg öffentlich geehrt? (in German). Würzburg: Holzner Verlag.
- Ward, A.W.; Prothero, G.W.; Leathes, Stanley, eds. (1934). The Cambridge Modern History. Vol. XIII. Cambridge at the University Press.
External links
- Literature by and about Albert, Duke of Prussia in the German National Library catalogue
- William Urban on the situation in Prussia
- K. P. Faber: Briefe Luthers an Herzog Albrecht (1811) letters of Martin Luther to Albrecht (in German)