Albert I, Duke of Brunswick
Albert I the Tall | |
---|---|
Father | Otto I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
Mother | Matilda of Brandenburg |
Albert the Tall (
Life
Albert was the oldest surviving son of the first Brunswick duke Otto the Child and his wife, Matilda of Brandenburg.[1] When his father died in 1252, he took over the rule of the duchy. In 1267 the duchy was divided between Albert and his younger brother John.[2]
Albert's rule was initially troubled by several armed conflicts as the Welf dukes still had to cope with the followers of the extinct
On 31 May 1267, the brothers agreed to divide the Welf lands, which happened in 1269. Albert partitioned the territory while John obtained the right to choose his part. He took the northern half including the region of Lüneburg, Celle and the city of Hanover, while Albert received the southern part around the cities of Brunswick and Wolfenbüttel, stretching from the area around the Calenberg hill to the town of Helmstedt, the Harz mountain range, and Göttingen. The Brunswick residence itself was to remain common property of the brothers.
Albert then concentrated on the development of his hereditary lands. During the Imperial interregnum, he sided with the rising Bohemian king Ottokar II until his final defeat in the 1278 Battle on the Marchfeld. When his brother John died in 1277, he took over the guardianship for his minor nephew Otto II of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
Albert died on 15 August 1279 and is buried at Brunswick Cathedral. He was succeeded by his elder three sons, the younger three joined the Church.
Marriage and children
In 1254, Albert married Elizabeth of Brabant (1243 – October 9, 1261),[3] daughter of Duke Henry II of Brabant and Sophie of Thuringia. They had no children.[4]
After Elizabeth's death in 1261, Albert married Adelheid (Alessia) (1242 – February 6, 1284/85),
- Henry I, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1267–1322)[1]
- Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1268–1318)[1]
- William I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1270–1292)
- Otto (died ca. 1346)
- Teutonic Knightsfrom 1331.
- Matilda of Brunswick-Lüneburg, (1276-11 Dec 1310) married the Piast duke Henry III of Głogów.
- Conrad (died ca. 1303)
References
- ^ a b c Loud & Schenk 2017, p. xxi.
- ^ Loud & Schenk 2017, p. 20.
- ^ Ancelet-Hustache 1947, p. 406.
- ^ Chronica Principum Brunsvicensium, MGH SS XXX.1, p. 26.
- ^ Carpenter 2023, p. 498.
Sources
- Ancelet-Hustache, Jeanne (1947). Sainte Élisabeth de Hongrie (in French). Éditions franciscaines.
- Carpenter, David (2023). Henry III: Reform, Rebellion, Civil War, Settlement, 1258-1272. Yale University Press.
- Loud, Graham A.; Schenk, Jochen, eds. (2017). The Origins of the German Principalities, 1100-1350: Essays by German Historians. Routledge.
- Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, vol. 1, p. 257-261[permanent dead link]
- At the House of Welf site