Albert of Stade

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Albert of Stade was a 13th century chronicler, born before the end of the 12th century.

Albert became the abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Stade, near Hamburg, in 1232. When in 1236 he failed to change the rule in his abbey from the Benedictine to that of the Cistercians he resigned his position, and joined the Franciscans in 1240. That same year, he began writing his chronicle, which begins at Creation and end in 1256. He is also possibly the author of the continuations to 1265. The early portions appear to have been based on Bede's Libellus de Sex Aetatibus Mundi and Ekkehard's Chronicle. As he approaches his own time, Albert becomes, like most medieval chroniclers, both fuller and more reliable.

Albert is also credited with the authorship of a work called Troilus, a Latin epic in 5320 lines about the Trojan War.

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.