Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Albert the Tall (Latin: Albertus Longus, German: Albrecht der Große) (1236–1279), of the House of Welf, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg from 1252 to 1269 and the first ruler of the newly created Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel from 1269 until his death.

Life

Albert I of Brunswick was the second son of Otto the Child, the first Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. When his father died in 1252, he was the oldest surviving son, and took over the rule of the duchy; later his younger brother John joined him. In 1267, the brothers agreed to divide the duchy, 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 and the city of Hanover, while Albert received the southern part, including Calenberg, Helmstedt, the Harz mountains and Göttingen. The City of Brunswick was to remain common property of the brothers.

Albert died on August 15, 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), the daughter of Henry II, Duke of Brabant and Sophie of Thuringia. They had four children:

• Otto (died ca. 1346)
• Matilda, married Henry III, Duke of Silesia-Glogau (died 11 December 1310)
• Lothar (died 1335), Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1331
• Conrad (died ca. 1303)

After Elizabeth's death in 1261, Henry married Adelheid (Alessia) (1242 – February 6, 1284/85), daughter of Boniface II of Montferrat around 1263. They had the following children:

• Henry (1267–1322)
• Albert (1268–1318)
• William (1270–1292)

Ancestry

References

• Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, vol. 1, p. 257-261
• At the House of Welf site
• RootsWeb: Rulers of Brandenburg and their Czech Roots