Albert II of Germany

Albert the Magnanimous
King of Hungary and Croatia
Reign	18 December 1437 – 27 October 1439
Coronation	1 January 1438, Székesfehérvár
Predecessor	Sigismund of Luxemburg
Successor	Władysław I
King of Bohemia
Reign	6 May 1438 – 27 October 1439
Coronation	29 June 1438, Prague
Predecessor	Sigismund of Luxemburg
Successor	Ladislaus I Posthumus
King of the Romans (King of Germany)
Reign	18 March 1438 – 27 October 1439
Coronation	31 May 1438, Aachen
Predecessor	Sigismund of Luxemburg
Successor	Frederick III
Duke of Austria
Reign	14 September 1404 – 27 October 1439
Predecessor	Albert IV
Successor	Ladislaus I Posthumus
Spouse	Elisabeth of Bohemia
Issue
Ladislas the Posthumous Anne, Duchess of Luxembourg Elisabeth, Queen of Poland
House	Habsburg
Father	Albert IV, Duke of Austria
Mother	Joanna Sophia of Bavaria
Born	10 August 1397 Vienna
Died	27 October 1439(1439-10-27) (aged 42) Neszmély
Burial	Székesfehérvár

Albert the Magnanimous KG (10 August 1397 – 27 October 1439) was King of Hungary from 1438 until his death. He was also King of Bohemia, elected (but never crowned) King of Germany as Albert II, duke of Luxembourg and, as Albert V, archduke of Austria from 1404.^[1]

Contents 1 Biography 2 Expulsion of the Jews 3 Full title 4 Family 4.1 Children 4.2 Ancestors 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

Biography

Albert was born in Vienna as the son of Albert IV, Duke of Austria, and Johanna Sophia of Bavaria.

He succeeded to the Duchy of Austria at the age of seven on his father's death in 1404. His uncle Duke William of Inner Austria, then head of the rivaling Leopoldinian line, served as regent for his nephew, followed by his brothers Leopold IV and Ernest the Iron in 1406. The quarrels between the brothers and their continued attempts to gain control over the Albertinian territories led to civil war-like conditions. Nevertheless Albert, having received a good education, undertook the government of Austria proper on the occasion of Leopold's death in 1411 and succeeded, with the aid of his advisers, in ridding the duchy of the evils which had arisen during his minority.

In 1422 Albert married Elisabeth of Luxemburg, the daughter and heiress of the King Sigismund of Hungary (later also Holy Roman Emperor and Bohemia), and his second wife, the Slovenian noblewoman Barbara of Celje. Though Elizabeth was not the daughter of Sigismund's first wife Mary of Hungary and thus not a member of the royal Angevin dynasty, she descended from the old Arpád kings of Hungary. Her paternal grandparents were Emperor Charles IV and Elizabeth of Pomerania. Her maternal grandfather was the Ban of Slavonia Count Herman II of Celje, whose parents were Count Herman I of Celje and Catherine of Bosnia, who apparently descended also from Nemanjić kings of Serbia and from Catherine of Hungary, a daughter of Stephen V of Hungary. In right of the paternal grandparents, she was, through Elizabeth of Pomerania, also heiress of Poland, of its Kujavian Piast branch of kings. Thus, Albert's marriage brought him claims to several Slavic kingdoms and principalities.

Albert himself descended from Béla IV of Hungary through his daughter Ilona whose descendant was a princess of Brieg who became Albert's ancestress the countess of Hainaut and Holland, and from a younger sister of Queen Elisabeth of Bohemia, thus descending from both Constances of Hungary, and also from King Géza II of Hungary through his daughter Elisabeth who married Bedrich of Czech, their daughter being an ancestress of Albert's maternal Bavarian line.

Albert assisted his father-in-law Sigismund in his campaigns against the Hussites, involving the Austrian duchy in the Hussite Wars. In return Sigismund designated him as his successor and granted him the title of a Margrave of Moravia in 1423. The Austrian lands were devastated several times and Albert also participated in the 1431 Battle of Domažlice where the Imperial troops suffered an embarrassing defeat.

When Sigismund died in 1437, Albert was crowned king of Hungary on 1 January 1438, and just as his predecessor did, he moved his court to the Hungarian Kingdom from where he later oversaw his other domains. Although crowned king of Bohemia six months after ascending to the Hungarian throne, he was unable to obtain possession of the country. He was engaged in warfare with the Bohemians and their Polish allies, when on 18 March 1438, he was chosen "King of the Romans" at Frankfurt, an honour which he does not appear to have sought. He thus was not crowned as Holy Roman Emperor.

Afterwards engaged in defending Hungary against the attacks of the Turks, he died on 27 October 1439 at Neszmély and was buried at Székesfehérvár. Albert was an energetic and warlike prince, whose short reign as a triple king gave great promise of usefulness for the Holy Roman Empire. Until its final dissolution in 1806 the House of Habsburg remained the ruling dynasty.

Expulsion of the Jews

Though the Jews in the Austrian duchy had been subject to local persecutions during the 13th and 14th century, their position remained relatively safe. Jewish communities prospered in several towns like Krems or the area around the Judenplatz at Vienna. During the confusion after the death of Duke Albert IV in 1404 their situation worsened sharply, culminating in the blaze of the Vienna synagogue on 5 November 1406, followed by riots and lootings.

When Albert V came of age in 1411 and interfered in the Hussite Wars, he repeatedly established new taxes imposed on the Jewish community to finance his campaigns. On the other hand, after the Hussites had devastated the duchy, the Austrian Jews were accused of collaboration and arms trade in favour of the enemies. The accusations of a host desecration at Krems in 1420 gave Albert pretext for the destruction of the Jewish community.

According to the 1463 Chronica Austriae by chronicler Thomas Ebendorfer the duke on 23 May 1420, at the behest of the Church, ordered the imprisonment and forcible conversion of the Jews. Those that had not converted or escaped were sent off in boats down the Danube, while wealthy Jews remained under arrest, several of them tortured and stripped of their property. The forced baptism of Jewish children was stopped on intervention by Pope Martin V. On 12 March 1421 Albert sentenced the remaining Jews to death. 92 men and 120 women were burned at the stake south of the Vienna city walls on 12 March 1421. The Jews were placed under an "eternal ban" and their synagogue was demolished. The persecutions in several Austrian towns are explicitly described in a 16th century script called Vienna Geserah.

Full title

Full titulature Albert possessed went as follows: Albert, by the grace of God elected King of the Romans, always August, King of Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Rama, Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Cumania and Bulgaria, elected King of Bohemia, duke of Austria, Styria, Carinthia and Carniola, margrave of Moravia, Lord of the Wendish March and Port Naon, Count of Habsburg, Tyrol, Ferrete and Kyburg, etc. Margrave of Burgau and landgrave of Alsace.

In practise he often used a shorter version: Albert, by the grace of God elected King of the Romans, always August, King of Hungary, Dalmatia and Croatia, etc. elected King of Bohemia, duke of Austria, Styria, Carinthia and Carniola, Margrave of Moravia and Count of Tyrol, etc.

Family

Children

His children with Elisabeth of Bohemia were:

• Ladislas V Posthumus of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Bohemia
• Anne of Austria (1432–1462), who married William III, Duke of Saxony. William became (1457–69) Duke of Luxembourg, in right of his wife
• Elisabeth (1438–1505), who married Casimir IV of Poland, and whose son Vladislaus II of Bohemia later became king of Bohemia and Hungary

Ancestors

Ancestors of Albert II of Germany

16. Albert I of Germany               8. Albert II, Duke of Austria                       17. Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol               4. Albert III, Duke of Austria                             18. Ulrich III of Pfirt               9. Joanna of Pfirt                       19. Joanna of Burgundy               2. Albert IV, Duke of Austria                                   20. John II, Burgrave of Nuremberg               10. Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg                       21. Elisabeth of Henneberg               5. Beatrix of Nuremberg                             22. Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen               11. Elisabeth of Meissen                       23. Mathilde of Bavaria               1. Albert II of Germany                                         24. Louis II, Duke of Bavaria               12. Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor                       25. Matilda of Habsburg               6. Albert I, Duke of Bavaria                             26. William I, Count of Hainaut               13. Margaret II, Countess of Hainault                       27. Joan of Valois               3. Johanna Sophia of Bavaria                                   28. Bolesław III, Duke of Legnica               14. Louis I, Duke of Brieg                       29. Margaret of Bohemia               7. Margaret of Brieg                             30. Henry IV, Duke of Żagań               15. Agnes of Sagan                       31. Matilde of Brandenburg

See also

• Kings of Germany family tree. He was related to every other king of Germany.

Notes

References

 Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Albert II. (German king)". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

External links

Albert II of Germany House of Habsburg Born: 10 August 1397 Died: 27 October 1439 [aged 42]
Regnal titles
Preceded by Sigismund	King of Hungary1 1437–39	Succeeded by Vladislaus I
	German King (formally King of the Romans) 1438–39	Succeeded by Frederick III
	King of Bohemia1, 4 1438–39	Succeeded by Ladislaus the Posthumous
Preceded by Albert IV	Archduke of Austria³ 1404–39
Notes and references
1. As Albert I 2. Disputed by Ladislaus I Posthumus, King of Bohemia and Hungary, Archduke of Austria 3. As Albert V 4. Not recognised by the Bohemian nobility until 1453; Bohemia was administered by the Landfrieden

Monarchs of Bohemia Přemyslid c.870–1306 Bořivoj I Spytihněv I Vratislaus I Wenceslaus I Boleslaus I Boleslaus II Boleslaus III Vladivoj Boleslaus III Boleslaus the Brave1 Jaromír Oldrich Jaromír Oldrich Bretislaus I Spytihněv II Vratislaus II Conrad I Bretislaus II Bořivoj II Svatopluk the Lion Vladislaus I Bořivoj II Vladislaus I Sobeslaus I Vladislaus II Frederick Sobeslaus II Bedřich Conrad II Wenceslaus II Ottokar I Bretislaus III Vladislaus III Ottokar I 2 Wenceslaus I Ottokar II Wenceslaus II Wenceslaus III Non-dynastic 1306–1310 Henry the Carinthian Rudolph I Henry the Carinthian Luxembourg 1310–1437 John the Blind Charles I Wenceslaus IV Sigismund Habsburg 1437–1457 Albert Interregnum Ladislaus the Posthumous Non-dynastic 1457–1471 George of Poděbrady Matthias Corvinus3 Jagiellon 1471–1526 Vladislaus II Louis Habsburg 1526–1780 Ferdinand I Maximilian Rudolph II Matthias II Ferdinand II Frederick Ferdinand III Ferdinand IV Leopold I Joseph I Charles II Charles Albert3 Maria Theresa Habsburg-Lorraine 1780–1918 Joseph II Leopold II Francis Ferdinand V Francis Joseph Charles III 1 Also duke of Poland from the Piast dynasty. 2 Hereditary kings since 1198. 3 Antiking.

Monarchs of Hungary Stephen I (1000–1038) Peter (1038–1041; 1044–1046) Samuel (1041–1044) Andrew I (1046–1060) Béla I (1060–1063) Solomon (1063–1074) Géza I (1074–1077) Ladislaus I (1077–1095) Coloman (1095–1116) Stephen II (1116–1131) Béla II (1131–1141) Géza II (1141–1162) Stephen III (1162–1172) Ladislaus II (1162–1163) Stephen IV (1163) Béla III (1172–1196) Emeric (1196–1204) Ladislaus III (1204–1205) Andrew II (1205–1235) Béla IV (1235–1270) Stephen V (1270–1272) Ladislaus IV (1272–1290) Andrew III (1290–1301) Ladislaus V (1301-1305) Béla V (1305-1308) Charles I (1310–1342) Louis I (1342–1382) Mary (1382–1385; 1386–1395) Charles II (1385–1386) Sigismund (1387–1437) Albert (1437–1439) Vladislaus I (1440–1444) Ladislaus V (1444–1457) Matthias I (1458–1490) Vladislaus II (1490–1516) Louis II (1516–1526) John I (1526–1540) John II (1540–1570) Ferdinand I (1526–1564) Maximilian (1564–1576) Rudolph (1576–1608) Matthias II (1608–1619) Ferdinand II (1619–1637) Ferdinand III (1637–1657) Ferdinand IV (1647–1654) Leopold I (1657–1705) Joseph I (1705–1711) Charles III (1711–1740) Maria Theresa (1740–1780) Joseph II (1780–1790) Leopold II (1790–1792) Francis (1792–1830) Ferdinand V (1830–1848) Francis Joseph (1848–1916) Charles IV (1916–1918)

Monarchs of Germany Eastern Francia (843–918) Louis II Carloman Louis III Charles III Arnulf Louis the Child Conrad I Saxon Kingdom (919–62) Henry I Otto I Kingdom of Germany in the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806) Otto I Otto II Otto III Henry II Conrad II Henry III Henry IV Henry V Lothair III Conrad III Frederick I Henry VI Philip Otto IV Frederick II Conrad IV Rudolf I Adolf Albert I Henry VII Louis IV Charles IV Wenceslaus Rupert Sigismund Albert II Frederick III Maximilian I Charles V Ferdinand I Maximilian II Rudolph II Matthias Ferdinand II Ferdinand III Leopold I Joseph I Charles VI Charles VII Francis I Joseph II Leopold II Francis II Confederation of the Rhine (1806–1813) Napoleon I German Confederation (1815–1848) Francis II Ferdinand I German Empire (1849) Frederick William IV (emperor-elect) German Confederation (1850–1866) Franz Joseph I North German Confederation (1867–1871) Wilhelm I German Empire (1871–1918) Wilhelm I Frederick III Wilhelm II

Persondata
Name	II, Albert
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	10 August 1397
Place of birth	Vienna
Date of death	1439-10-27
Place of death	Neszmély