(Redirected from Albrecht of Saxony):''Several rulers of Saxony bore the name 'Albert'. See
Rulers of Saxony for possible disambiguation.''
'Albrecht, Elector of Saxony' (b.
Grimma,
27 January,
1443 – d.
Emden,
12 September,
1500), was a
Duke of Saxony, surnamed ''the Bold'' or ''the Courageous'',
He was the third and youngest son (but fifth child in order of birth) of
Frederick II the Gentle, Elector of Saxony and Margarete of Austria, sister of
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor. Later, he was a member of the
Order of the Golden Fleece.
After escaping from the hands of Kunz von Kaufungen, who had abducted him together with his brother Ernst, he passed some time at the court of the emperor
Frederick III in
Vienna.
In
Cheb (
Eger) on
11 November 1464 Albrecht married with
Zedena (Sidonie), daughter of
Georg Podiebrad, King of
Bohemia; but failed to obtain the Bohemian Crown on the death of George in
1471.
After the death of his father in
1464, Albrecht and Ernst ruled their lands together, but in
1485 a division was made by the
Treaty of Leipzig, and Albrecht received
Meissen, together with some adjoining districts, and founded the Albertine branch of the family of
Wettin.
Regarded as a capable soldier by the emperor, Albrecht (in
1475) took a prominent part in the campaign against
Charles the Bold,
duke of Burgundy, and in
1487 led an expedition against
Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, which failed owing to lack of support on the part of the emperor.
In
1488 was appointed Stattholder of the Netherlands (until
1493) and marched with the imperial forces to free the Roman king
Maximilian from his imprisonment at Bruges, and when, in
1489, the King returned to Germany, Albert was left as his representative to prosecute the war against the rebels. He was successful in restoring the authority of Maximilian in
Holland,
Flanders and
Brabant, but failed to obtain any repayment of the large sums of money which he had spent in these campaigns.
His services were rewarded in
1498 when Maximilian bestowed upon him the title of Hereditary governor (''potestat'') of
Friesland, but he had to make good his claim by force of arms. He had to a great extent succeeded, and was paying a visit to Saxony, when he was recalled by news of a fresh rising.
Groningen was captured, but soon afterwards the duke died at
Emden. He was buried at Meissen.
Albrecht, who was a man of great strength and considerable skill in feats of arms, delighted in tournaments and knightly exercises. His loyalty to the emperor Frederick, and the expenses incurred in this connection, aroused some irritation among his subjects, but his rule was a period of prosperity in Saxony.
Ancestry
Family and children
With
Sidonie Podiebrad, Albrecht had nine children:
# Katharina (b. Meissen,
24 July 1468 - d. Göttingen,
10 February 1524), married firstly on
24 February 1484 in Innsbruck to Duke
Sigismund of Austria, and secondly on
1497 to Duke
Erich I of Braunschweig-Kalenberg.
#
Georg "der Bärtige" (b. Meissen,
27 August 1471 - d. Dresden,
17 April 1539).
#
Heinrich V "der Fromme" (b. Dresden,
16 March 1473 - d. Dresden,
18 August 1541).
#
Frederick (b. Torgau,
26 October 1473 - d. Rochlitz,
14 December 1510), Grand Master of the
Teutonic Knights.
# Anna (b. Dresden
3 August 1478 - d. Dresden,
1479).
# Stillborn child (
1479).
# Ludwig (b. Torgau,
28 September 1481 - d. Torgau?, some days later / d. Torgau?, young after 1498) [?].
# Johann (b. and d. Torgau,
24 June 1484).
# Johann (b. Torgau,
2 December 1498 - d. Torgau?, some days later / d. Torgau?, young in September of the same year as his brother Ludwig) [?].
[1]
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