| Albert Casimir | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portrait byMarcello Bacciarelli,c. 1766 | |||||
| Duke of Teschen | |||||
| Reign | 8 April 1766 –10 February 1822 | ||||
| Predecessor | Joseph II | ||||
| Successor | Charles | ||||
| Alongside | Maria Christina | ||||
| Governor of the Austrian Netherlands | |||||
| Tenure | 29 November 1780 –1 March 1792 | ||||
| Predecessor | Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine | ||||
| Successor | Archduke Charles of Austria | ||||
| Alongside | Maria Christina | ||||
| Born | (1738-07-11)11 July 1738 Moritzburg,Electorate of Saxony | ||||
| Died | 10 February 1822(1822-02-10) (aged 83) Vienna, Austria | ||||
| Burial | Ducal Crypt, Vienna | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Princess Maria Theresia Josepha Johanna Nepomucena | ||||
| |||||
| House | Wettin | ||||
| Father | Augustus III of Poland | ||||
| Mother | Maria Josepha of Austria | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
Prince Albert Casimir of Saxony, Duke of Teschen (German:Albert Kasimir von Sachsen-Teschen; 11 July 1738 – 10 February 1822) was a Saxon prince from theHouse of Wettin who married into theHabsburg imperial family. He was noted as an art collector and founded theAlbertina inVienna, one of the largest and finest collections ofold master prints anddrawings in the world.
Albert was a younger son of KingAugustus III of Poland (who was alsoElector of Saxony) and his wife,Maria Josepha of Austria, a first cousin of Empress Maria Theresa, being the eldest daughter ofEmperor Joseph I. Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen, was also one of the godparents to his namesake,Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Young Albert was specifically chosen byArchduchess Maria Christina of Austria to be her husband, after her romance withLouis Eugen of Württemberg. This was a special favour granted by her mother, EmpressMaria Theresa of Austria, because marriages of imperial children were usually used for diplomatic purposes. Still, the betrothal and wedding had to wait until the death of her father, EmperorFrancis I, and the wedding decorations were black because it occurred during the official mourning period after his death. From his father-in-law's estate, Albert received the territory ofTeschen inAustrian Silesia and was accordingly given the title ofDuke of Teschen.
The SilesianDuchy of Teschen had been inherited by Emperor Francis through his father'sGonzaga ancestry, as compensation for the lostDuchy of Montferrat, taken from them in favor of the dukes of Savoy. Archduchess Maria Christina, the daughter of Francis of Lorraine, received the duchy among her dowry. Prince Albert of Saxony thus became theDuke of Teschen, the only non-Habsburg to become such after the title passed into Habsburg control. Their only daughter;
Upon the death of the widowed Albert in 1822, Teschen was granted to their adopted son,Archduke Charles of Austria, who became Duke of Teschen and started the Habsburg-Lorraine branch of Dukes of Teschen.
Albert was royal governor ofHungary from 1765 to 1781, with his seat atBratislava Castle and his summer residence inHalbturn Castle atNeusiedl. He was then madeGovernor of the Austrian Netherlands, along with his wife. InBrussels, they built a palace inLaeken (the present-day home of theBelgian royal family) as their seat. There, he assembled the beginnings of his vast art collection, which he took with him when the couple had to flee from Brussels toVienna in 1793, due to theFrench Revolution and following his military defeat by invasion forces at theBattle of Jemappes.
In Vienna, a palace adjoining theHofburg, originally designed byEmanuel Teles Silva-Tarouca, was enlarged for them by architectLouis Montoyer. That palace is today called theAlbertina, after Albert, and houses the collection he started. Only two-thirds of his collection survives, because one of the cargo ships bringing it from Brussels sanken route. After his return to Vienna, he used as an advisorAdam von Bartsch, the Curator of the Imperial prints collection and the greatest prints scholar of his age.
After the early death of his wife in 1798 oftyphus, Albert lived only for his art collection, which he bequeathed to his nephew and adopted son,Archduke Charles of Austria.
Next door to his palace, in theAugustinerkirche, Albert had a famous memorial to his wife carved byAntonio Canova. The couple are buried in tombs 111 and 112 in theTuscan Vault of theImperial Crypt in Vienna, with their hearts in urns 40 and 28 in the nearbyHerzgruft, and their viscera in urns 75 and 63 of theDucal Crypt inVienna's cathedral.
Media related toPrince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen at Wikimedia Commons
Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen Born: 11 July 1738 Died: 10 February 1822 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Duke of Teschen 1766–1822 withMaria Christina | Succeeded by |
