| Albert II | |
|---|---|
 16th-century portrait of duke Albert II byAnton Boys | |
| Duke of Austria andStyria | |
| Reign | 13 January 1330 – 16 August 1358 |
| Predecessor | Frederick the Fair |
| Successor | Rudolf IV |
| Duke of Carinthia | |
| Reign | 2 April 1335 – 16 August 1358 |
| Predecessor | Henry of Bohemia |
| Successor | Rudolf IV |
| Born | 12 December 1298 Habsburg Castle,Swabia |
| Died | 16 August 1358(1358-08-16) (aged 59) Vienna,Austria |
| Spouse | Johanna of Pfirt |
| Issue | Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria Catherine Margaret Frederick III of Austria Albert III, Duke of Austria Leopold III, Duke of Austria |
| House | House of Habsburg |
| Father | Albert I of Germany |
| Mother | Elisabeth of Carinthia |
Albert II (German:Albrecht II. von Österreich; 12 December 1298[dubious –discuss] – 16 August 1358), known asthe Wise (der Weise) orthe Lame (der Lahme), a member of theHouse of Habsburg, wasduke of Austria andStyria from 1330, as well asduke of Carinthia andmargrave of Carniola from 1335 until his death.
Albert II was born atHabsburg Castle inSwabia, a younger son of KingAlbert I of Germany and his wifeElisabeth of Carinthia,[1] a member of theHouse of Gorizia (Meinhardiner). He initially prepared for an ecclesiastical career and, though still a minor, was electedBishop of Passau in 1313. However, he had to rival with an opposing candidate and finally renounced the office in 1317.
After the death of their elder brotherFrederick the Fair in 1330, the surviving sons Albert II andOtto the Merry became joint rulers of all Habsburg dominions inAustria andStyria. Albert was able to further increase his possessions by the inheritance of his wifeJoanna of Pfirt, which was made up of theAlsatiancounty of Pfirt and several cities. Furthermore, upon the death of his maternal uncle DukeHenry of Carinthia in 1335, Albert succeeded in establishing his claims on theDuchy of Carinthia and theMarch of Carniola, when he reached his enfeoffment byEmperor Louis IV against the claims raised by his mightyLuxembourg rival KingJohn of Bohemia.
Reflecting his high reputation among the secular and church leaders of Europe, in 1335Pope Benedict XII asked him to mediate in the church's conflict with Emperor Louis. Two years later, KingPhilip VI of France 1337 asked him for help against theWittelsbach emperor and KingEdward III of England. Nevertheless, Albert remained faithful to the emperor until Louis' death in 1347; he also was a close ally of his son DukeLouis V of Bavaria. After the demolition ofRapperswil Castle by the forces ofRudolf Brun in 1350, the Austrian duke marched against theSwiss Confederacy and laid siege to the city ofZürich, though to no avail.
In Austria, Duke Albert had the construction of theGothic Choir begun inSt. Stephen's Cathedral inVienna, known as theAlbertinian Choir. He established the "Albertinian House Rule" (Albertinische Hausordnung) to predetermine the rules of succession in the Habsburg lands according to the principle ofprimogeniture. Although the rule was disregarded after his death, it was re-assumed under EmperorMaximilian. Adopted as part of thePragmatic Sanction in 1713, the Albertinian House Rule effectively remained one of the basic laws of Austria until 1918. Styria owes him its (former) constitution, the so-called "Mountain Book" (Bergbüchel); the same is true for Carinthia.
It has been speculated that Albert had experienced temporal paralysis (explaining his nickname "Albert the Lame") caused bypolyarthritis. If so, however, it did not prevent him from fathering numerous children, of whom six survived childhood.
Albert died at Vienna in 1358 and was buried in a monastery of his own foundation,Gaming Charterhouse in present-dayLower Austria. In 1782 the Gaming Charterhouse wassecularized byJoseph II, Holy Roman Emperor; at that time Albert's remains were transferred to the local parish church. In April 1985 they were returned to the Gaming Charterhouse in a ceremony attended byRegina von Habsburg, wife of the Head of theHouse of Habsburg,Otto von Habsburg, as well as her sonKarl von Habsburg.[2]
According to his House Rule, Albert was succeeded by his eldest sonRudolf IV whose younger brothers acted as regents. However, after Rudolf's death in 1365, the Habsburg lands were divided among Albert's younger sonsAlbert III andLeopold III by the 1379Treaty of Neuberg.
On 15 February 1324, Albert married CountessJohanna of Pfirt,[3] daughter of Count Ulrich III of Pfirt, in Vienna. The couple had the following children:
Media related toAlbert II, Duke of Austria at Wikimedia CommonsAlbert II, Duke of Austria Born: 12 December 1298 Died: 16 August 1358 | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Austria and Styria 1330–1358 With:Otto the Merry 1330–1339 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Duke of Carinthia 1335–1358 With:Otto the Merry 1335–1339 | |
