Albert IV (or ''Albert III'', depending on the counting scheme; – 22 July 1253) was Count of Tyrol from 1202 until his death, the last from the original House of Tirol. He also served as '' Vogt'' of the bishoprics of Trent and Brixen.

Life

He was the son of Count Henry I (d. 14 June 1190) and Agnes of Wangen, daughter of Count Adalbero I. He was still a minor when his father died in 1190, and only began to rule independently in 1202. He inherited the office of a Vogt of Trent from his father; in 1210, Bishop Conrad also appointed him Vogt of Brixen. When in 1209 the Counts of Andechs-Merania were

banned A ban is a formal or informal prohibition of something. Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some bans in commerce are referred to as embargoes. ''Ban'' is also used as a verb similar in meaning ...

for their alleged role in the murder of the Hohenstaufen king

Philip of Swabia Philip of Swabia (February/March 1177 – 21 June 1208) was a member of the House of Hohenstaufen and King of Germany from 1198 until his assassination. The death of his older brother Emperor Henry VI in 1197 meant that the Hohenstaufen rule (whi ...

at the wedding of Duke

Otto I of Merania Otto I (c. 1180 – 7 May 1234), a member of the House of Andechs, was Duchy of Merania, Duke of Merania from 1204 until his death. He was also List of counts of Burgundy, Count of Burgundy (as Otto II) from 1208 to 1231, by his marriage to Counte ...

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...

, Albert took over their sovereign rights in the Inn, Wipp,

Eisack The Eisack (german: Eisack, ; it, Isarco ; Latin: ''Isarus'' or ''Isarcus'') is a river in Northern Italy, the second largest river in South Tyrol. Its source is near the Brenner Pass, at an altitude of about 1990 m above sea level. The river draw ...

, and Gader valleys. Shaping the independent County of Tyrol, he consolidated his position by quickly recognizing the now undisputed supremacy of Philip's rival, the Welf emperor Otto IV. After Emperor Otto's death in 1218, he again switched sides and became a loyal supporter of the Hohenstaufen ruler Frederick II. In 1217, he and Bishop Bertold of Brixen joined the Fifth Crusade. Albert had no sons, so he made sure his daughters would be allowed to inherit. In 1234 he married his daughter Elisabeth (d. 1256) off to the Andechs duke Otto II of Merania and his other daughter, Adelaide (d. 1279), to Count Meinhard of Gorizia, concluding mutual contracts of inheritance with both his sons-in-law. As a result, Albert acquired the Tyrolean possessions held by Otto II of Merania upon his death in 1248 and could also seize the lands of the extinct counts of Eppan in the same year. In the fierce controversy after the deposition of Emperor Frederick II by Pope Innocent IV in 1245, Albert remained a protagonist of the imperial party and took the occasion to invade the ecclesiastical territories of Bishop-elect Philip of Salzburg. In 1252, however, Albert and his son-in-law Meinhard were taken prisoner at Greifenburg by the united forces of Philip and his father Duke Bernard of Carinthia. Held in custody in Friesach, they were not released until December, after they ceded important possessions in Upper Carinthia, paid a large ransom and put up Meinhard's two sons as hostages. Albert IV died the next year and was buried in Stams. His inheritance was at first divided between his sons-in-law Meinhard and Count Gebhard IV of Hischberg, the second husband of his daughter Elisabeth. Gebhard had no children, so after his death, Meinhard's son

Meinhard II Meinhard II (c. 1238 – 1 November 1295), a member of the House of Gorizia (''Meinhardiner''), ruled the County of Gorizia (as Meinhard IV) and the County of Tyrol together with his younger brother Albert from 1258. In 1271 they divided their he ...

re-united Albert's possessions. During his lifetime, Albert had tried to unite his possessions in the Tyrol area into a single county. In 1254, this entity was called the or .

Marriage and issue

Around 1211 Albert married Uta (d. 1254), daughter of the Bavarian count Henry II of Frontenhausen-Lechsgemünd (d. 1208). Albert and Uta had two daughters: * Adelaide ( – 26 May 1279), married to Count

Meinhard I Meinhard I ( – 22 July 1258), a member of the House of Gorizia (''Meinhardiner''), was Count of Gorizia (as Meinhard III) from 1231 and Count of Tyrol from 1253 until his death. Life He was the son of Count Engelbert III of Gorizia and h ...

of Gorizia (d. 1258) * Elisabeth ( – 10 October 1256), married: *# in 1239 to Duke Otto II of Andechs-Merania (d. 19 June 1248) *# in 1249, to Count Gebhard IV of Hirschberg (d. 1275)

References

* * * {{Authority control Counts of Tyrol 1180s births 1253 deaths Year of birth uncertain 13th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire