Albert the Tall (, ; 1236 – 15 August 1279), a member of the

House of Welf The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconian family from the Meuse-Mo ...

, was

Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

from 1252 and the first ruler of the newly created

Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel () was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. It had an area of 3,828 square kilometres in the mid 17th century. Va ...

from 1269 until his death.

Life

Albert was the oldest surviving son of the first Brunswick duke Otto the Child and his wife, Matilda of Brandenburg. When his father died in 1252, he took over the rule of the duchy. In 1267 the duchy was divided between Albert and his younger brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. Albert's rule was initially troubled by several armed conflicts as the Welf dukes still had to cope with the followers of the extinct Hohenstaufen dynasty within their dominions. In 1260/61 Albert's troops fought against the Danish duke Eric I of Schleswig on behalf of Queen

Margaret Sambiria Margaret Sambiria (, ' or '; c. 1230 – December 1282) was Queen of Denmark by marriage to King Christopher I, and regent during the minority of her son, King Eric V from 1259 until 1264. She is the first woman confirmed to have formally rule ...

and her minor son King

Eric V of Denmark Eric V Klipping (1249 – 22 November 1286) was King of Denmark from 1259 to 1286. After his father Christopher I died, his mother Margaret Sambiria ruled Denmark in his name until 1266, proving to be a competent regent. Between 1261 and 1262, ...

. In 1263 the duke quite luckless interfered in the

War of the Thuringian Succession The War of the Thuringian Succession (German: ''Thüringisch-hessischer Erbfolgekrieg'') (1247–1264) was a military conflict over a successor to the last Landgrave of Thuringia for control of the state of Thuringia (now in modern-day Germany). ...

to support the claims raised by his mother-in-law

Sophie of Brabant Sophie of Thuringia (20 March 1224 – 29 May 1275) was the second wife and only Duchess consort of Henry II, Duke of Brabant and Lothier. She was the heiress of Hesse which she passed on to her son, Henry upon her retention of the territory f ...

. On 31 May 1267, the brothers agreed to divide the Welf lands, which happened in 1269. Albert partitioned the territory while John obtained the right to choose his part. He took the northern half including the region of

Lüneburg Lüneburg, officially the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg and also known in English as Lunenburg, is a town in the German Bundesland (Germany), state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of another Hanseatic League, Hanseatic city, Hambur ...

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle (district), Celle in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller (Germany), Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about ...

and the city of

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, while Albert received the southern part around the cities of Brunswick and

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...

, stretching from the area around the Calenberg hill to the town of

Helmstedt Helmstedt (; Eastphalian: ''Helmstidde'') is a town on the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. The historic university and Hanseatic city conserves an important monumental heritage o ...

, the

Harz The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' der ...

mountain range, and

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

. The Brunswick residence itself was to remain common property of the brothers. Albert then concentrated on the development of his hereditary lands. During the Imperial ''

interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...

'', he sided with the rising Bohemian king Ottokar II until his final defeat in the 1278

Battle on the Marchfeld The Battle on the Marchfeld (''i.e. Morava (river), Morava Field''; ; ; ); at Dürnkrut, Austria, Dürnkrut and Jedenspeigen took place on 26 August 1278 and was a decisive event for the history of Central Europe for the following centuries. T ...

. When his brother John died in 1277, he took over the guardianship for his minor nephew Otto II of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Albert died on 15 August 1279 and is buried at

Brunswick Cathedral Brunswick Cathedral (, lit. in ) is a large Lutheran church in the City of Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany. The church is termed '' Dom'', in German a synecdoche - pars pro toto - used for cathedrals and collegiate churches alike, and much li ...

. He was succeeded by his elder three sons, the younger three joined the Church.

Marriage and children

In 1254, Albert married Elizabeth of Brabant (1243 – October 9, 1261), daughter of Duke Henry II of Brabant and Sophie of Thuringia. They had no children.Chronica Principum Brunsvicensium, MGH SS XXX.1, p. 26. After Elizabeth's death in 1261, Albert married Adelheid (Alessia) (1242 – February 6, 1284/85), daughter of Margrave

Boniface II of Montferrat Boniface II (July 1202 – 12 May 1253), called the Giant, was the eleventh Marquis of Montferrat from 1225 until his death. He became the titular King of Thessalonica in 1239. Boniface was the son of William VI and his second wife, Berta ...

around 1263. Once widowed she married Gerhard I, Count of Holstein-Itzehoe. Albert and Adelheid had the following children: * Henry I, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1267–1322) * Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1268–1318) * William I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1270–1292) * Otto (died ca. 1346) *

Luther von Braunschweig Luther von Braunschweig (also known as Lothar of Brunswick; 18 April 1335) was a German nobleman who served as the 18th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1331 to 1335. Life Luther was a younger son of the House of Welf, Welf duke Albert I ...

(1275- 1335), Grand Master of the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

from 1331. * Matilda of Brunswick-Lüneburg, (1276-11 Dec 1310) married the

Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great. Branches of ...

duke Henry III of Głogów. * Conrad (died ca. 1303)

References

Sources

* * *
Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, vol. 1, p. 257-261

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Albert 01, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg Princes of Wolfenbüttel 1236 births 1279 deaths People from the Harz Christians of the Prussian Crusade Old House of Brunswick Burials at Brunswick Cathedral