Albert I (born c. 1258; died 17 August 1316) was a German prince of the

House of Ascania The House of Ascania () was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Principality of Anhalt, Anhalt. The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ' ...

and the second ruler of the

Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst Anhalt-Zerbst was a Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by the House of Ascania, with its residence at Zerbst in present-day Saxony-Anhalt. It emerged as a subdivision of the Principality of Anhalt from 1 ...

from 1298 until his death.

Life

He was the eldest son of Prince Siegfried I of Anhalt-Zerbst, by his wife

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

, who was possible a daughter of the Swedish regent

Birger Jarl Birger Jarl or Birger Magnusson (21 October 1266) was a Swedish statesman and regent, ''Swedish jarls, jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjälbo, who played a pivotal role in consolidating Sweden after the civil wars between the House of Eri ...

.Gillingstam, Hans
"Utomnordiskt och nordiskt i de äldsta svenska dynastiska förbindelserna."
''Personhistorisk tidskrift'' 77 (1981): 17.Gillingstam, Hans
"Recensioner: Gorm den gamles ättlingar."
''Personhistorisk tidskrift'' 65 (1967): 3. From about 1290, after Prince Siegfried abdicated to become a preaching monk, Albert ruled the

Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the 8th-largest state in Germany by area an ...

territories of his father, then comprising the towns of

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

and

Köthen Köthen () is a town in Germany. It is the capital of the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, about north of Halle. Köthen is the location of the main campus and the administrative centre of the regional university, Anhalt Univers ...

. In 1295, Prince Albert was the first member of the House of Ascania who took his residence at Köthen Castle. He participated in the 1291 siege of Harly Castle against the Welf duke Henry I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen. Together with Abbot Konrad of Nienburg and his cousin Prince Bernhard II of Anhalt-Bernburg, Albert abolished the use of Polabian ( Wendish) as a court language in his domains in 1293. He later obtained a part of

Zerbst Zerbst () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until an administrative reform in 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the former Anhalt-Zerbst district. Geography Zerbst is sit ...

still controlled by the Ascanian Margraves of Brandenburg as a fiefdom. The acquisition was accomplished about 1307. After the murder of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

king

Albert I of Germany Albert I of Habsburg () (July 12551 May 1308) was a List of rulers of Austria, Duke of Austria and Duchy of Styria, Styria from 1282 and List of German monarchs, King of Germany from 1298 until his assassination. He was the eldest son of King Ru ...

in 1308 he was suggested by his brother-in-law Margrave Waldemar of Brandenburg to be elected the new

King of the Romans King of the Romans (; ) was the title used by the king of East Francia following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German king between his election and coronatio ...

, but had no success in obtaining this dignity.

Marriages and issue

Albert's first marriage was to Liutgard (b. ca. 1251 - d. aft. 28 February 1289), daughter of Count Gerhard I of Holstein-Itzehoe, and widow of Duke John of Brunswick-Lüneburg. They had two sons: #Siegfried II (d. ca. 1307/1316), a canon in Coswig. #Henry (d. bef. 2 March 1317), a canon in Coswig. In 1300 Albert married for a second time to Agnes (d. 4 June 1330), daughter of Margrave Conrad of Brandenburg-Stendal. Through her father she was a 2nd great-granddaughter of Margrave Otto I of Brandenburg, older brother of Count Bernhard of Anhalt, Albert's great-grandfather. They had five children: #

Albert II, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst Albert II, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (died 17 July 1362) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. He was the third son of Albert I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, but the eldest child born to his seco ...

(d. 17 July 1362). #Agnes (d. 1352), married bef. 2 September 1324 to Ulrich II, Count of Lindau-Ruppin. # Waldemar I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (d. 7 January 1368). #Judith, married bef. 1337 to Albert I, Count of Regenstein. #Matilda (d. ca. 1342), married in 1339 to Prince Bernhard III of Anhalt-Bernburg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert 01, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst Princes of Anhalt-Zerbst 1250s births 1316 deaths Year of birth uncertain