Albert III (died in 1374),Peter Štih & al., Slovenski zgodovinski atlas (Ljubljana, 2011), p. 75 a member of the

House of Gorizia The House of Gorizia, also called the Meinhardiner, were a comital, princely and ducal dynasty in the Holy Roman Empire. Named after Gorizia Castle in Gorizia (now in Italy, on the border with Slovenia), they were originally "advocates" (''Vog ...

(''Meinhardiner'' dynasty), ruled as Count of Gorizia from 1338 until his death.

Life

Albert III was a son of Count Albert II of Gorizia (1261–1325) and his first wife Elizabeth, a daughter of Landgrave

Henry I of Hesse Henry I of Hesse "the Child" ( German: ''Heinrich das Kind'') (24 June 1244 – 21 December 1308) was the first Landgrave of Hesse. He was the son of Henry II, Duke of Brabant and Sophie of Thuringia. Life In 1247, as Heinrich Raspe, La ...

. From 1329 to 1338, he served as governor of Gorizia,

Friuli Friuli (; ; or ; ; ) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autono ...

, and

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...

for his minor nephew Count John Henry IV. In 1338, he inherited the

County of Gorizia The County of Gorizia (, , , ), from 1365 Princely County of Gorizia, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. Originally mediate ''Vogts'' of the Patriarchs of Aquileia, the Counts of Gorizia (''Meinhardiner'') ruled over several fiefs in the are ...

(''Görz'') upon the early death of John Henry IV. Albert ruled jointly with his younger half-brothers

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

and Meinhard VI. In 1339, they agreed that Albert would be the sole

count palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

. Three years later, he waived his rights to Gorizia and went on to rule in Istria ( Mitterburg) and in the

Windic March The Windic March (; also known as Wendish March) was a medieval frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Lower Carniola () region in present-day Slovenia. In Slovenian historiography, it is known as the Slovene Mar ...

, including County of Metlika. Albert III married a noblewoman named Helen and later, in 1353, with Catherine, a daughter of Count

Frederick I of Celje Frederick I of Celje, also Frederick I of Cilli (, ; – 21 March 1359), was a Styrian free noble (roughly equivalent to a baron) who became the first Count of Celje, founding a noble house that would dominate Slovenian and Croatian history ...

. Both marriages were childless. Shortly before his death about 1374, Albert bequested his vast Istrian and Carniolan possessions to 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 ...

duke

Rudolf IV of Austria Rudolf IV (1 November 1339 – 27 July 1365), also called Rudolf the Founder (), was a scion of the House of Habsburg who ruled as duke of Austria (self-proclaimed archduke), Styria and Carinthia from 1358, as well as count of Tyrol from 136 ...

. The remaining Gorizia estates were inherited by his surviving half-brother Meinhard VI, who was elevated to a

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (, , cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors of the princely title bore it as immediate vassal ...

by Emperor Charles IV.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert 03, Count of Gorizia Counts of Gorizia 14th-century births 1360s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain