Albert I, Duke of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
(July 25, 1336, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
– December 13, 1404, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
) was a feudal ruler of the counties of Holland
County of Holland
The County of Holland was a county in the Holy Roman Empire and from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands in what is now the Netherlands. It covered an area roughly corresponding to the current Dutch provinces of North-Holland and South-Holland, as well as the islands of Terschelling, Vlieland,...
, Hainaut
County of Hainaut
The County of Hainaut was a historical region in the Low Countries with its capital at Mons . In English sources it is often given the archaic spelling Hainault....
, and Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
in the Low Countries. Additionally, he held a portion of the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n province of Straubing
Bavaria-Straubing
Bavaria-Straubing denotes the widely-scattered territorial inheritance in the Wittelsbach house of Bavaria that were governed by independent dukes of Bavaria-Straubing between 1353 and 1432; a map of these marches and outliers of the Holy Roman Empire, vividly demonstrates the fractionalisation of...
, his Bavarian ducal line's appanage
Appanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
and seat.
Biography
Albert was the third son of Louis IV, Holy Roman EmperorLouis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
from his second wife Empress Margaret, who was the daughter of William III, Count of Holland and Hainaut. Albert was originally a younger son, apportioned at best an appanage. He was only 10 years old when his father died, leaving most of his Bavarian inheritance to his eldest half-brother, Louis V, Duke of Bavaria
Louis V, Duke of Bavaria
Louis V, Duke of Bavaria, called the Brandenburger was Duke of Bavaria and as Louis I also Margrave of Brandenburg and Count of Tyrol. Louis V was the eldest son of Emperor Louis IV and his first wife Beatrix of Świdnica...
, but also some appanages to the younger sons.
His elder brother, William V, Count of Hainaut, had engaged in a long struggle with their mother, obtaining Holland and Zeeland from her in 1354, and Hainaut on her death in 1356. William was supported by the party of burghers of cities. They were opposed to by Hooks, the party of disaffected nobles who were supporters of Empress Margaret. Margaret had been Countess of Holland, Zeeland and Hainault in succession to her brother William IV, who was killed in battle. She had resigned her sovereignty in favour of her son William V, but the result was a period of great upheavals and chaos which gave rise to the formation of these two opposing parties.
However, William's insanity resulted in the appointment of the then 22-year-old Albert as governor (or regent or ruwaard) of his brother's territories from 1358 onwards. During Albert's regency, affairs ran smoothly and trade improved. Troubles between the two political parties, the Hooks (Hoeks) and Cods (Kabeljauws), remained barely beneath the surface. William lived for another thirty years. Albert did not formally succeed him until his death in 1388, by which time he had already married his daughters to a number of Imperial princes and other nobles. The eldest daughter to have issue was Margaret; her son Philip III, Duke of Burgundy
Philip III, Duke of Burgundy
Philip the Good KG , also Philip III, Duke of Burgundy was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty . During his reign Burgundy reached the height of its prosperity and prestige and became a leading center of the arts...
would ultimately inherit Albert's territories.
In Albert's own reign, troubles erupted between the parties because of a woman. Albert always had mistresses, but this time his attentions were drawn to Aleid van Poelgeest
Aleid van Poelgeest
Aleid of Poelgeest was the mistress of Count of Holland, Albert I of Bavaria....
, a Cod, very beautiful, who gained political influence which was resented. A plot was hatched among the Hooks as well as members of Albert's household. One September night in 1392 Aleid was murdered in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
.
In his rage Albrecht persecuted the Hoeks, by sword and fire, conquering one castle after the other. Even his own son and heir William did not feel safe and went to live in Hainault. During his last years, Albrecht fought the Frisians
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
. They were beaten time and time again, but were never completely conquered.
On Albert's death in 1404, he was succeeded by his eldest son, William. A younger son, John III, became Bishop of Liège. However, on William's death in 1417, a war of succession broke out between John and William's daughter Jacqueline of Hainaut. This would be the last episode of the Hook and Cod wars
Hook and Cod wars
The Hook and Cod wars comprise a series of wars and battles in the County of Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were fought over the title of count of Holland, but some have argued that the underlying reason was because of the power struggle of the bourgeois in the cities against...
and finally place the counties into Burgundian hands.
Family and children
Passau
Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north....
after July 19, 1353, Margaret of Brieg
Margaret of Brieg
Margaret of Brieg was a daughter of Ludwik I the Fair and his wife, Agnes of Sagan. She was Duchess consort of Bavaria by her marriage to Albert I, Duke of Bavaria.- Family :...
from Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
(1342/43 – 1386), and had seven children, all of whom lived to adulthood:
- KatharinaKatherine of BavariaKatherine of Bavaria , was the eldest child of Albert I, Duke of Bavaria and his first wife Margaret of Brieg. She was Duchess of Guelders and Jülich by her marriage to William I of Gelders and Jülich.- Family :...
(c. 1361 – 1400, HattemHattemHattem is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The city population is 11,797. The name “Hattem” is a typical farmyard name. The exact origin of “Hattem” is yet unclear. In general two explanation exist. Hattem would be the ‘heem’ of a people who belong to the tribe of Chattuarii...
), married in GeertruidenbergGeertruidenbergGeertruidenberg is a city and municipality in the province North Brabant in the south of the Netherlands. The city, named after Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, received city rights in 1213 from the count of Holland. The fortified city prospered until the 15th century.Today, the municipality of...
in 1379 William I of Gelders and JülichWilliam I of Gelders and JülichWilliam I of Guelders and Jülich KG was Duke of Guelders, as William I, from 1377 and Duke of Jülich, as William III, from 1393. William was known for his military activities, participating in the Prussian crusade five times and battling with neighbors in France and Brabant throughout his rule... - JohannaJohanna of Bavaria, Queen of BohemiaJoanna of Bavaria was the second child of Albert I, Duke of Bavaria, by his first wife Margaret of Brieg. Her siblings included William VI, Count of Holland, Johanna Sophia of Bavaria and Margaret of Bavaria...
(c. 1362 – 1386), wife of Wenceslaus, King of the RomansWenceslaus, King of the RomansWenceslaus ) was, by election, German King from 1376 and, by inheritance, King of Bohemia from 1378. He was the third Bohemian and second German monarch of the Luxembourg dynasty... - MargaretMargaret of BavariaMargaret of Bavaria, , was the fifth child of Albert, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing, Count of Hainault, Holland, and Zeeland and Lord of Friesia, and Margaret of Brieg. She was the regent of the Burgundian Low countries during the absence of her spouse in 1404–1419 and the regent in French Burgundy...
(1363 – January 23, 1423, DijonDijonDijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
), married in CambraiCambraiCambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
in 1385 John the Fearless - William VI, Count of Holland (1365–1417)
- Albert II, Duke of Bavaria-StraubingAlbert II, Duke of Bavaria-StraubingDuke Albert II or Albrecht was a feudal co-regent of his father Albert I, Duke of Bavaria in the counties of Holland, Hainaut, and Zeeland in the Low Countries. Additionally he administrated from 1389 until his death in 1397 the Bavarian province of Straubing in the name of his father, it being...
(1369 – January 21, 1397, KelheimKelheimKelheim is a municipality in Bavaria, capital of the district Kelheim. It is situated at the confluence of Altmühl and Danube. As of June 30, 2005, the town had a population of 15,667....
) - Joanna SophiaJohanna Sophia of BavariaJoanna Sophia of Bavaria was the youngest daughter of Albert I, Duke of Bavaria and his first wife Margaret of Brieg. She was a member of the House of Wittelsbach....
(c. 1373 – November 15, 1410, ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
), married on June 15, 1395 Albert IV, Duke of AustriaAlbert IV, Duke of AustriaAlbert IV of Austria was a duke of Austria.He was born in Vienna, the son of Duke Albert III of Austria and Beatrix of Nuremberg... - John, Count of Holland (1374/76 – 1425), Bishop of Liège
He also had several illegitimate children.
Albert contracted a second marriage in 1394 in Heusden
Heusden
Heusden is a municipality and a city in the South of the Netherlands. It is located between the cities Waalwijk and 's-Hertogenbosch.- Population centres :...
with Margaret of Cleves
Margaret of Cleves (c.1375-1411)
Margaret of Cleves was a German noblewoman. A daughter of Adolph III, Count of Mark and Margaret of Jülich , in 1394 she became the second wife of Albert I, Duke of Bavaria, though the marriage remained childless. The couple held court in The Hague....
(c. 1375 – 1412), sister of Adolph I, Duke of Cleves
Adolph I, Duke of Cleves
Adolph I of Cleves was 2nd. Count of Cleves and 4th. Count of Mark.- Life :He was the son of Adolph III, Count of Mark, and Margaret of Julich ....
, but they had no children.
Ancestors
See also
- Counts of Hainaut family treeCounts of Hainaut family treeThis is a family tree of the Counts of Hainaut, sometimes spelled though not pronounced Hainault from 1055 to 1432, when the County of Hainaut and the County of Holland are incorporated in the estates of the Duchy of Burgundy, following the end of the Hook and Cod wars...