Albert III, Duke of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
Albert III the Pious of Bavaria-Munich , (27 March 1401 – 29 February 1460), since 1438 Duke of Bavaria-Munich
. He was born to Ernest, Duke of Bavaria
and Elisabetta Visconti
, daughter of Bernabò Visconti
.
.
He had earlier in 1429 been engaged to Elisabeth, the daughter of Eberhard III, Count of Württemberg
, but she had eloped and married a Count of Werdenberg, who had been a page at her fathers court.
As administrator of his father, Duke Ernest
, in the former duchy of Bavaria-Straubing
he secretly married Agnes Bernauer
, a maid from Augsburg
, in 1432, but his father was against this marriage. In 1435, when Agnes lived in Straubing, Ernest ordered the murder of Agnes Bernauer. She was accused of witchcraft, thrown into the River Danube
and drowned while Albert was away hunting. After her death, Albert took himself to Duke Louis
at Ingolstadt
, but he reconciled with his father that November.
After reconciliation with his father Albert married princess Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck
and had ten children with her.
In 1438 he followed his father as duke of Bavaria-Munich. In 1440 he refused the offered Bohemian
crown and 1444 and 1445 he initiated two campaigns against the Robber baron
s. After the extinction of the dukes of Bavaria-Ingolstadt
he also released this duchy to his father's cousin
Henry XVI of Bavaria-Landshut
in 1447.
In 1455 Albert founded the Benedictine monastery in Andechs
.
He died in Munich in 1460 and is buried in Andechs.
, he married Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck
, daughter of Duke Eric I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
and Elisabeth of Brunswick-Göttingen and they had the following children:
Also he had at least three illegitimate children.
Bavaria-Munich
-History:After the death of Stephen II in 1375, his sons Stephen III, Frederick, and John II jointly ruled Bavaria-Landshut. After seventeen years, the brothers decided to formally divide their inheritance. John received Bavaria-Munich, Stephen received Bavaria-Ingolstadt, while Frederick kept...
. He was born to Ernest, Duke of Bavaria
Ernest, Duke of Bavaria
Ernest of Bavaria-Munich , , from 1397 Duke of Bavaria-Munich.-Biography:Ernest was a son of John II and ruled the duchy of Bavaria-Munich together with his brother William III....
and Elisabetta Visconti
Elisabetta Visconti
Elisabetta Visconti , also known as Elisabeth or Elizabeth, was a younger child of Bernabò Visconti and his wife Beatrice Regina della Scala...
, daughter of Bernabò Visconti
Bernabo Visconti
Bernabò Visconti was an Italian soldier and statesman, who was Lord of Milan.-Life:He was born in Milan, the son of Stefano Visconti and Valentina Doria. From 1346 to 1349 he lived in exile, until he was called back by his uncle Giovanni Visconti...
.
Life
Albert was born in MunichMunich
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...
.
Eberhard III, Count of Württemberg
Eberhard III of Württemberg der Milde , ruled from 1392-1417 as the Count of Württemberg, then a part of the Holy Roman Empire.-Life:...
, but she had eloped and married a Count of Werdenberg, who had been a page at her fathers court.
As administrator of his father, Duke Ernest
Ernest, Duke of Bavaria
Ernest of Bavaria-Munich , , from 1397 Duke of Bavaria-Munich.-Biography:Ernest was a son of John II and ruled the duchy of Bavaria-Munich together with his brother William III....
, in the former duchy of Bavaria-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...
he secretly married Agnes Bernauer
Agnes Bernauer
Agnes Bernauer was the mistress and perhaps also the first wife of Albert, later Albert III, Duke of Bavaria...
, a maid from Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, in 1432, but his father was against this marriage. In 1435, when Agnes lived in Straubing, Ernest ordered the murder of Agnes Bernauer. She was accused of witchcraft, thrown into the River Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
and drowned while Albert was away hunting. After her death, Albert took himself to Duke Louis
Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria
Duke Louis VII of Bavaria was Duke of Bavaria-Ingolstadt from 1413 until 1443. He was a son of Stephen III and Taddea Visconti.-Biography:...
at Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...
, but he reconciled with his father that November.
After reconciliation with his father Albert married princess Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck
Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck
Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck was a daughter of Duke Eric I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen and his wife, Elisabeth of Brunswick-Göttingen.Anna's first marriage was with Duke Albert III of Bavaria...
and had ten children with her.
In 1438 he followed his father as duke of Bavaria-Munich. In 1440 he refused the offered Bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
crown and 1444 and 1445 he initiated two campaigns against the Robber baron
Robber baron
A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous and despotic nobility of the medieval period in Europe, for example, Berlichingen. It has slightly different meanings in different countries. In modern US parlance, the term is also used to describe unscrupulous industrialists...
s. After the extinction of the dukes of Bavaria-Ingolstadt
Bavaria-Ingolstadt
Bavaria-Ingolstadt was a duchy which was part of the Holy Roman Empire from 1392 to 1447.-History:After the death of Stephen II in 1375, his sons Stephen III, Frederick, and John II jointly ruled Bavaria-Landshut. After seventeen years, the brothers decided to formally divide their inheritance...
he also released this duchy to his father's cousin
Henry XVI of Bavaria-Landshut
Henry XVI of Bavaria
Henry XVI of Bavaria , , since 1393 Duke of Bavaria-Landshut. He was a son of duke Frederick and his wife Maddalena Visconti, a daughter of Bernabò Visconti.-Life:...
in 1447.
In 1455 Albert founded the Benedictine monastery in Andechs
Andechs
The Benedictine abbey of Andechs is a place of pilgrimage on a hill east of the Ammersee in the Landkreis of Starnberg in Germany, in the municipality Andechs. Andechs Abbey is famed for its flamboyant Baroque church and its brewery...
.
He died in Munich in 1460 and is buried in Andechs.
Ancestors
Family and children
On 22 January 1437, in MunichMunich
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...
, he married Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck
Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck
Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck was a daughter of Duke Eric I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen and his wife, Elisabeth of Brunswick-Göttingen.Anna's first marriage was with Duke Albert III of Bavaria...
, daughter of Duke Eric I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen nicknamed the winner , ruled the Principality of Grubenhagen, a part of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg.- Life :...
and Elisabeth of Brunswick-Göttingen and they had the following children:
- John IV, Duke of BavariaJohn IV, Duke of BavariaJohn IV. of Bavaria-Munich , was duke of Bavaria-Munich from 1460 until his death.-Biography:...
(4 October 1437, Munich–18 November 1463, HaidhausenHaidhausen (Munich)Haidhausen is a suburb in Munich, Germany. It is now part of the borough —or stadtbezirk— number 5 Au-Haidhausen.-Location:Haidhausen is located above the suburb Au...
). - Ernest (26 August 1438, Munich–29 February 1460, StraubingStraubingStraubing is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Bavaria, is held....
). - Sigismund of BavariaSigismund of BavariaSigismund of Bavaria was a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty. He ruled as Duke of Bavaria-Munich from 1460 to 1467, and then as Duke of Bavaria-Dachau until his death.-Biography:...
(1439, Straubing–1 February 1501, Blutenburg CastleBlutenburg CastleBlutenburg Castle is an old ducal country seat in the west of Munich, Germany, on the banks of river Würm.-History:The castle was built between two arms of the River Würm for Duke Albert III, Duke of Bavaria in 1438–39 as a hunting-lodge, replacing an older castle burned down in war...
). - Albert (24 December 1440–1445, Straubing).
- MargaretMargaret of Bavaria (1442–1479)Margaret of Bavaria , was a Marchioness consort of Mantua, married in 1463 to Federico I Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua. She was the daughter of Albert III, Duke of Bavaria and Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck. The marriage between Margaret and Frederico helped trading relations between the two...
(1 January 1442, Munich–14 October 1479, MantuaMantuaMantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
), married in Mantua 10 May 1463 to Federico I GonzagaFederico I GonzagaFederico I Gonzaga was marquess of Mantua from 1478 to 1484, as well as a condottiero.-Biography:Federico was born in Mantua in 1441, son of Ludovico II and Barbara of Brandenburg...
. - Elisabeth (2 February 1443–5 March 1486, LeipzigLeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
), married in Leipzig 19 November 1460 to Elector Ernst of SaxonyErnest, Elector of SaxonyErnst, Elector of Saxony was Elector of Saxony from 1464 to 1486.-Biography:Ernst was founder of the Ernestine line of Saxon princes, ancestor of George I of Great Britain, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, as well as his wife and cousin Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and their...
. - Albert IV, Duke of BavariaAlbert IV, Duke of BavariaDuke Albert IV of Bavaria-Munich , , from 1467 Duke of Bavaria-Munich, from 1503 Duke of the reunited Bavaria.-Biography:...
(15 December 1447, Munich–10 March 1508, MunichMunichMunich 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...
). - Christoph, Duke of Bavaria (6 January 1449–8 August 1493, RhodosRhodosIn Greek mythology, Rhodos or Rhodus also known as Rhode was the goddess of the island of Rhodes and wife of Helios, she was the daughter of Aphrodite and Poseidon. -References:* Grimal, Pierre, , Wiley-Blackwell, 1996, ISBN 9780631201021....
). - Wolfgang (1 November 1451–24 May 1514, Landsberg am LechLandsberg am LechLandsberg am Lech is a town in southwest Bavaria, Germany, about 65 kilometers west of Munich and 35 kilometers south of Augsburg. It is the capital of the district of Landsberg am Lech....
), a canon in PassauPassauPassau 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....
, AugsburgAugsburgAugsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
and KölnKOLNKOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...
. - Barbara (9 June 1454, Munich–24 June 1472, Munich), a nun in Munich.
Also he had at least three illegitimate children.