Albert II of Austria

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Albert II of Austria (born December 12, 1298 on the Habsburg (Aargau); died August 16, 1358 in Vienna; known as the Wise or the Lame) was Duke of Austria.

Albert II. was born as the son of Emperor Albert I on December 12, 1298. He became the joint ruler of all Habsburg lands with his younger brother, Otto the Merry in 1330, while increasing his possessions by the heirlooms of his wife Joan, which was made up of the County of Pfirt and several cities. Furthermore, Albert succeeded in establishing his claims on Carinthia and Carniola against John of Bohemia. Albert's high reputation is shown by the fact that Pope Benedict XII asked him in 1335 to mediate in the church's conflict with Emperor Louis the Bavarian. Also, King Philippe VI of France 1337 asked him for his help against Emperor Louis and against King Edward III of England. Nevertheless, Albert remained faithful to the Emperor until Louis' death. He establihed the "Albertinian House Rule" (Albertinische Hausordnung) to predetermine the rules of succession in the Austrian lands, which, however, was disregarded after his death and only renewed by Emperor Maximilian I. It later became a part of the Pragmatic Sanction, so that it effectively remained one of the basic laws of Austria until 1918. Styria owes him its constitution, the so-called "Mountain Book" (Bergbüchel); the same is true for Carinthia. Under Albert's rule, the construction of the Gothic Choir in the Cathedral of Saint Stephan in Vienna were started, which is why it is also known as Albertinian Choir. There are only suspicians about his temporal paralysis, but usually polyarthritis is mentioned as the cause. However, it did not prevent him from fathering four children. The eldest son, Rudolf IV, succeeded him as Duke. His land grieved when Albert died on August 16, 1358.

de:Albrecht II. (Österreich)