Albert III | |
---|---|
Duke of Saxony | |
Reign | 7 September 1464 – 12 September 1500 |
Predecessor | Frederick II |
Successor | George |
Margrave of Meissen | |
Reign | 7 September 1464 – 12 September 1500 |
Predecessor | Frederick VI |
Successor | George II |
Born | 27 January 1443 Grimma |
Died | 12 September 1500 Emden |
Burial | Meissen |
Spouse | Sidonie Podiebrad of Bohemia |
Issue |
Catherine, Archduchess of Austria George, Duke of Saxony Henry IV, Duke of Saxony Frederick, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights |
House | House of Wettin |
Father | Frederick II, Elector of Saxony |
Mother | Margaret of Austria |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Albert III (German: Albrecht) (27 January 1443 – 12 September 1500) was a Duke of Saxony. He was nicknamed Albert the Bold or Albert the Courageous and founded the Albertine line of the House of Wettin.
Albert was born in Grimma as the third and youngest son (but fifth child in order of birth) of Frederick II the Gentle, Elector of Saxony, and Margarete of Austria, sister of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor. Later, he was a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
After escaping from the hands of Kunz von Kaufungen, who had abducted him together with his brother Ernest, he spent some time at the court of the emperor Frederick III in Vienna.
In Eger (Cheb) on 11 November 1464 Albert married Zdenka (Sidonie), daughter of George of Podebrady, King of Bohemia; but failed to obtain the Bohemian Crown on the death of George in 1471. After the death of his father in 1464, Albert and Ernest ruled their lands together, but in 1485 a division was made by the Treaty of Leipzig, and Albert received the Meissen, together with some adjoining districts, and founded the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin.
Regarded as a capable soldier by the emperor, Albert (in 1475) took a prominent part in the campaign against Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and in 1487 led an expedition against Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, which failed owing to lack of support on the part of the emperor.