Albert of Brunswick and Lunenburg-Wolfenbüttel
Encyclopedia
Duke Albert of Brunswick and Lunenburg, Wolfenbüttel line (died 14 April 1395*) was as Albert II Prince-Archbishop
of Bremen in the years 1361–1395.
, ruling the Brunswick-Lunenburgian
Principality of Wolfenbüttel and Margravine Sophia of Brandenburg
and of Landsberg
(1300–1356). He was a grandson of Agnes, Duchess of Upper Bavaria and Countess Palatine of the Rhine, a sister of Emperor Louis IV, the Bavarian
. Both were again grandchildren of King Rudolph I of Germany
.
Albert gained prebendaries
as canon
of the then Catholic cathedral in Magdeburg
(then in the Prince-Archbishopric of Magdeburg
) and as provost
at the church of St. Pauli in Halberstadt
(then in the Prince-Bishopric of Halberstadt).
Pope Clement VI
had appointed Albert's predecessor Godfrey of Arnsberg, violating the Prince-Archbishopric's constitution, which reserved the privilege to elect the Prince-Archbishop to the Bremian Chapter
s of Bremen Cathedral and Hamburg Concathedral (with three votes). The Chapters for their part had elected Bremen's dean
, Maurice of Oldenburg as Prince-Archbishop. Maurice served already since 1345 as administrator of the Prince-Archbishopric, appointed under his uncle then Prince-Archbishop Otto I (reigned 1345–1348). In a stalemate both agreed, that Godfrey would bear the title and Maurice wield the power, thus Godfrey confirmed Maurice as administrator and appointed him coadjutor
, a position which usually included the expectancy of succession to the See. Later Godfrey, frustrated about Maurice' superior role, allied himself with Count Gerhard III of Hoya, a southwestern neighbour of the Prince-Archbishopric. The Count waged war on Maurice but the Prince-Archbishopric – with considerable support by the city of Bremen
– turned out to enjoy the fortunes of war and thus became a threat to the County. In 1358 Count Gerhard took some burgher
s of Bremen as hostages.
Thus Count Gerhard called on Duke Magnus the Pious, the eastern neighbour of the Prince-Archbishopric, for help. But Magnus the Pious demanded a reward, and – Gerhard meanwhile in a desperate situation – promised to help providing Magnus' son Albert with the Bremian See. Thus Count Gerhard had to convince his ally Godfrey to resign.
, to get Albert appointed as the new Archbishop, again violating the Prince-Archbishopric's constitution and circumventing the Chapter. Albert was backed by the Guelphs and they achieved his papal appointment on 17 July 1360. In 1361 the Chapter accepted Albert as Prince-Archbishop after negotiations in Walsrode
. Thus Albert called himself Albertus electus et confirmatus, even though this was the wrong chronology, since he had first been papally confirmed, lacking the capitulars' election, which he could heal by their acceptance in the year after. From 1362 on Albert sealed deeds using the title Prince-Archbishop of Bremen.
But obviously Gerhard didn't quite succeed to make Godfrey resign. In 1362 he still sealed deeds as Prince-Archbishop of Bremen. And also Maurice refused to give up, supported by the city of Bremen. Thus Albert wanted to assert himself against Maurice.
In 1361 Stade
's and Buxtehude
's burgher
s and the free peasants of Altes Land
welcomed Albert as new Prince-Archbishop. Generally the Landsgemeinde
n of the free peasants in the low marsh lands lived undisturbed under Albert's rule. In 1362 representatives of the burgher
s of the city of Bremen rendered homage to Albert at his fortress in Langwedel
. In return Albert confirmed the city's privileges and brokered a peace between the city and the Count Gerhard III. The city was allowed to bail out the hostages held in Gerhard's captivity. In 1365 an extra tax, levied by the city council to finance the ransom, incited uproar of burghers and handcrafters, bloodily suppressed by the city council.
Meanwhile Maurice had entrenched in the prince-archiepiscopal fortress in Vörde
. Only after Albert's brothers Magnus II Torquatus, Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg
, Prince of Wolfenbüttel, and Louis, and the latter's father-in-law William II, Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Celle line)
and their Wolfenbüttelian and Cellean troops had beleaguered the fortress in January 1362, Maurice signed his resignation. In the following year Albert helped his relative Adolf VII, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein-Kiel
, and the city of Hamburg
to free the streets northeast of the city from the brigandage
by Duke Eric II of Saxe-Lauenburg–Ratzeburg-Lauenburg, and Duke Albert V of Saxe-Lauenburg–Bergedorf-Mölln, conquering the latter's castle in Bergedorf
.
In 1363 Albert concluded with the cities of the prince-archbishopric, Bremen, Buxtehude, Stade, and Wildeshausen
as well as the free peasants of Osterstade a contract, organising the financing and provision of soldiers in case of war.
of the city of Bremen and the gild
s, whose members expelled some city councillor
s from the city (Hollemann's Turmoil). When these councillors appealed to Albert for help, many handcrafters and burghers regarded this treason against the city of Bremen. Appealing at princes would only provoke them to abolish city autonomy. In the night of 29 May 1366, Albert's troops invaded the city. After this the city had to render him homage again, the then wooden Bremen Roland
, symbol of the city's autonomy, was burned and a new city council was appointed. In return the council granted Albert a credit amounting to the enormous sum of 20,000 Bremian Marks. But city councillors, who had fled to the County of Oldenburg gained support of the Count Conrad II, who recaptured the city for them on 27 June 1366. The members of the intermittent council were regarded traitors and beheaded and the city's autonomy restituted. Thereupon, the city of Bremen, since long rather holding an autonomous status, and the Bremian city of Stade
acted almost in complete independence from the Prince-Archbishop. Albert failed to subject the city of Bremen a second time, since he was always short in money and without support by the Guelphs, who—after William II's death—fought the War on Lunenburgian Succession against the House of Ascania, imperially designate successor in the Brunswick-Lunenburgian Principality of Celle.
In 1371 Albert's bailiff in Vörde erected the fortress Slikborch (near Neuhaus upon Oste
) at the mouth of the river Oste
into the Elbe as a stronghold to wield power over the Land of Kehdingen
and to gain a stake in the neighboured Saxe-Lauenburgian exclave Land of Hadeln. In 1378 Albert reconciled with Eric II's son Eric IV of Saxe-Lauenburg–Ratzeburg-Lauenburg, husband of Albert's niece Sophia of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel line) (*1358–1416*), and signed a peace, concluding to settle future disputes – especially on the Land of Hadeln – without using violence. In 1387 the free peasants from Hadeln and Kehdingen demolished the fortress Slikborch as a threat to their autonomy.
Later Albert did not interfere in interior disputes. In 1380 he kept a low profile, when knights of the family von Mandelsloh and other Bremian and Verdian creditors of Albert tried to gain the pledged estates by violence, ravaging the city of Bremen and the entire Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. The city of Bremen concluded a pact with the other cities, the Chapter, the Landsgemeinde
n of the free peasants of the marsh lands, and indigenous families of nobility and ministerialis
to fight the exfrediation by the von Mandelslohs. By this pact the mentioned bodies and representatives established as the Estates
of the Prince-Archbishopric ' onMouseout='HidePop("667")' href="/topics/Estate_(law)">estates
). The cities, the major taxpayers in Prince-Archbishopric, stopped to transfer their taxes to Albert, but paid them to the Estates.
In 1381 the troops of the city of Bremen captured the castles in Kranenburg and in Bederkesa
, the latter of which it could hold until the mid of the 17th century. In 1386 the city of Bremen made the noble families, holding the estates of Altluneburg (a part of today's Schiffdorf
) and Elmlohe
, its vassals. The cities and the nobility captured prince-archiepiscopal positions, since Albert was powerless.
in order to gain credits to finance his lifestyle. In 1369 the city of Bremen lent him against the collateral of his mint and his privilege of coinage, from then on run by the city council. In 1375 Albert pawned the bailiwick of Haseldorf
( or marsh lands of Haseldorf) north of the river Elbe
to Adolf VII of Schauenburg and Holstein-Kiel and in 1377 Stedingen
to Count Conrad II. Both territories were thus alienated and—as seen from the retrospect—ultimately lost for the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen.
In 1368 Albert pledged his revenues from his residence, the castle in Vörde
and the dues levied in the pertaining bailiwick, as well as those levied in Altes Land
, Land of Kehdingen
, and the parish district of Osten
– all south of the Elbe – to his brother Magnus Torquatus, holding the Brunswick-Lunenburgian Principality of Wolfenbüttel and William II (Brunswick-Lunenburgian Principality of Celle) for 4,150 Bremian Marks. On their instigation Albert appointed Daniel von Borch as administrator of the Prince-Archbishopric.
In 1389 the cities of Bremen, Buxtehude and Stade redeemed these pledges. They kept them for their own, gaining a powerful position in the Prince-Archbishopric, pushing its actual ruler aside. The cities appointed Albert's nephew Otto of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel line) as regent
of the Prince-Archbishopric, seated in Vörde. In 1391 Albert resigned himself to the Prince-Archbishopric's regent, his nephew Otto, who meanwhile had become the Prince-Bishop of Verden, concluding by way of contract that they would settle disputes without using violence. In 1389, however, Albert pawned the revenues of the bailiwick of Hagen im Bremischen
to Conrad II in return for another credit of 500 gold guilder
s.
of the Bremian Chapter, entered into psychological warfare
and publicly alleged Albert were a Hermaphrodite. To calm the public mood against him, Albert could not help it, but had to undergo body checks in different places within the Prince-Archbishopric, the greatest scandal, which hit the Prince-Archbishop.
Albert was the last in a row of Prince-Archbishops of the 14th century who ruined the Prince-Archbishopric. Albert bequeathed an indebtedness and a turmoil unheard of, pushing the Prince-Archbishopric deeply into decay.
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of Bremen in the years 1361–1395.
Before ascending to the See of Bremen
His name is given as Albrecht in the genealogies of the House of Guelph. He was a son of Magnus I, the PiousMagnus the Pious, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Magnus , called the Pious , was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.The son of Albert the Fat, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Magnus was still a minor when his father died in 1318; he and his brother Ernest were put under the guardianship of their elder brother Otto, who continued as sole ruler even after his...
, ruling the Brunswick-Lunenburgian
Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
Principality of Wolfenbüttel and Margravine Sophia of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
and of Landsberg
Margraviate of Landsberg
The Margraviate of Landsberg was a march of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 12th to the 14th century. It was named after Landsberg Castle in present-day Saxony-Anhalt...
(1300–1356). He was a grandson of Agnes, Duchess of Upper Bavaria and Countess Palatine of the Rhine, a sister of Emperor Louis IV, the Bavarian
Louis 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....
. Both were again grandchildren of King Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...
.
Albert gained prebendaries
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
as canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of the then Catholic cathedral in Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
(then in the Prince-Archbishopric of Magdeburg
Archbishopric of Magdeburg
The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River....
) and as provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
at the church of St. Pauli in Halberstadt
Halberstadt
Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
(then in the Prince-Bishopric of Halberstadt).
Pope Clement VI
Pope Clement VI
Pope Clement VI , bornPierre Roger, the fourth of the Avignon Popes, was pope from May 1342 until his death in December of 1352...
had appointed Albert's predecessor Godfrey of Arnsberg, violating the Prince-Archbishopric's constitution, which reserved the privilege to elect the Prince-Archbishop to the Bremian Chapter
Cathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
s of Bremen Cathedral and Hamburg Concathedral (with three votes). The Chapters for their part had elected Bremen's dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
, Maurice of Oldenburg as Prince-Archbishop. Maurice served already since 1345 as administrator of the Prince-Archbishopric, appointed under his uncle then Prince-Archbishop Otto I (reigned 1345–1348). In a stalemate both agreed, that Godfrey would bear the title and Maurice wield the power, thus Godfrey confirmed Maurice as administrator and appointed him coadjutor
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
, a position which usually included the expectancy of succession to the See. Later Godfrey, frustrated about Maurice' superior role, allied himself with Count Gerhard III of Hoya, a southwestern neighbour of the Prince-Archbishopric. The Count waged war on Maurice but the Prince-Archbishopric – with considerable support by the city of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
– turned out to enjoy the fortunes of war and thus became a threat to the County. In 1358 Count Gerhard took some burgher
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
s of Bremen as hostages.
Thus Count Gerhard called on Duke Magnus the Pious, the eastern neighbour of the Prince-Archbishopric, for help. But Magnus the Pious demanded a reward, and – Gerhard meanwhile in a desperate situation – promised to help providing Magnus' son Albert with the Bremian See. Thus Count Gerhard had to convince his ally Godfrey to resign.
Gaining power and homage of the cities
Among the capitulars there was still a majority for their candidate Maurice, whom they had elected in the first place. Thus Magnus the Pious and Albert needed the help of Pope Innocent VIPope Innocent VI
Pope Innocent VI , born Étienne Aubert; his father was Adhemar Aubert seigneur de Montel-De-Gelas in Limousin province. His niece was Catherine Aubert, Dame de Boutheon, also the wife of Randon II baron de Joyeuse; she is La Fayette's ancestor...
, to get Albert appointed as the new Archbishop, again violating the Prince-Archbishopric's constitution and circumventing the Chapter. Albert was backed by the Guelphs and they achieved his papal appointment on 17 July 1360. In 1361 the Chapter accepted Albert as Prince-Archbishop after negotiations in Walsrode
Walsrode
-Middle Ages:986 Foundation of Walsrode Abbey by Count Walo. The first recorded mentionof the town is dated May 7, 986.1383 The dukes of Brunswick and Lüneburg grant Walsrode a town charter.1479 First recorded instance of Walsrode's coat of arms...
. Thus Albert called himself Albertus electus et confirmatus, even though this was the wrong chronology, since he had first been papally confirmed, lacking the capitulars' election, which he could heal by their acceptance in the year after. From 1362 on Albert sealed deeds using the title Prince-Archbishop of Bremen.
But obviously Gerhard didn't quite succeed to make Godfrey resign. In 1362 he still sealed deeds as Prince-Archbishop of Bremen. And also Maurice refused to give up, supported by the city of Bremen. Thus Albert wanted to assert himself against Maurice.
In 1361 Stade
Stade
Stade is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . It is the seat of the district named after it...
's and Buxtehude
Buxtehude
Buxtehude is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany in the district of Stade and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . Buxtehude is a steadily growing medium-sized town and the second largest in the district of Stade. It lies on the southern borders of the Altes Land within easy reach of...
's burgher
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
s and the free peasants of Altes Land
Altes Land
Altes Land is an area of reclaimed marshland straddling parts of Lower Saxony and Hamburg. The region is situated downstream from Hamburg on the southwestern riverside of the Elbe around the towns of Stade, Buxtehude, Jork and the Samtgemeinde of Lühe...
welcomed Albert as new Prince-Archbishop. Generally the Landsgemeinde
Landsgemeinde
The Landsgemeinde or "cantonal assembly" is one of the oldest forms of direct democracy. The first historically documented assembly took place in 1294...
n of the free peasants in the low marsh lands lived undisturbed under Albert's rule. In 1362 representatives of the burgher
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
s of the city of Bremen rendered homage to Albert at his fortress in Langwedel
Langwedel
Langwedel is a municipality in the district of Verden, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Weser, approx. 7 km northwest of Verden, and 30 km southeast of Bremen....
. In return Albert confirmed the city's privileges and brokered a peace between the city and the Count Gerhard III. The city was allowed to bail out the hostages held in Gerhard's captivity. In 1365 an extra tax, levied by the city council to finance the ransom, incited uproar of burghers and handcrafters, bloodily suppressed by the city council.
Meanwhile Maurice had entrenched in the prince-archiepiscopal fortress in Vörde
Bremervörde
Bremervörde is a town in the north of the district Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the Oste river near the mid of the triangle, which is formed of the rivers Weser and Elbe respectively the cities of Hamburg, Bremen and Cuxhaven....
. Only after Albert's brothers Magnus II Torquatus, Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg
Magnus II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Magnus , called Magnus with the Necklace or Magnus II, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, ruling the Brunswick-Lüneburg principalities of Wolfenbüttel and, temporarily, Lüneburg....
, Prince of Wolfenbüttel, and Louis, and the latter's father-in-law William II, Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Celle line)
William II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
William II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the Prince of Lüneburg from 1330 to 1369.- Life :William was born around the year 1300 as the fourth child of Otto the Strict and his wife, Matilda of Bavaria....
and their Wolfenbüttelian and Cellean troops had beleaguered the fortress in January 1362, Maurice signed his resignation. In the following year Albert helped his relative Adolf VII, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein-Kiel
Counts of Schauenburg and Holstein
The Counts of Schauenburg and Holstein were titles of the Holy Roman Empire. The dynastic family came from Schauenburg near Rinteln on the Weser in Germany...
, and the city of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
to free the streets northeast of the city from the brigandage
Brigandage
Brigandage refers to the life and practice of brigands: highway robbery and plunder, and a brigand is a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery....
by Duke Eric II of Saxe-Lauenburg–Ratzeburg-Lauenburg, and Duke Albert V of Saxe-Lauenburg–Bergedorf-Mölln, conquering the latter's castle in Bergedorf
Bergedorf (quarter)
Bergedorf is a quarter in the homonymous borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in northern Germany. In 2006, the population was 41,019.-History:The quarter was first mentioned in 1162...
.
In 1363 Albert concluded with the cities of the prince-archbishopric, Bremen, Buxtehude, Stade, and Wildeshausen
Wildeshausen
Wildeshausen is a town and the capital of the Oldenburg district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated by the river Hunte.-History:...
as well as the free peasants of Osterstade a contract, organising the financing and provision of soldiers in case of war.
Deteriorating relations to the cities in the Prince-Archbishopric
Albert's government was objectless. In 1366 Albert tried to take his advantage from the dispute between the councilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
of the city of Bremen and the gild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
s, whose members expelled some city councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s from the city (Hollemann's Turmoil). When these councillors appealed to Albert for help, many handcrafters and burghers regarded this treason against the city of Bremen. Appealing at princes would only provoke them to abolish city autonomy. In the night of 29 May 1366, Albert's troops invaded the city. After this the city had to render him homage again, the then wooden Bremen Roland
Bremen Roland
The Bremen Roland is a statue of Roland, erected in 1404. It stands in the market square of Bremen, Germany, facing the cathedral, and shows Roland, paladin of the first Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne and hero of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass...
, symbol of the city's autonomy, was burned and a new city council was appointed. In return the council granted Albert a credit amounting to the enormous sum of 20,000 Bremian Marks. But city councillors, who had fled to the County of Oldenburg gained support of the Count Conrad II, who recaptured the city for them on 27 June 1366. The members of the intermittent council were regarded traitors and beheaded and the city's autonomy restituted. Thereupon, the city of Bremen, since long rather holding an autonomous status, and the Bremian city of Stade
Stade
Stade is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . It is the seat of the district named after it...
acted almost in complete independence from the Prince-Archbishop. Albert failed to subject the city of Bremen a second time, since he was always short in money and without support by the Guelphs, who—after William II's death—fought the War on Lunenburgian Succession against the House of Ascania, imperially designate successor in the Brunswick-Lunenburgian Principality of Celle.
In 1371 Albert's bailiff in Vörde erected the fortress Slikborch (near Neuhaus upon Oste
Neuhaus (Oste)
Neuhaus an der Oste is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany.-History:The area of today's Neuhaus belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180...
) at the mouth of the river Oste
Oste
The Oste is a river in northern Lower Saxony, Germany with a length of 153 km, left tributary of the Elbe. It flows through the districts of Harburg, Rotenburg, Stade and Cuxhaven and empties into the Elbe river near Otterndorf. Its drainage area is 1.711 km² and the decline between the...
into the Elbe as a stronghold to wield power over the Land of Kehdingen
Kehdingen
Kehdingen is the name of a landscape in the north German district of Stade on the lower reaches of the River Elbe. It extends roughly from the mouth of the Oste in the north to the town of Stade in the south...
and to gain a stake in the neighboured Saxe-Lauenburgian exclave Land of Hadeln. In 1378 Albert reconciled with Eric II's son Eric IV of Saxe-Lauenburg–Ratzeburg-Lauenburg, husband of Albert's niece Sophia of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel line) (*1358–1416*), and signed a peace, concluding to settle future disputes – especially on the Land of Hadeln – without using violence. In 1387 the free peasants from Hadeln and Kehdingen demolished the fortress Slikborch as a threat to their autonomy.
Later Albert did not interfere in interior disputes. In 1380 he kept a low profile, when knights of the family von Mandelsloh and other Bremian and Verdian creditors of Albert tried to gain the pledged estates by violence, ravaging the city of Bremen and the entire Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. The city of Bremen concluded a pact with the other cities, the Chapter, the Landsgemeinde
Landsgemeinde
The Landsgemeinde or "cantonal assembly" is one of the oldest forms of direct democracy. The first historically documented assembly took place in 1294...
n of the free peasants of the marsh lands, and indigenous families of nobility and ministerialis
Ministerialis
Ministerialis ; a post-classical Latin word, used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a broad range of senses...
to fight the exfrediation by the von Mandelslohs. By this pact the mentioned bodies and representatives established as the Estates
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
of the Prince-Archbishopric ' onMouseout='HidePop("667")' href="/topics/Estate_(law)">estates
Estate (law)
An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...
). The cities, the major taxpayers in Prince-Archbishopric, stopped to transfer their taxes to Albert, but paid them to the Estates.
In 1381 the troops of the city of Bremen captured the castles in Kranenburg and in Bederkesa
Bederkesa
Bad Bederkesa is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km northeast of Bremerhaven, and 30 km southeast of Cuxhaven...
, the latter of which it could hold until the mid of the 17th century. In 1386 the city of Bremen made the noble families, holding the estates of Altluneburg (a part of today's Schiffdorf
Schiffdorf
Schiffdorf is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the eastern boundary of the Bremian city of Bremerhaven, and 35 km south of Cuxhaven.-History:...
) and Elmlohe
Elmlohe
Elmlohe is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a component municipality of the Samtgemeinde Bederkesa.-Toponomy and Coat of Arms:...
, its vassals. The cities and the nobility captured prince-archiepiscopal positions, since Albert was powerless.
Albert's spendthrift lifestyle and loss of power
Albert cultivated a prodigal lifestyle. He pledged prince-archiepiscopal estatesEstate (law)
An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...
in order to gain credits to finance his lifestyle. In 1369 the city of Bremen lent him against the collateral of his mint and his privilege of coinage, from then on run by the city council. In 1375 Albert pawned the bailiwick of Haseldorf
Haseldorf
Haseldorf is a municipality in the district of Pinneberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, approx. 13 km west of Pinneberg, and 27 km west of Hamburg....
( or marsh lands of Haseldorf) north of the river Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
to Adolf VII of Schauenburg and Holstein-Kiel and in 1377 Stedingen
Stedingen
Stedingen is an area north of Bremen in the delta of the Weser river in north-western Germany.-Founding:In the year 1106, five Dutchmen made a long journey from the mouth of the Rhine to Bremen. They wanted to talk to the Archbishop of Bremen about taking over settling land on the Weser River,...
to Count Conrad II. Both territories were thus alienated and—as seen from the retrospect—ultimately lost for the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen.
In 1368 Albert pledged his revenues from his residence, the castle in Vörde
Bremervörde
Bremervörde is a town in the north of the district Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the Oste river near the mid of the triangle, which is formed of the rivers Weser and Elbe respectively the cities of Hamburg, Bremen and Cuxhaven....
and the dues levied in the pertaining bailiwick, as well as those levied in Altes Land
Altes Land
Altes Land is an area of reclaimed marshland straddling parts of Lower Saxony and Hamburg. The region is situated downstream from Hamburg on the southwestern riverside of the Elbe around the towns of Stade, Buxtehude, Jork and the Samtgemeinde of Lühe...
, Land of Kehdingen
Kehdingen
Kehdingen is the name of a landscape in the north German district of Stade on the lower reaches of the River Elbe. It extends roughly from the mouth of the Oste in the north to the town of Stade in the south...
, and the parish district of Osten
Osten
Osten is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Oste. Osten also means "East" in German.Osten belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180...
– all south of the Elbe – to his brother Magnus Torquatus, holding the Brunswick-Lunenburgian Principality of Wolfenbüttel and William II (Brunswick-Lunenburgian Principality of Celle) for 4,150 Bremian Marks. On their instigation Albert appointed Daniel von Borch as administrator of the Prince-Archbishopric.
In 1389 the cities of Bremen, Buxtehude and Stade redeemed these pledges. They kept them for their own, gaining a powerful position in the Prince-Archbishopric, pushing its actual ruler aside. The cities appointed Albert's nephew Otto of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel line) as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of the Prince-Archbishopric, seated in Vörde. In 1391 Albert resigned himself to the Prince-Archbishopric's regent, his nephew Otto, who meanwhile had become the Prince-Bishop of Verden, concluding by way of contract that they would settle disputes without using violence. In 1389, however, Albert pawned the revenues of the bailiwick of Hagen im Bremischen
Hagen im Bremischen
Hagen im Bremischen is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km south of Bremerhaven, and 35 km northwest of Bremen...
to Conrad II in return for another credit of 500 gold guilder
Guilder
Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch gulden — from Old Dutch for 'golden'. The guilder originated as a gold coin but has been a common name for a silver or base metal coin for some centuries...
s.
Humiliation of Albert II
In 1376, in the course of the War on Luneburgian Succession (1370–1388) Johann von Zesterfleth, then deanDean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of the Bremian Chapter, entered into psychological warfare
Psychological warfare
Psychological warfare , or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations , have been known by many other names or terms, including Psy Ops, Political Warfare, “Hearts and Minds,” and Propaganda...
and publicly alleged Albert were a Hermaphrodite. To calm the public mood against him, Albert could not help it, but had to undergo body checks in different places within the Prince-Archbishopric, the greatest scandal, which hit the Prince-Archbishop.
Albert was the last in a row of Prince-Archbishops of the 14th century who ruined the Prince-Archbishopric. Albert bequeathed an indebtedness and a turmoil unheard of, pushing the Prince-Archbishopric deeply into decay.