85 



ALBERT I. 



ALBERT, PRINCE, 



86 



means he was constituted agent of the Duke of Parma at the court 

 of Madrid, in which capacity he wag instrumental in bringing about 

 the marriage of Philip V. with Elizabeth Farnese, daughter of the 

 Prince of Parma. He set off for Parma to stipulate the marriage- 

 contract in the king's name. In the meantime the Princess des Ursins, 

 having understood that the character of the future bride was not so 

 mild as it had been represented by Alberoui, and that she was likely 

 to endanger her own influence at court, prevailed on the king to 

 despatch a courier to Parma, with orders to Alberoni to suspend the 

 negociation. The courier arrived on the eve of the day appointed for 

 affixing the signatures. Alberoni, it was said, by threats or bribe, 

 prevailed upon the man not to make his appearance until the day 

 after. The marriage-contract was signed in December, 1714, and the 

 new queen set off for Spain. The first favour she asked of her husband, 

 in writing, was to dimiss the Princess des Ursins from court. The 

 latter, who had set off from Madrid to meet her, received an order 

 from Philip to quit Spain immediately. The new queen, in gratitude 

 to Alberoui, had him appointed a member of the king's council, bishop 

 of Malaga, and, lastly, prime minister of Spain. He now devoted all 

 his energies to rouse Spain from the state of weakness into which she 

 had fallen during the preceding century, and mako her act a principal 

 part in the affairs of Europe. Alberoni was not scrupulous about 

 means. In violation of the Peace of Utrecht he suddenly invaded the 

 island of Sardinia, which had been secured to the emperor, and after- 

 wards in like manner conquered Sicily the Duke of Savoy being then 

 at peace with Spain. All Europe was astounded at this new war stirred 

 up by Alberoni; England, France, and the emperor resented his con- 

 duct; and an alliance was formed against Spam in 1719. Alberoni 

 defied them all : he favoured the Pretender, in order to find employ- 

 ment for the English at home ; he tried to excite disturbance in 

 France, especially among the Protestants in the south, by claiming 

 for Philip V. the regency of that kingdom during the minority of 

 Louis XV. ; and he even corresponded with Ragotski of Transylvania, 

 and with the Sultan, in order to divert the attention of the Emperor. 

 The latter sovereign was in consequence obliged to recal Prince Eugene 

 in the midst of his successful campaigns against the Turks, and to 

 conclude with the latter a disadvantageous peace at Passarowitz. The 

 clamour against Alberoni, on account of these intrigues, was universal. 

 Pope Clement XI., who had been induced by Philip V. to make Albe- 

 roni a cardinal, was loud in his remonstrances against him. The fall 

 of Alberoni was resolved by the allied powers as the only means of 

 restoring peace to Europe. The Duke of Parma was prevailed upon 

 to use his influence with the court of Spain, and especially with the 

 queen, who being already weary of the haughty and overbearing tone 

 of the cardinal-minister, induced Philip V. to write with his own hand 

 an order for Alberoni'g deposition, aud his banishment from the Spanish 

 territories. This happened at the end of 1719, after Alberoni had been 

 minister about three years. Alberoni repaired to Italy, where he had 

 transmitted large sums of money. Orders had been given by the Pope 

 for his arrest, which Alberoni however evaded. A process was insti- 

 tuted at the same time against him at Rome, which he also contrived 

 to protract. Pope Clement XI. having died in March, 1721, Alberoni 

 suddenly repaired to Rome to attend the conclave, to the astonishment 

 of the people, who crowded to see this famous personage. The new- 

 elected Pope, Innocent XIII., quashed the proceedings against him. 



Some time after, Alberoni was sent as legate to Roraagna. But he 

 had not yet totally forgotten his habits of intrigue ; and being now 

 unable any longer to disturb the peace of Europe, he contrived to 

 embroil the diminutive republic of San Marino, which unfortunately 

 was placed in the neighbourhood of his government. Under the pretence 

 of remedying gome discontents he entered the town of San Marino, and 

 called upon the citizens to swear allegiance to the Pope. Some ran 

 away, others refused, and the rest complied through fear. The Pope 

 however disapproved of Alberoni's conduct, and sent another legate, 

 who reinstated the republican government. This occurred at the 

 beginning of 1740. Alberoni after this retired to Piaceuza, his native 

 country, where he lived in affluence, and built a large religious house. 

 He remained in retirement, forgotten by the world, till the 26th of 

 June, 1752, when he died at the advanced age of 88. 



Alberoni left a quantity of manuscripts, from which a work, called 

 his ' Political Testament,' published at Lausanne in 1753, was said to 

 be derived. He is remarkable as one of the most prominent examples 

 of that class of statesmen who rose to power by the most pitiful 

 intrigue* ; and who, being uncontrolled by public opinion, thought 

 their own ambition and their pretended zeal for their despotic masters 

 n sufficient motive to plunge the people of Europe into continual 

 wan, in which they had no real interest, and whose effects have so 

 long retarded the natural progress of mankind in civilisation by the 

 efforts of peaceful industry. 



(Muratori, Annali d' Italia; Botta, Storia d' Italia; Cox, Alenoin of 

 the A'inyt of .Spain of the Haute of Bourbon.) 



ALBERT I., Duke of Austria, and afterwards Emperor of Germany, 

 was the son of liudolf of Hapiburg, the founder of the imperial Austrian 

 dynasty. Albert married the heiress of the former dukes of Austria. 

 After his father's death in 1291 he assumed the imperial title, in oppo- 

 ition to the votes of the electors, who had chosen Adolphus of Nassau. 

 After several years' war between the two competitors, Albert defeated 

 Adolphus, who wa> killed in battle in 1298. Albert then ascended the 



imperial throne, and received after many difficulties the confirmation of 

 the Pope, Boniface VIII. He was next engaged in wars with the Bohe- 

 mians, whose country he attempted to conquer, but without success. 

 Soon after this the Swiss forest cantons revolted, on the 1st of Jauuary, 

 1308, against Albert's lieutenants, whose government was arbitrary and 

 oppressive : this was the beginning of the Swiss Confederation. [SWIT- 

 ZERLAND, in GEOG. Div.] Albert, full of indignation, came with troops 

 to chastise them : he advanced as far as Badcu in Aargau, where he 

 summoned his vassals, aud held a council for the reduction of tho 

 revolted cantons. On the 1st of May, 1308, Albert left Baden to 

 return to Rheinfelden, where the Empress Elizabeth was. As he 

 crossed the river Reuss at Windisch in a boat, he was separated from 

 the greater part of his suite, his nephew, John of Hapsburg, and three 

 other noblemen only, crossing over with the emperor. John, who had 

 lately come of ago, had been importunate with his uncle to restore to 

 him his father's estates in Suabia, which Albert seemed determined 

 to keep in his owu possession. The nephew, despairing of justice, 

 had formed a conspiracy with the three noblemen already mentioned ; 

 and as the party landed on the opposite bank of the Reuss, the con- 

 spirators fell upon the emperor and murdered him, in sight of his 

 attendants on the other side of the river, who could give their master 

 no assistance. Albert expired in the arms of a poor countrywoman 

 who happened to pass that way. The murderers fled : two of them 

 were afterwards taken and executed, as well as a number of other 

 persons mostly innocent, who 'were suspected to have been concerned 

 in the conspiracy. Agnes, Albert's daughter, and queen of Hungary, 

 carried her vengeance for her father's death to a most dreadful extent. 

 Nearly one hundred noble families, and one thousand persons not 

 noble, of every age and sex, were involved in this inhuman proscription. 

 The executions lasted several months. After this butchery Agnes built 

 a monastery on the spot where Albert had been murdered, which waa 

 called Konigsfelden, and here she shut herself up for the rost of her 

 days. The remains of this monastery and church are still to be seen, 

 as well as the apartments which Queen Agnes occupied. Konigsfelden 

 is on the high road from Basla to Baden and Zurich in Switzerland, 

 and in sight of the castle of Hapsburg, whence the house of Austria 

 origiually sprung. (Johann Miiller, Geschichte der Schweitzer.) 



ALBERT, Archduke of Austria, son of the Emperor Maximilian II., 

 was made a Cardinal and Archbishop of Toledo. He was appointed 

 by Philip II. in 1596 governor of the Low Countries, and succeeded 

 the Duke of Parma in the difficult task of carrying on the war against 

 the Dutch, who had revolted from Spain. He resigned the cardinal- 

 ship, and married Elizabeth of Austria, daughter of Philip II., who 

 brought him Flanders and Franche-Comtd as her dowry : he thus 

 became sovereign, nominally at least, of the Belgian provinces. lu 

 July, 1600, be fought the battle of Nieuport against the Dutch under 

 Maurice of Nassau : this engagement, in which Albert was defeated, 

 decided the independence of Holland. Albert next besieged Ostend, 

 which he took after a long and murderous siege, in which 100,000 

 men are said to have lost their lives on both sides. In 1609 Albert 

 concluded a truce with the Dutch for twelve years, before the expiration 

 of which he died, in 1621. He left no children, and the dominion of 

 Flanders reverted to Spain. 



ALBERT, Prince of Mecklenburg, was called to the throne of 

 Sweden in 1364 by the nobility who had deposed King Magnus. The 

 partisans of the latter, joined with Haquin, king of Norway, carried 

 on the war for several years ; at last Magnus formally gave up the 

 crown to Albert in 1371. Waldemar, king of Denmark, dying in 1376, 

 his daughter Margaret, widow of Haquin, king of Norway, became 

 queen of both Denmark and Norway ; and soon after the Swedes, being 

 dissatisfied with Albert, who favoured his German countrymen at their 

 expense, offered to Margaret the crown of Sweden. After several more 

 years of war, a decisive battle was fought at Talkoping in West Goth- 

 land, in which the queen's forces defeated Albert, and took him prisoner 

 in 1388. Peace however was not re-established in Sweden till 1395, 

 when Albert consented to give up his claims to the crown. He then 

 retired into Mecklenburg, whero he died. Margaret of Waldemar thus 

 united ihe three northern kingdoms under one sceptre. 



ALBERT, Margrave of Brandenburg, and first duke of Prussia, was 

 born in 1490. He was elected in 1511 Grand Master of the Teutonic 

 Order, who held dominion over Prussia proper, that part of the present 

 kingdom of Prussia which borders on the Baltic Sea. He fought 

 against Sigismund, kiug of Poland, for the defeuce of his order, who 

 had been for ages at war with the Poles. Peace was made in 1525 at 

 Cracow, in which Albert managed to havo the duchy of Prussia secured 

 to himself and his descendants as a fief of the crown of Poland, thus 

 laying aside the rights of the order. Albert some time after embraced 

 the Protestant faith, and married a princess of Denmark. One of hia 

 descendants, Frederic William, elector of Brandenburg, threw off the 

 allegiance of Poland ; and his son, Frederic I., changed the title of Duko 

 into that of King of Prussia in 1701. [BRANDENBURG, in GEOU. Div.] 



ALBERT DORER. [DiiRER.1 



ALBERT, PRINCE. Albert Francis Augustus Charles Emmanuel, 

 prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and consort of Queen Victoria, was bora 

 August 26, 1819, and was the second son of the Duke Ernest I., who 

 died in 1 844. Prince Albert was educated along with his elder brother, 

 Prince Ernest, the present Duke-regnant of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, under 

 the Consistorial Councillor Florschutz, and subsequently at the 



