Albert
Albert, the name of two Holy Roman emperors, one king of Belgium, and one reigning prince of Monaco.
Holy Roman EmpireAlbert I( German: (1250?–1308), king of Germany and Holy, Roman emperor, ruled 1298–1308. Alberts? son of Emperor Rudolph I of Hapsburg, was duke of Austria. He was chosen emperor by the electoral princes after he helped to depose Emperor Adolph of Nassau. During his reign, Albert strengthened the Hapsburg dynasty through territorial conquest, but failed to establish a hereditary Hapsburg monarchy in Germany. After reducing the power of the princes, he subdued Meissen, Moravia, and Bohemia, 1305–06, but was unable to conquer Thuringia, 1306. Albert was assassinated by his nephew, John of Swabia.
Albert II(1397–1439), king of Germany and Holy Roman emperor, ruled 1438–1439. He became duke of Austria (as Albert V) in 1404. In 1438 Albert succeeded his father-inlaw, Sigismund, as emperor and king of Germany as well as king of Hungary and of Bohemia. With his election, the Hapsburgs regained the imperial crown. They held it almost continuously from that time until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. Albert spent most of his brief reign suppressing an uprising in Bohemia and fighting the invading Turks.
BelgiumAlbert I(1875–1934), king of the Belgians, ruled 1909–1934. Albert was an internationally respected diplomat, a courageous military leader, and an economic and social reformer.
Albert was born in Brussels, the son of Philip, Count of Flanders. After attending military school, he served in the Belgian Senate, 1893–98. Albert traveled extensively in Europe, the Belgian Congo, and the United States. In 1900 he married Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria. To advance Belgium's economic development, Albert advocated new industrial methods and the establishment of technical colleges. He succeeded his uncle, Leopold II, as king in 1909.
As political tensions brought Europe to the brink of World War I, Albert made goodwill visits to neighboring countries and increased Belgium's armed forces. In 1914 he appealed to Emperor William II of Germany to respect his country's neutrality, but a few months later Germany invaded Belgium. Albert personally commanded the Belgian army until the war's end.
After the war, King Albert concentrated on the economic reconstruction of Belgium. He encouraged a coalition government of the three major political parties to strengthen the nation. He was responsible for the adoption of a new monetary system and the stabilization of currency in 1926. Albert was killed in 1934 when mountain climbing.
MonacoAlbert I(1848–1922), prince of Monaco, ruled 1889–1922. Albert was noted for his scientific expeditions and contributions to oceanography. In 1910 he founded the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco, which became world-renowned for its aquarium. In 1918 Albert granted his nation a constitution that limited the power of the ruling prince by establishing legislative and executive branches of government.