Albert II of Germany was born on 10 August 1397. He belonged to the elder Albertinian line of the Habsburgs. Through his mother, Joanna Sophia of Bavaria, he was the great-grandson of Emperor Ludwig IV the Bavarian.
Albert was well educated and showed himself to be an energetic and warlike duke. From an early age, he had to assert himself against the rival Leopoldinian line, a conflict that almost led to a civil war among the Habsburgs. He also supported Emperor Sigismund in his campaigns against the Hussites. In return, he married Sigismund’s only child and heiress, Elisabeth of Luxembourg, and was acknowledged as the Emperor’s successor.
The last years of Albert’s life were particularly eventful and seemingly successful, although his newly acquired positions were never fully consolidated. In 1437, he inherited the crowns of Hungary and Bohemia through his wife’s rights, although he was unable to take effective possession of them. A year later, he was elected King of the Romans, the title traditionally borne by the elected successor to the Emperor, but was never crowned. Instead, he died in October 1439. Four months later, Elisabeth gave birth to their only surviving son, Ladislaus the Posthumous. Sadly, after his early death, unmarried, the Albertinian line of the Habsburgs became extinct.
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