Albrecht I
First Duke of Austria and Styria from the House of Habsburg from 1282; Roman-German King from 1298 to his death in 1308
Born in 1255 (exact date of birth unknown)
Died on 1 May 1308, assassinated on the banks of the River Reuss near Brugg im Aargau
In 1282 Albrecht was enfeoffed by his father Rudolf I with the lands along the Danube that were to form the nucleus of Habsburg power. His first achievement was to ensure Habsburg dominion in these regions. In 1298 he was elected Roman-German King and strove, albeit unsuccessfully, to establish a Habsburg hereditary monarchy in that office. In 1308 he was murdered in Switzerland by his nephew, John ‘the Parricide’.
