Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg
| Albert II | |
|---|---|
| Margrave of Brandenburg | |
Monument in the Siegesallee in Berlin, 1898
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| Margrave of Brandenburg | |
| Reign | 1205–1220 |
| Predecessor | Otto II |
| Successor | John I and Otto III |
| Born | c. 1177 |
| Died | 25 February 1220 |
| Spouse | Matilda of Groitzsch |
| Issue |
John I, Margrave of Brandenburg Otto III, Margrave of Brandenburg Matilda, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg Elisabeth |
| House | House of Ascania |
| Father | Otto I, Margrave of Brandenburg |
| Mother | Ada of Holland |
Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg (born: c. 1177 – died: 25 February 1220) was a member of the House of Ascania. He was Margrave of Brandenburg from 1205 until his death in 1220.
Albert II was the youngest son of Otto I and his second wife Ada of Holland and a grandson of Albert the Bear, considered the founder of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1157. His father Otto I promoted and directed the foundation of German settlement in the area, which had been predominantly Slavic until the 12th century.
Albert II was, from 1184 onwards, Count of Arneburg in the Altmark. The Altmark belonged to Brandenburg, and his older brother Otto II claimed that this implied that the Ascanians owned Arneburg.
Albert participated in the Third Crusade (1189–1192). After his return, he was temporarily imprisoned in 1194 by Otto for unexplained reasons. He was present at the inaugural meeting of the Teutonic Knights in 1198 in Acre.
Albert II inherited the Margraviate in 1205, after the death of his eldest brother Otto II.
In the dispute about the imperial crown between the Houses of Hohenstaufen and Guelph in the early 13th century, Albert initially supported the Hohenstaun King Philip of Swabia, like Otto before him. After Philip's assassination in 1208, however, he changed sides, because Emperor Otto IV had assisted him in securing the Margraviate against the Danes, and had confirmed Ascanian ownership of Brandenburg in a deed in 1212.
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