ALBERT II

born Aug. 16, 1397 died Oct. 27, 1439, Neszmly, Hung. German king from 1438, king (Albert) of Hungary, king (Albrecht) of Bohemia, and duke (Albrecht) of Luxembourg. As a member of the Habsburg dynasty he was archduke (Albert V) of Austria from infancy (1404). On the death of his father-in-law, the Holy Roman emperor Sigismund, Albert was crowned king of Hungary (Jan. 1, 1438), elected king of Germany (March 18), and, despite opposition, actually crowned king of Bohemia (June 29). Calling a diet at Nrnberg (1438), he ended all feuds based on the right of private warfare and appointed arbiters to settle disputes. He further divided Germany into administrative circles, again with the maintenance of peace in mind. Although he died the following year during a campaign against the Turks, the rule of Albert's successors was stabilized through implementation of his measures. born June 6, 1934, Brussels, Belg. in full Albert Flix Humbert Thodore Christian Eugne Marie of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha king of the Belgians from 1993. The second son of King Leopold III, Albert was educated at home and in Geneva and Brussels and entered the Belgian navy in 1953. From 1962 until his ascension, he served as honorary chairman of the Belgian Office of Foreign Trade, leading some 70 important trade missions and becoming an expert on shipping. He also served as the longtime president of the Belgian Red Cross and as a member of the International Olympic Committee. In 1959 he married Paola Ruffo di Calabria, an Italian princess. The couple had three children: Philippe (b. 1960), Astrid (b. 1962), and Laurent (b. 1963). Albert succeeded his childless older brother Baudouin after the latter's death in July 1993. Though many had speculated he would abdicate in favour of his eldest son, Albert was sworn in as sixth king of the Belgians on August 9, 1993. While constitutional reform in 1993 had federalized the government and limited the power of the monarchy, Albert remained an important symbol of unity to the country as it faced growing political divisiveness between French-speaking Wallonia and Flemish-speaking Flanders.