BERNAUER, AoNES, the beautiful daughter of a poor citizen of Augsburg, in the 15th c., whose sad story looks hiker romance than history. Duke Albrecht of 1;avaria, only son of the reigning (bike Ernst, saw the maiden at a tournament at Augsburg, given in his honor by the nobility, and fell violently in love with her. Albrecht was young, handsome, and manly, and Agnes was not insensible to his attractions and his rank: but she-was too pure to listen to his overtures till lie promised to marry her. They were then secretly united, and Albrecht carried his young wife to the castle of Volib?rg, which he inherited from his Mother. Here they enjoyed their matrimonial happiness undis turbed. till Albrecht's father formed the plan of marrying his son with Anna, daughter of Erich. duke of Brunswick. The determined opposition he met with soon made him aware of his son's attachment to the Angsburger's (laughter, and of the strength of his passion for her; and he resolved to take energetic measures to break it off.. He accord ingly contrived that, at a tournament at Regensburg, the lists were shut against his son, as one that, against the rnles of chivalry, was living with is woman in licentiousness. Albrecht swore that Agnes was his wife, but in vain; he was still excluded. He now made Agnes be openly honored as duchess of Bavaria, gave her a numerous retinue of servants ns a princess, and the castle of Straubing for a residence. She, full of sad fore bodings of ml (lurk fate, erected in the Carmelite convent of the place an oratory and a tomb. As long as duke Albreches uncle, lived, who was greatly attached to his nephew, nothing further was attempted against the happiness of the lovers. But
after his brother's death, duke Ernst no longer restrained his anger, and, in the absenev of Albrecht, ordered Agnes to be arrested and executed without delay. Accused of sor cerv, by which: she was alleged to have bewitched Albrecht, she was carried, bound hand ana foot, by the. executioners bridge of the Danube, and in the presence of the whole people thretvis'into the river tOet.12, 1435). Thecurrentliating floated her again to the side, one of the executioners ran with a long pole, and fastening it in her golden hair, held her under the water till she was drowned. Maddened at this atrocity, Albrecht took up arms against his father, and, in league with his other enemies, waste() the coun try. It was in vain that duke Ernst entreated his son to relent. It was not till the emperor Sigismund, and the other friends of the family, united their exhortations, that Albrecht at last returned to his father's court, where, after a time, he consented to marry Anna of Brunswick. To regain the forfeited regard of his son, duke Ernst had a chapel erected over the grave of the murdered lady, and Albrecht founded in the year of her death daily masses for her in the Carmelite monastery at Straubing; even after twelve years he renewed the foundation, and had the bones of his " honored wife" transferred to the tomb provided by herself, and covered with a marble monument. The unhappy loves of Albrecht and Agnes were long the theme of popular song; and the story has been made the subject of at least three tragedies, one by Jul. Burner (Leip.1821), another by A. Biittger (3d ed. Leip. 1850).