In 1513 became
Archbishop of
Magdeburg at the age of 23 and administrator of the
Diocese of Halberstadt. In 1514, he was also elected Archbishop of Mainz and thus sovereign of the
Electorate of Mainz and
archchancellor of the
Holy Roman Empire. By electing him, the Mainz cathedral chapter hoped for the support of the Elector of Brandenburg in defending the city of
Erfurt, which belonged to the archbishopric of Mainz, against the expansionist efforts of the neighboring Saxon dukes. However, this choice violated the canonical prohibition to hold more than one bishopric. Albert also did not meet the requirements for taking over any diocese, since he had not yet reached the age, and he didn't have a college degree; therefore, he received a study dispensation in 1513. Albert borrowed 20,000 guilders from
Jacob Fugger to pay the confirmation fee to the
Roman Curia (see:
simony). In 1514 Albert suggested to
Pope Leo X that a special
indulgence be announced in his three dioceses as well as in his native diocese of Brandenburg and that half of the income should be used for the construction of the new
St. Peter's Basilica and half for Albert's own cash register. The papal bull was issued on 31 March 1515. The indulgence was entrusted to Albert in 1517 for publication in
Saxony and
Brandenburg. It cost him the considerable sum of ten thousand
ducats, and Albert employed
Johann Tetzel for the actual preaching of the indulgence. Later,
Martin Luther addressed a letter of protest to Albert concerning the conduct of Tetzel. Largely in reaction to Tetzel's actions, Luther wrote his famous
Ninety-five Theses, which led to the
Reformation. Luther sent these to Albert on 31 October 1517, and according to a disputable tradition, nailed a copy to the door of
Castle Church in
Wittenberg. Albert forwarded the theses to Rome, suspecting Luther of
heresy. As Archbishop of Mainz, he tried unsuccessfully in 1515 and 1516 to expel the Jews living in Mainz. In 1518, at the age of 28, he was made a
cardinal. When the
imperial election of 1519 drew near, partisans of the two leading candidates (kings
Charles I of Spain and
Francis I of France) eagerly solicited the vote of the
Prince-Archbishop of Mainz, and Albert appears to have received a large amount of money for his vote. The electors eventually chose Charles, who became the Emperor Charles V. Albert's large and liberal ideas, his correspondence with leading
humanists, his friendship with
Ulrich von Hutten whom he drew to his court, and his political ambitions, appear to have raised hopes that he could be won over to
Protestantism; but after the
German Peasants' War of 1525 he ranged himself definitely among the supporters of
Catholicism, and was among the princes who joined the
League of Dessau in July 1525. Despite the losses caused by wars, looting, and sales, the Aschaffenburg collection is considered the largest Cranach collection in Europe. In addition to 17 altar wings, some of which consist of several panels, and individual paintings from the Cranach workshop, 9 autographed works by the older and 2 by the younger Cranach are on display. In addition, a crucifixion group by Hans Baldung Grien and a large number of paintings by Cranach's students. Some other altars and paintings from the school are also preserved in St. Peter und Alexander's church and its museum. Other paintings are in the
Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Lucas Cranach d.Ä. - Kardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg als Heiliger Hieronymus.jpg|Cardinal Albert as Saint Jerome (Lucas Cranach the Elder) Mathis Gothart Grünewald 011.jpg|Cardinal Albert as Saint Erasmus with Saint Mauritius (Matthias Grünewald, ) Mathis Gothart Grünewald 009.jpg|Cardinal Albert as Saint Erasmus (detail) Albrecht-von-brandenburg-als hl-martin.jpg|Cardinal Albert as Saint Martin (Simon Franck, 1543) Albrecht-v-Brandenburg-1520.jpg|Cardinal Albert praying before the cross (Lucas Cranach the Elder) AB StGal Schule CranachÄ Messe Gregor02.jpg|Mass of St. Gregory with Cardinal Albert (workshop of Lucas Cranach) Cranach il vecchio, altare pfirtscher 01, 1526–1530 ca, aschaffenburg, staatsgalerie.jpg|St. Martinus (with the facial features of Cardinal Albert) and St. Stephen (Lucas Cranach the Elder) Simon Franck - Ursula Redinger as Saint Ursula - Stiftsmuseum Aschaffenburg.jpg|Cardinal Albert's mistress Leys Schütz as St. Ursula == Death ==