Early life Albrecht was born at the
Brandenburg residence of
Tangermünde as the third son of the
Nuremberg burgrave
Frederick I and his wife, the
Wittelsbach princess
Elisabeth of Bavaria-Landshut. His father served as governor in Brandenburg; a few months after Albrecht's birth, he was enfeoffed with the
electorate at the
Council of Constance by the
Luxembourg emperor
Sigismund. After passing some time at the court of Emperor Sigismund, Albrecht took part in the
Hussite Wars, and afterwards distinguished himself whilst assisting Sigismund's successor, the
Habsburg king
Albert II of Germany, against the Hussites and their
Polish allies. In 1435, he and his eldest brother
John went on a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem.
Reign in Franconia On the division of territory which followed his father's death in 1440, Albrecht received the Principality of Ansbach, while John took over the rule of Brandenburg as its elector. Although Albrecht's resources were meager, he soon took a leading place among the German
princes and was especially prominent in resisting the attempts of the towns to obtain self-government. Nevertheless, Albrecht's plans to re-unite the former
Duchy of Franconia under his rule failed: in 1443, he formed a league directed mainly against the
Imperial City of Nuremberg, over which his late father had formerly exercised the rights of burgrave. It was not until 1448, however, that he found a pretext for attack. After initial military successes in the
First Margrave War, he was defeated at the Battle of Pillenreuther Weiher, resulting in the Treaty of Bamberg (22 June 1450), which forced Albrecht to return all of the conquered territory and to recognize the independence of Nuremberg and its associated towns. Albrecht supported the Habsburg emperor
Frederick III in his struggle with the princes who desired reforms in the
Holy Roman Empire, and in return for this loyalty received many marks of favour from Frederick, including extensive judicial rights which aroused considerable irritation among neighbouring rulers. In 1457, Albrecht arranged a marriage between his eldest son John, and Margaret, daughter of
William III, Landgrave of
Thuringia, who inherited the claims upon
Hungary and
Bohemia of her mother, a granddaughter of Emperor
Sigismund. The attempt to secure these thrones for the Hohenzollerns through this marriage failed, and a similar fate befell Albrecht's efforts to revive in his own favour the disused title of duke of
Franconia. The sharp dissensions which existed among the princes over the question of reform culminated in the
Bavarian War from 1459 to 1463, when Albrecht was confronted with a league under the leadership of Elector Palatine
Frederick I and his
Wittelsbach cousin Duke
Louis IX of Bavaria-Landshut. Though defeated in the struggle, Albrecht continued fighting against Prince-bishop
Rudolf II of Würzburg and even forged an alliance with his former enemy, the
Bohemian king
George of Poděbrady, a step which caused
Pope Paul II to place him under the ban. Albrecht permanently resided at
Ansbach from 1460; he also inherited the Principality of Kulmbach upon the death of his brother John in 1464.
Brandenburg elector In 1471, Albrecht became Elector of Brandenburg, owing to the abdication of his remaining brother, Elector
Frederick II, the year before. Now sole ruler over the entire Hohenzollern estates, he was soon actively engaged in their administration. By the 1472
Treaty of Prenzlau he ended the
War of the Succession of Stettin, bringing the
Duchy of Pomerania also under his supremacy. Having established his right to levy a tonnage on wines in the mark, he issued in February 1473 the
Dispositio Achillea, which decreed that the Margraviate of Brandenburg should descend in its entirety to the eldest son, while the younger sons should receive the Franconian possessions of the family. After treating in vain for a marriage between one of his sons and
Mary of Burgundy, daughter and heiress of Duke
Charles the Bold, Albrecht handed over the government of Brandenburg to his eldest son
John Cicero, and returned to his Franconian possessions. Albrecht's main attention afterwards was claimed by the business of the empire. Seriously ill, he took part in the
imperial election of 1486 which selected
Maximilian of Austria as
King of the Romans at
Frankfurt Cathedral. A few weeks later, in March, Albrecht died while still staying in
Frankfurt; he was buried in the
Heilsbronn Abbey church near Ansbach. He left a considerable amount of treasure. ==Family and children==