The elector and cardinal of Mainz, Archbishop Albrecht of Brandenburg, is today mainly known as the man who triggered the Reformation. Curiously enough, Albrecht was himself in favour of reforms within the church and not at all opposed to much of Martin Luther's thinking. He stood for reconciliation rather than confrontation. Only when he saw his power directly threatened as a result of the Peasants' War, which broke out in 1524 and provided an indication of the explosive potential of the masses, did Albrecht become a bitter adversary of Luther. He expelled all Protestant clergymen from office in his bishoprics and instigated Catholic reforms at all levels. Albrecht of Brandenburg was perhaps the only German Renaissance prince of the church who ever matched his Italian counterparts; art was for him a means of self-glorification and aggrandizement. The court orchestra he established in Halle an der Saale is depicted in several paintings. His court painter was none other than Mathias Grünewald, while Albrecht Dürer also painted several portraits of him. Albrecht exerted considerable influence on the architecture of Halle an der Saale, his residence in the bishopric of Magdeburg.

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