ALBERT, archbishop of MAGDEBURG. - Son of the count of Kefernburg (Thuringia), d. 1232. After completing his studies at Hildesheim, Paris, and Bologna, he was appointed by Innocent III as provost of the chapter of Magdeburg on 16 Feb. 1202. Subsequently designated by the chapter as archbishop of the city, he was ordained priest at Bologna and then consecrated archbishop in Rome in 1206. He rebuilt the cathedral, which was later destroyed by fire, and worked tirelessly for peace in the empire, supporting the party of Philip of Swabia until his death (1208). He later became a partisan of Otto IV, whom he accompanied to Rome in 1209, but when Otto was excommunicated in 1210, he declared for Frederick II. From 1222 to 1224 he served as imperial legate for northern Italy.
Cesario Van Hulst