Pope Clement VI had appointed Albert's predecessor Godfrey of Arnsberg, violating the Prince-Archbishopric's constitution, which reserved the privilege to elect the Prince-Archbishop to the Bremian Chapters of Bremen Cathedral and Hamburg Concathedral (with three votes).
Thus Albert called himself Albertus electus et confirmatus, even though this was the wrong chronology, since he had first been papally confirmed, lacking the capitulars' election, which he could heal by their acceptance in the year after.
In 1361 Stade's and Buxtehude's burghers and the free peasants of Altes Land welcomed Albert as new Prince-Archbishop.
Generally the Landsgemeinden of the free peasants in the low marsh lands lived undisturbed under Albert's rule.
[4] In the following year Albert helped his second cousin Adolph VII, Count of Holstein-Kiel, and the city of Hamburg to free the streets northeast of the city from the brigandage by Eric II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, and Albert V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, conquering the latter's castle in Bergedorf.
In 1363 Albert concluded with the cities of the prince-archbishopric, Bremen, Buxtehude, Stade, and Wildeshausen as well as the free peasants of Osterstade a contract, organising the financing and provision of soldiers in case of war.
In return the council granted Albert a credit amounting to the enormous sum of 20,000 Bremian Marks.
Albert failed to subject the city of Bremen a second time, since he was always short in money and without support by the Guelphs, who—after William II's death—fought the Lüneburg Succession War against the House of Ascania, imperially designate successor in the Principality of Celle.
In 1386 the city of Bremen made the noble families, holding the estates of Altluneburg (a part of today's Schiffdorf) and Elmlohe, its vassals.
In 1368 Albert pledged his revenues from his residence, the castle in Vörde and the dues levied in the pertaining bailiwick, as well as those levied in Altes Land, Land of Kehdingen, and the parish district of Osten – all south of the Elbe – to his brother Magnus, holding the Principality of Wolfenbüttel and William II (Principality of Celle) for 4,150 Bremian Marks.
[9] In 1391 Albert resigned himself to the Prince-Archbishopric's regent, his nephew Otto, who meanwhile had become the Prince-Bishop of Verden, concluding by way of contract that they would settle disputes without using violence.
In 1389, however, Albert pawned the revenues of the bailiwick of Hagen im Bremischen to Conrad II in return for another credit of 500 gold guilders.
[10] In 1376, in the course of the Lüneburg Succession War (1370–1388) Johann von Zesterfleth, then dean of the Bremian Chapter, entered into psychological warfare and publicly alleged Albert were a hermaphrodite.
To calm the public mood against him, Albert could not help it, but had to undergo body checks in different places within the Prince-Archbishopric, the greatest scandal, which hit the Prince-Archbishop.