During the Second Margrave War, near the end of his reign, the Protestant Margrave Albert III Alcibiades of Brandenburg-Kulmbach invaded his territory. Weigand was not prepared and had to give in to the Margrave's excessive demands. He ceded almost half of his territory. To secure his claims, Albert occupied the key central cities Forchheim and Bamberg. Albert Alcibiades had made many enemies with his bellicose behaviour and was defeated in 1553. He died in exile in 1557.