Duke/Elector of Bavaria from 1597 to 1651
Maximilian I
(17 April 1573 – 27 September 1651), occasionally called
the Great
, a member of the
House of Wittelsbach
, ruled as
Duke of Bavaria
from 1597. His reign was marked by the
Thirty Years' War
during which he obtained the title of a
Prince-elector
of the
Holy Roman Empire
at the 1623
Diet of Regensburg
.
Maximilian was a capable monarch who, by overcoming the feudal rights of the local estates (
Landstande
), laid the foundations for
absolutist
rule in
Bavaria
. A devout
Catholic
, he was one of the leading proponents of the
Counter-Reformation
and founder of the
Catholic League
of
Imperial Princes
. In the Thirty Years' War, he was able to conquer the
Upper Palatinate
region, as well as the
Electoral Palatinate
affiliated with the electoral dignity of his Wittelsbach cousin, the "Winter King"
Frederick V
. The 1648
Peace of Westphalia
affirmed his possession of Upper Palatinate and the hereditary electoral title, though it returned the Electoral Palatinate to Frederick's heir and created an eighth electoral dignity for them.
Background
[
edit
]
Maximilian I was born in
Munich
, the eldest son of
William V, Duke of Bavaria
and
Renata of Lorraine
to survive infancy. He was educated by the
Jesuits
, and following his father's increasing difficulties in ruling the country, began to take part in the government round 1591, but latest 1594. In 1595 he married his cousin,
Elisabeth Renata
(also known as
Elizabeth of Lorraine
), daughter of
Charles III, Duke of Lorraine
, and became
Duke of Bavaria
upon his father's abdication in 1597.
[1]
His first marriage to Elisabeth Renata was childless. A few months after the death of Elisabeth Renata, Maximilian married, on 15 July 1635 in
Vienna
, his 25-year-old niece
Maria Anna of Austria (1610?1665)
, the daughter of
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
and Maximilian's sister,
Maria Anna of Bavaria (1574?1616)
. The main motivation for this swift remarriage was not so much political grounds as the hope of producing a prince to inherit. In contrast to the Elector's first wife, Maria Anna was very interested in politics and well instructed about developments. She was not bound to the
Habsburgs
, but rather completely advocated the Bavarian standpoint. Additionally, she conducted lively exchanges of opinion with high officials of the Munich court and took part in meetings of the cabinet. By her he left two sons,
Ferdinand Maria
, who succeeded him, and
Maximilian Philip
.
[1]
As the ablest prince of his age he sought to prevent Germany from becoming the battleground of Europe, and although a rigid adherent of the
Catholic
faith, was not always subservient to the
church
. Weak in health and feeble in frame, Maximilian had high ambitions both for himself and his duchy, and was tenacious and resourceful in prosecuting his designs.
[1]
German politics and the Thirty Years' War
[
edit
]
Portrait in armour by
Nikolaus Prucker
Maximilian refrained from any interference in German politics until 1607, when he was entrusted with the duty of
executing
the
imperial ban
against the free city of
Donauworth
, a
Protestant
stronghold. In December 1607 his troops occupied the city, and vigorous steps were taken to restore the supremacy of
Catholicism
. Some Protestant princes, alarmed at this action, formed the
Protestant Union
to defend their interests, which was answered in 1609 by the establishment of the
Catholic League
, in the formation of which Maximilian took an important part. Under his leadership an army was set on foot, but his policy was strictly defensive and he refused to allow the League to become a tool in the hands of the
House of Habsburg
. Dissensions among his colleagues led the duke to resign his office in 1616, but the approach of trouble brought about his return to the League about two years later.
[1]
The Arms of Maximilian, Duke of Bavaria, Arch-Steward and Prince-Elector
Having refused to become a candidate for the
imperial throne
in the
1619 imperial election
, Maximilian was faced with the complications arising from the
Bohemian Revolt
. After some delay he made a treaty with
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
in October 1619, and in return for large concessions placed the forces of the League at the emperor's service. Anxious to curtail the area of the struggle, he made a treaty of neutrality with the Protestant Union, and occupied
Upper Austria
as security for the expenses of the campaign. On 8 November 1620 his troops under
Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly
defeated the forces of
Frederick, King of Bohemia
and
Count Palatine of the Rhine
, at the
Battle of White Mountain
near
Prague
.
[1]
Subsequently Ferdinand II released Upper Austria as a pawn for Maximilian until 1628.
[
citation needed
]
Engraving of Maximilian I
In spite of the arrangement with the Union, Tilly then devastated the
Rhenish Palatinate
, and in February 1623 Maximilian was formally invested with the
electoral dignity
and the attendant office of Arch-Steward, which had been enjoyed since 1356 by the Counts Palatine of the Rhine. After receiving the
Upper Palatinate
and restoring Upper Austria to Ferdinand, Maximilian became leader of the party which sought to bring about
Albrecht von Wallenstein
's dismissal from the imperial service. At the
Diet of Regensburg (1630)
Ferdinand was compelled to assent to this demand, but the sequel was disastrous both for Bavaria and its ruler.
[1]
Attempting to remain neutral during the war, Maximilian signed the secret
Treaty of Fontainebleau (1631)
with the
Kingdom of France
, but this proved worthless.
[
citation needed
]
Early in 1632
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
marched into the electorate and occupied Munich, and Maximilian could only obtain the assistance of the Imperial troops by placing himself under the orders of Wallenstein, now restored to the command of the emperor's forces. The ravages of the Swedes and their French allies induced the elector to enter into negotiations for peace with the Swedes and
Cardinal Richelieu
of France. He also wooed the Protestants by proposing modifications to the
Edict of Restitution
of 1629, but these efforts were abortive.
[1]
In September 1638 Baron
Franz von Mercy
was made master-general of ordnance in the army of Bavaria, then the second largest army in the Holy Roman Empire. Mercy and
Johann von Werth
as lieutenant field-marshal fought with varying success France and Sweden.
[
citation needed
]
In March 1647 Maximilian concluded the
Truce of Ulm (1647)
with France and Sweden, but the entreaties of
Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
led him to disregard his undertaking. Bavaria was again ravaged, and the elector's forces were defeated in May 1648 at the
Battle of Zusmarshausen
. The
Peace of Westphalia
soon put an end to the struggle. By this treaty it was agreed that Maximilian would retain the electoral dignity, which was made hereditary in his family along with the Upper Palatinate.
[1]
Maximilian had to give up the Lower Palatinate, which was restored to
Charles Louis
, Frederick V's son and heir.
Administrative and cultural activities
[
edit
]
Kaiserhof, part of Maximilian's Residenz in Munich
Maximilian rehabilitated the Bavarian state finances, reorganised the Bavarian administration and army, and introduced
mercantilist
measures as well as a new corpus juris, the
Codex Maximilianeus
.
In 1610 Maximilian ordered to enlarge the
Munich Residenz
and to upgrade the
Hofgarten
. The original buildings of
Schleissheim Palace
were extended between 1617 and 1623 by
Heinrich Schon
and
Hans Krumpper
to the so-called
Old Palace
. Maximilian acquired numerous paintings of
Albrecht Durer
,
Peter Paul Rubens
and additional artists for the
Wittelsbach collection
. In 1616 for example Maximilian I commissioned four hunt paintings from Peter Paul Rubens.
[2]
He even obtained Durer's
The Four Apostles
in the year 1627 due to pressure on the
Nuremberg
city fathers. Among his court artists were
Peter Candid
,
Friedrich Sustris
,
Hubert Gerhard
,
Hans Krumpper
,
Adrian de Vries
and
Georg Petel
.
The Duke died at
Ingolstadt
on 27 September 1651. He is buried in
St. Michael's Church, Munich
. In 1839 a statue was erected to his memory at Munich by King
Ludwig I of Bavaria
.
[1]
Family and children
[
edit
]
Maximilian I, Elector and Duke of Bavaria and his second wife,
Maria Anna of Austria
On 6 February 1595, Maximilian married his first cousin princess
Elisabeth
(1574?1635), daughter of
Charles III, Duke of Lorraine
and
Claudia
of France, daughter of
Henry II of France
, in Nancy. They had no issue.
On 15 July 1635, Maximilian married his niece
Maria Anna of Austria (1610?1665)
, daughter of
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
and
Maria Anna of Bavaria (1574?1616)
, in Vienna. They had two sons:
Ancestors
[
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]
Ancestors of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria
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Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Dieter Albrecht
:
Maximilian I. von Bayern 1573?1651
, Munchen (Munich) 1998,
ISBN
3-486-56334-3
. (latest biography, which was received with great appreciation among German scholars)
References
[
edit
]
Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria
Born:
17 April 1573
Died:
27 September 1651
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Regnal titles
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Preceded by
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Duke
later
Elector of Bavaria
1597?1651
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Succeeded by
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Preceded by
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Elector Palatine
1623?1648
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Succeeded by
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- Garibald I
(555?591)
- Tassilo I
(591?610)
- Garibald II
(610?625)
- Theodo
(c.680?716)
- Theodbert
(c.716?c.719)
- Theobald
(c.716?c.719)
- Tassilo II
(c.716?c.719)
- Grimoald
(715?725)
- Hugbert
(725?736)
- Odilo
(736?748)
- Grifo
(748)
- Tassilo III
(748?788)
- Louis II the German
(King: 817?843)
- Carloman
(King: 876?880)
- Louis III the Younger
(King: 880?882)
- Charles the Fat
(King: 882?887)
- Engeldeo
(Margrave: 890?895)
- Luitpold
(Margrave: 895?907)
- Arnulf
(907?937)
- Eberhard
(937?938)
- Berthold
(938?947)
- Henry I
(947?955)
- Henry II the Quarrelsome
(955?976, 985?995)
- Otto I
(976?982)
- Henry III the Younger
(983?985)
- Henry IV
(995?1004, 1009?1017)
- Henry V
(1004?1009, 1017?1026)
- Henry VI
(1026?1042)
- Henry VII
(1042?1047)
- Conrad I
(1049?1053)
- Henry VIII
(1053?1054, 1055?1061)
- Conrad II
(1054?1055)
- Otto of Nordheim
(1061?1070)
- Welf I
(1070?1077, 1096?1101)
- Henry VIII
(1077?1096)
- Welf II
(1101?1120)
- Henry IX the Black
(1120?1126)
- Henry X
(1126?1138)
- Leopold I
(1139?1141)
- Henry XI Jasomirgott
(1143?1156)
- Henry XII the Lion
(1156?1180)
- Otto the Redhead
(1180?1183)
- Agnes of Loon
(Regent: 1183?1191)
- Louis I
(1183?1231)
- Otto the Illustrious
(1231?1253)
- Louis II the Strict
(1253?1255; Upper: 1255?1294)
- Henry XIII
(Lower: 1253?1290)
- Louis III
(Lower: 1290?1296)
- Stephen I
(Lower: 1290?1310)
- Otto III
(Lower: 1290?1312)
- Matilda
(Upper: Regent: 1294?1302)
- Rudolph I
(Upper: 1294?1317)
- Henry XV the Natternberger
(Lower: 1312?1333)
- Otto VI
(Lower: 1310?1334)
- Henry XIV
(Lower: 1310?1339)
- John I the Child
(Lower: 1339?1340)
- Louis IV
(Upper: 1301?1340; 1340?1347)
- Otto V
,
(1347?1349; Upper: 1349?1351; Landshut: 1373?1379)
- Louis V the Brandenburger
,
(1347?1349; Upper: 1349?1361)
- Meinhard I
(Upper: 1361?1363)
- Louis VI
,
(1347?1365)
- Stephen II
,
(1347?1349; Lower: 1349?1353; Landshut: 1353?1375; Upper: 1363)
- William I
,
(1347?1349; Lower: 1349?1353; Straubing: 1353?1388)
- Albert I
,
(1347?1349; Lower: 1349?1353; Straubing: 1353?1404)
- Albert II
(Straubing: 1389?1397)
- William II
(Straubing: 1404?1417)
- Jacqueline
(Straubing: 1417-1429)
- John III the Pitiless
(Straubing: 1417-1425)
- William III
(Munich: 1397?1435; Straubing: 1429?1435)
- Ernest
(Munich: 1397?1438; Straubing: 1429?1438)
- Frederick I the Wise
(1375?1392; Landshut: 1392?1393)
- John II
(1375?1392; Munich: 1392?1397)
- Stephen III the Magnificent
(1375?1392; Ingolstadt: 1392?1413)
- Louis VII the Bearded
(Ingolstadt: 1413?1443)
- Louis VIII the Hunchback
(Ingolstadt: 1443?1445)
- Henry XVI the Rich
(Landshut: 1393?1450; Ingolstadt: 1447?1450)
- Albert III
(Munich: 1438?1460)
- John IV
(Munich: 1460?1463)
- Sigismund
(Munich: 1460?1467; Dachau: 1467?1501)
- Louis IX the Rich
(Landshut: 1450?1479)
- George I the Rich
(Landshut: 1479?1503)
- Albert IV the Wise
(Munich: 1465?1505; 1505?1508)
- William IV the Steadfast
(Munich: 1460?1508; Landshut: 1503?1508; 1508?1550)
- Louis X
, Duke
(1516?1545)
- Albert V the Magnanimous
(1550?1579)
- William V the Pious
(1579?1597)
- Maximilian I
(1597?1623)
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