List of rulers of Bavaria

Rulers of the Duchy- and Kingdom of Bavaria

"Duke of Bavaria" redirects here. For the incumbent, see Franz, Duke of Bavaria.

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Smaller coat of arms of Bavaria

The following is a list of monarchs during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1918, Bavaria has been under a republican form of government, and from 1949, Bavaria has been a democratic state in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Name	Image	Title	Start term	End term	Part
Garibald I		Duke of Bavaria	555 (c.)	591	Some sources call him "King of the Bavarians".^[1]
Tassilo I	Duke of Bavaria	591 (c.)	610	Named rex (king) at his ascension.
Garibald II	Duke of Bavaria	610 (c.)	630
Theodo	Duke of Bavaria	680 (c.)	716 (?)	By the time of Theodo, who died in 716 or 717, the Bavarian duchy had achieved complete independence from the Frankish kings. Theodo's sons divided the duchy, but by 719 the rule had returned to Grimoald.
Theodbert	Duke	702 (c.)	719	Salzburg	Son of Theodo.
Theobald	Duke	711 (c.)	719	Parts of Bavaria	Son of Theodo.
Tassilo II	Duke	716 (c.)	719	Passau	Son of Theodo.
Grimoald	Duke	716 (c.)	725	Freising	Son of Theodo, later ruling all of Bavaria.
Hugbert	Duke	725	737	Son of Theudbert. In 725(?), Charles Martel, ruler in fact though not in name of the Frankish realm, reasserted royal supremacy over Bavaria, defeating and killing Grimoald and annexing portions of Bavaria during the rule of Hugbert.
Odilo	737	748	Son of Gotfrid.
Grifo	748	748	Carolingian Usurper.
Tassilo III	Duke of Bavaria	748	788	In 757 Tassilo III recognized the suzerainty of the Frankish kings Pippin III and did homage to Charlemagne in 781, and again in 787, while pursued an independent policy. In 788, Charlemagne had Tassilo sentenced to death on a charge of treason. Tassilo, granted pardon, entered a monastery and formally renounced his duchy at Frankfurt am Main in 794.

Name	Image	Title	Start term	End term	Part
Charlemagne	Charlemagne	Emperor	788	814	Prefects of Bavaria: Gerold (794–799) and Audulf (799–818)
Louis the Pious	Louis the Pious	Emperor	814	826	In 814, Louis appointed his eldest son Lothair I as governor of Bavaria. In 817, Louis bestowed Bavaria upon his other son, Louis the German, who took charge of the province in 826, as King of Bavaria.
Louis the German	Louis the German	King of Bavaria	826	876	In 826, Louis started to rule as King of Bavaria, subordinate to his father, until the latter's death in 840. From 843, Bavaria was merged in Louis the German's Kingdom of East Francia. In 864, Louis the German gave control of Bavaria to his son Carloman, and died in 876. Louis' two younger sons, Louis and Charles—the latter of whom briefly recovered control of all the Frankish possessions—ruled Bavaria in succession after Carloman.
Carloman	Carloman of Bavaria	King of Bavaria	876	880	Eldest son of Louis the German.
Louis the Younger	Louis the Younger	King of Bavaria	880	882	Son of Louis the German.
Charles the Fat	Charles III	King of Bavaria	882	887	Youngest son of Louis the German. Carloman's bastard son, Arnulf of Carinthia, rebelled against Charles and took power in eastern Francia shortly before Charles' death.
Arnulf of Carinthia		King of Bavaria	887	899	Son of Carloman.
Louis the Child		King of Bavaria	899	911	Son of Arnulf of Carinthia.
Engeldeo	Margrave of Bavaria	890	895	Non-dynastic. Deprived of his title marchio Baioariorum and replaced by Luitpold.

Name	Image	Title	Start term	End term	House	Part
Luitpold	Margrave of Bavaria	895	907	Luitpolding
Arnulf the Bad	Duke of Bavaria	907	920	Luitpolding	Son of Luitpold. Arnulf the Bad claimed the title of duke—implying full autonomy—in 911, and was recognized as such by King Henry the Fowler in 920.
Eberhard	Duke of Bavaria	937	938	Luitpolding
Berthold		Duke of Bavaria	938	947	Luitpolding	Younger son of Luitpold. The German King Otto I reasserted central authority, banishing Arnulf's son Eberhard and re-granting the title to Berthold, a younger son of Luitpold.
Henry I	Henry II	Duke of Bavaria	947	955	Ottonian	Son of Henry the Fowler. On Berthold's death, Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, gave the duchy to his own brother Henry (I), who was also Arnulf the Bad's son-in-law.
Henry II the Quarrelsome	Henry II	Duke of Bavaria	955	976	Ottonian	Henry II made war upon his cousin, Emperor Otto II, and was deprived of his duchy in 976 in favor of his cousin Otto, Duke of Swabia (who now acquired two dukedoms).
Otto I	Otto I	Duke of Bavaria	976	982	Ottonian
Henry III the Younger	Duke of Bavaria	983	985	Luitpolding	Bavaria was given to Berthold's son Henry III, briefly restoring the Luitpolding dynasty. Henry III exchanged Bavaria for Carinthia, and Henry II received Bavaria again.
Henry II the Quarrelsome	Henry II	Duke of Bavaria	985	995	Ottonian	Restored
Henry IV	Henry IV	Duke of Bavaria	995	1004	Ottonian	Son of Henry II the Quarrelsome. Henry IV was elected as Holy Roman Emperor Henry II, who gave Bavaria to his brother-in-law Henry V, Count of Luxemburg in 1004.
Henry V	Duke of Bavaria	1004	1009	Luxemburg	Son of Siegfried of Luxembourg.
Henry IV		Duke of Bavaria	1009	1017	Ottonian	Henry IV reasserted direct control.
Henry V	Duke of Bavaria	1017	1026	Luxemburg	Son of Siegfried of Luxembourg. Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany, gave Bavaria to his son Henry VI after the death of Henry V in 1026.
Henry VI the Black	Henry the Black	Duke of Bavaria	1026	1042	Salian	Son of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor. Later Henry was elected as Holy Roman Emperor Henry III, and became King of Germany in 1039.
Henry VII	Henry VII	Duke of Bavaria	1042	1047	Luxemburg	Son of Frederick of Luxembourg. In 1042, Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor, granted the duchy to Henry VII, Count of Luxemburg, nephew of Henry V.
Conrad I (Kuno)	Duke of Bavaria	1049	1053	Ezzonen	Son of Liudolf of Lotharingia. After Henry VII's death, the dukedom was vacant for a couple of years. Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor, then gave the duchy to Kuno, Count of Zütphen, in 1049. Kuno was deposed in 1053.
Henry VIII	Henry IV	Duke of Bavaria	1053	1054	Salian	Son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor. During his reign in Bavaria Henry VIII was a minor (born 1050). In 1056 he became King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor as Henry IV in 1084.
Conrad II	Duke of Bavaria	1054	1055	Salian	(minor, born 1052, died 1055) Son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VIII	Henry IV	Duke of Bavaria	1055	1061	Salian	(minor: born 1050) Son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor. Henry VIII became King of Germany (1056) and Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor in 1084.
Otto II	Duke of Bavaria	1061	1070	Nordheim	In 1061 Empress Agnes—the 11-year-old King Henry IV's mother and regent—entrusted the duchy to Otto of Nordheim.
Welf I	Welf I	Duke of Bavaria	1070	1077	Welf	Welf I subsequently quarreled with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor and was deprived of his duchy for nineteen years, during which it was directly administered by the German crown.
Henry VIII	Henry IV	Duke of Bavaria	1077	1096	Salian	(minor: born 1050) Son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor. Henry VIII became King of Germany (1056) and Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor in 1084.
Welf I		Duke of Bavaria	1096	1101	Welf	Welf I recovered the duchy in 1096.
Welf II		Duke of Bavaria	1101	1120	Welf	Son of Welf I
Henry IX the Black	Henry IX	Duke of Bavaria	1120	1126	Welf	Son of Welf I. Abdicated.
Henry X the Proud		Duke of Bavaria	1126	1138	Welf	Son of Henry IX the Black. In a power struggle with King Conrad III of Germany, Henry X lost his duchy to the King, who granted it to his follower Leopold Margrave of Austria.
Leopold I	Leopold IV	Duke of Bavaria	1139	1141	Babenberg	When Leopold died, Conrad III of Germany resumed the duchy and granted it to Leopold's brother Henry XI.
Henry XI Jasomirgott	Henry XI	Duke of Bavaria	1143	1156	Babenberg	Brother of Leopold.
Henry XII the Lion	Henry XII	Duke of Bavaria	1156	1180	Welf	When Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, became king of Germany, he restored Bavaria to the Welf line in the person of Henry X's son, Henry XII the Lion, Duke of Saxony.

Ruler		Born	Reign	Death	Ruling part	Consort	Notes
Otto III the Redhead		1117	1180–1183	11 July 1183	Bavaria	Agnes of Loon 1169 eleven children	In 1180 Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor gave Bavaria to Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria of the House of Wittelsbach.
Regency of Agnes of Loon (1183-1189)							Son of Otto III. Louis obtained the Palatinate of the Rhine in 1214. So Louis I served also as Count Palatine of the Rhine. He was assassinated 1231.
Louis I the Kelheimer		23 December 1173	1183–1231	15 September 1231	Bavaria	Ludmilla of Bohemia 1204 one child
Otto IV the Illustrious		7 April 1206	1231–1253	29 November 1253	Bavaria	Agnes of the Palatinate 1222 Worms eleven children	Otto IV served also as Count Palatine of the Rhine. On Otto IV's death, Bavaria was divided between his sons. Henry became duke of Lower Bavaria, and Louis of Upper Bavaria. From this point until the beginning of the 16th century, the territories were frequently divided between brothers.
Henry XIII		19 November 1235	1253–1290	3 February 1290	Lower Bavaria	Elizabeth of Hungary 1250 ten children	Son of Otto IV. After the partition of 1253, received Lower Bavaria.
Louis II the Strict		13 April 1229	1253–1294	2 February 1294	Upper Bavaria	Maria of Brabant 2 August 1254 (executed) no children Anna of Głogów 1260 two children Matilda of Austria 24 October 1273 four children	Son of Otto IV. After the partition of 1253, received Upper Bavaria.
Otto V		11 February 1261	1290–1312	9 November 1312	Lower Bavaria	Catherine of Austria January 1279 two children Anna of Głogów 18 May 1309 two children	Sons of Henry XIII, ruled jointly. In 1305 Otto became also King of Hungary and Croatia, as grandson of Béla IV of Hungary.
Louis III	9 October 1269	1290–1296	9 October 1296	Lower Bavaria	Isabella of Lorraine 1287 no children
Stephen I	14 March 1271	1290–1310	10 December 1310	Lower Bavaria	Judith of Świdnica-Jawor 1299 eight children
Regency of Matilda of Austria (1294-1296)							Sons of Louis II, ruled jointly. In 1317 Rudolph abdicated of his rights to his brother, who in 1328 was elected Holy Roman Emperor. louis had already been elected King of Germany in 1314. In the Treaty of Pavia (1329) Louis IV released the Palatinate of the Rhine passing the Bavarian Upper Palatinate to the sons of Rudolf I. After John I the Child's death in 1340, Louis IV unified the Bavarian duchy.
Rudolph I the Stammerer		4 October 1274	1294–1317	12 August 1319	Upper Bavaria	Matilda of Nassau 1 September 1294 Nuremberg six children
Louis IV the Bavarian		5 April 1282	1294–1340	11 October 1347	Upper Bavaria	Beatrice of Świdnica-Jawor 14 October 1308 six children Margaret II, Countess of Holland-Hainaut 26 February 1324 Cologne ten children
Louis IV the Bavarian		5 April 1282	1340–1347	11 October 1347	Bavaria
Regency of Louis IV, Duke of Bavaria (1312-19)							Sons of Stephen I (Henry XIV and Otto VI) and Otto V (Henry XV), ruled jointly.
Henry XIV the Elder	29 September 1305	1312–1339	1 September 1339	Lower Bavaria	Margaret of Bohemia 12 August 1328 two children
Otto VI	3 January 1307	1312–1334	14 December 1334	Lower Bavaria	Richardis of Jülich 1330 one child
Henry XV the Natternberger	28 August 1312	1312–1333	18 June 1333	Lower Bavaria	Anna of Austria between 1326 and 1328 no children
Regency of Louis IV, Duke of Bavaria (1339-40)							Left no male heirs, which allowed his cousin (and brother-in-law) Louis to reunite the Bavarian lands.
John I the Child	29 November 1329	1339–1340	20 December 1340	Lower Bavaria	Anna of Upper Bavaria 18 April 1339 Munich no children
Louis V the Brandenburger		May 1315	1347–1349	18 September 1361	Bavaria	Margaret of Denmark 1324 no children Margaret, Countess of Tyrol 10 February 1342 Meran four children	The six sons of Louis IV, ruled jointly until 1349, when they divided the land: Louis V, Louis VI and Otto VII kept Upper Bavaria; William, Albert and Stephen Lower Bavaria. In 1351 Louis VI and Otto gave up their inheritance in Bavaria, in exchange of the Electoral dignity in Brandenburg. Having lost the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1373, Otto returned to Bavaria to claim new inheritance, and shared the part of Stephen II's sons (his nephews) in Landshut. In Lower Bavaria, the three brothers divided the land again in 1353: Stephen kept Landshut, William and Albert shared Straubing, and from 1389 the two shared Straubing also with Albert I's son, Albert II.
Louis V the Brandenburger		May 1315	1349–1361	18 September 1361	Upper Bavaria
Louis VI the Roman		7 May 1328	1347–1349	17 May 1365	Bavaria	Cunigunde of Poland before 1349 no children Ingeborg of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1360 no children
Louis VI the Roman		7 May 1328	1349–1351	17 May 1365	Upper Bavaria
Otto VII the Lazy		1340/42	1347–1349	15 November 1379	Bavaria	Catherine of Bohemia 19 March 1366 no children
			1349–1351		Upper Bavaria
			1375–1379		Bavaria-Landshut
Stephen II the Representative		1319	1347–1349	13 May 1375	Bavaria	Elisabeth of Sicily 27 June 1328 four children Margaret of Nuremberg 14 February 1359 three children
			1349–1353		Lower Bavaria
			1353–1375		Bavaria-Landshut
William I the Mad		12 May 1330	1347–1349	15 April 1389	Bavaria	Matilda of England 1352 London no children
			1349–1353		Lower Bavaria
			1353–1389		Bavaria-Straubing
Albert I		25 July 1336	1347–1349	13 December 1404	Bavaria	Margaret of Brzeg after 19 July 1353 Passau seven children Margaret of Clèves 1394 Heusden no children
			1349–1353		Lower Bavaria
			1353–1404		Bavaria-Straubing
Albert II		1368	1389–1397	21 January 1397	Bavaria-Straubing	Unmarried
Meinhard I		9 February 1344	1361–1363	13 January 1363	Upper Bavaria	Margaret of Austria 4 September 1359 Passau no children	Left no male descendants. After his death Upper Bavaria was divided between Bavaria-Landshut and Bavaria-Straubing.
Definitively annexed by Bavaria-Landshut (1/2) and Bavaria-Straubing (1/2)
Frederick I the Wise	1339	1375–1393	4 December 1393	Bavaria-Landshut	Anna of Neuffen 1360 one child Maddalena Visconti 2 September 1381 five children	Ruled jointly. Shared rule, until 1379, with their uncle Otto VII. In 1392 the brothers divided the land once more. Frederick retained Landshut, Stephen kept Ingolstadt and John received Munich.
Stephen III the Magnificent	1337	1375–1392	26 September 1413	Bavaria-Landshut	Taddea Visconti 13 October 1364 two children Anna of Neuffen 16 January 1401 Cologne no children
Stephen III the Magnificent	1337	1392–1413	26 September 1413	Bavaria-Ingolstadt
John II	1341	1375–1392	14 June/1 July 1397	Bavaria-Landshut	Catherine of Gorizia 1372 three children
John II	1341	1392–1397	14 June/1 July 1397	Bavaria-Munich	Catherine of Gorizia 1372 three children
Regencies of Maddalena Visconti and Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria (1393-1401), John II, Duke of Bavaria (1393-97), Ernest, Duke of Bavaria and William III, Duke of Bavaria (1397-1401)							Annexed Ingolstadt in 1445.
Henry XVI the Rich		1386	1393–1450	30 July 1450	Bavaria-Landshut	Margaret of Austria 25 November 1412 Landshut six children	Annexed Ingolstadt in 1445.
Ernest		1373	1397–1438	14 June/1 July 1397	Bavaria-Munich	Elisabetta Visconti 26 January 1395 Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm four children	Ruled jointly.
William III		1375	1397–1435	12 September 1435	Bavaria-Munich	Margaret of Cleves 1433 two children	Ruled jointly.
William II		5 April 1365	1404–1417	31 May 1417	Bavaria-Straubing	Margaret of Burgundy 12 April 1385 Cambrai one child	Eldest son of Albert I.
Louis VII the Bearded		1368	1413–1443	1 May 1447	Bavaria-Ingolstadt	Anne de Bourbon-La Marche 1 October 1402 two children Catherine of Alençon 1413 two children	Imprisoned by his son, who was allied with Henry XVI. Died in prison.
John III the Pitiless		1374	1417–1425	6 January 1425	Bavaria-Straubing	Elizabeth I, Duchess of Luxembourg 11418 no children	Son of Albert I. Contested Jacqueline, the heiress of the Wittelsbach possessions in the Low Countries, until his death.
Definitively annexed by the remaining Bavarian duchies
Albert III		27 March 1401	1438–1460	29 February 1460	Bavaria-Munich	Agnes Bernauer c. 1432? (morganatic) no children Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen 22 January 1437 Munich ten children	Son of Ernest.
Louis VIII the Hunchback	1 September 1403	1443–1445	7 April 1445	Bavaria-Ingolstadt	Unmarried	After his death Ingolstadt was annexed by Landshut.
Definitively annexed by Bavaria-Landshut
Louis IX the Rich		23 February 1417	1450–1479	18 January 1479	Bavaria-Landshut	Amalia of Saxony 21 March 1452 Landshut four children
John IV	4 October 1437	1460–1463	18 November 1463	Bavaria-Munich	Unmarried	Son of Albert III, ruled jointly with his brothers Sigismund and Albert IV.
Sigismund		26 July 1439	1460–1467	1 February 1501	Bavaria-Munich	Unmarried	In 1467, Sigismund created a smaller duchy with its center in Dachau, but left no descendants, and this duchy was merged again in Bavaria-Munich after his death.
Sigismund		26 July 1439	1467–1501	1 February 1501	Bavaria-Dachau	Unmarried
Definitively annexed by Bavaria-Munich
George I the Rich		15 August 1455	1479–1503	1 December 1503	Bavaria-Landshut	Hedwig of Poland 14 November 1475 Landshut five children	Left no male descendants at his death. His duchy was annexed to Bavaria-Munich, which reunited the Bavarian duchy.
Albert IV the Wise		15 December 1447	1460–1503	18 March 1508	Bavaria-Munich	Kunigunde of Austria 3 January 1487 Munich seven children	Co-ruled with his brothers John IV and Sigismund. Reunited the duchy in 1503. In 1506 Albert decreed that the duchy should pass according to the rules of primogeniture.
Albert IV the Wise		15 December 1447	1503–1508	18 March 1508	Duchy of Bavaria	Kunigunde of Austria 3 January 1487 Munich seven children
William IV the Steadfast		13 November 1493	1508–1550	7 March 1550	Duchy of Bavaria	Jakobaea of Baden 5 October 1522 Munich four children	Sons of Albert IV, the last Bavarian pair of brothers ruling together.
Louis X		18 September 1495	1516–1545	22 April 1545	Duchy of Bavaria	Unmarried
Albert V the Magnanimous	Albert V	29 February 1528	1550–1579	24 October 1579	Duchy of Bavaria	Anna of Austria 4 July 1546 Regensburg seven children
William V the Pious	William V	29 September 1548	1579–1597	7 February 1626	Duchy of Bavaria	Renata of Lorraine 22 February 1568 Munich ten children
Maximilian I the Great	Maximilian I	17 April 1573	1597–1651	27 September 1651	Duchy of Bavaria (until 1623) Electorate of Bavaria (from 1623)	Elisabeth of Lorraine 9 February 1595 Nancy no children Maria Anna of Austria 15 July 1635 Vienna two children	Children of William V. Maximilian I, was an ally of Emperor Ferdinand II in the Thirty Years' War. When the Elector of the Palatinate, Frederick V, head of a senior branch of the Wittelsbachs, became involved in the war against the Emperor, he was stripped of his Imperial offices and the Prince-elector title. Maximilian I was granted the Electorate of the Palatinate in 1623. Albert VI inherited from his wife the lands of Leuchtenberg, and from 1646 reorganizes them as a new Bavarian duchy, the short-lived Duchy of Bavaria-Leuchtenberg.
Albert VI	Albert VI	26 February 1584	1646-1666	5 July 1666	Duchy of Bavaria-Leuchtenberg	Mechtild of Leuchtenberg (24 October 1588 – 1 June 1634) 8 December 1650 five children
Regency of Albert VI, Duke of Bavaria (1651-1654)							Son of Maximilian I.
Ferdinand Maria	Ferdinand Maria	31 October 1636	1651-1679	26 May 1679	Electorate of Bavaria	Henriette Adelaide of Savoy 8 December 1650 eight children	Son of Maximilian I.
Maximilian Philip Hieronymus	Maximilian Philip	30 September 1638	1666-1705	20 March 1705	Duchy of Bavaria-Leuchtenberg	Mauricienne Fébronie de La Tour d'Auvergne (1652-1706) 1668 Château-Thierry no children	Son of Maximilian I, inherited his uncle Albert VI's possessions. His childless death led to the union of the Bavarian Leuchtenberg lands and the Electorate.
Annexed to the Electorate of Bavaria
Regency of Maximilian Philipp Hieronymus, Duke of Bavaria-Leuchtenberg (1679-1680)							Took part in the War of the Spanish Succession on the side of France, against Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. He was accordingly forced to flee Bavaria following the Battle of Blenheim and deprived of his Electorate on 29 April 1706. He regained his Electorate in 1714 by the Peace of Baden and ruled until 1726.
Maximilian II Emanuel	Maximilian II Emanuel	11 July 1662	1679-1726	26 February 1726	Electorate of Bavaria	Maria Antonia of Austria 15 July 1685 Vienna three children Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska 15 August 1694 Warsaw (by proxy) ten children
Charles Albert	Charles Albert	6 August 1697	1726-1745	20 January 1745	Electorate of Bavaria	Maria Amalia of Austria 5 October 1722 Vienna seven children	Took on the House of Habsburg in the War of the Austrian Succession, again in combination with France, succeeding so far as to be elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1742 (as Charles VII). However, the Austrians occupied Bavaria (1742–1744), and the Emperor died shortly after returning to Munich.
Maximilian III Joseph the Beloved	Maximillian III	28 March 1727	1745-1777	30 December 1777	Electorate of Bavaria	Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony 9 July 1747 no children	As he had no children, was the last of the direct Bavarian Wittelsbach line descended from Louis IV. He was succeeded by the Elector of the Palatinate, Charles Theodore, who thereby regained their old titles for the senior Wittelsbach line—descended from Louis IV's older brother Rudolf I.
Charles Theodore		11 December 1724	1777-1799	16 February 1799	Electorate of Bavaria (merged with Electoral Palatinate)	Elisabeth Augusta of Palatinate-Sulzbach 17 January 1742 Mannheim one child Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este 15 February 1795 Hofburg, Innsbruck no children	Son of John Christian, Count Palatine of Sulzbach and Marie Anne Henriëtte Leopoldine de La Tour d'Auvergne. Distant cousin of Maximilian III; Elector Palatine from 1743. Charles Theodore was also childless, and was succeeded by a distant cousin, the Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, Maximilian IV Joseph—later King Maximilian I.
Maximilian IV Joseph	Maximillian I	27 May 1756	1799-1806	6 August 1806	Electorate of Bavaria (merged with Electoral Palatinate)	Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt 30 September 1785 Darmstadt five children Caroline of Baden 9 March 1797 Karlsruhe eight children	Son of Count Palatine Frederick Michael of Zweibrücken. Distant cousin of Charles Theodore; Count Palatine of Zweibrücken from 1795. In the chaos of the wars of the French Revolution, the old order of the Holy Roman Empire collapsed. In the course of these events, Bavaria became once again the ally of France, and Maximilian IV Joseph became King Maximilian I of Bavaria—whilst remaining Prince-Elector and Arch-steward of the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the Holy Roman Empire was abolished.

Monarchs of Bavaria

Ducal Bavaria (also known as the "Old Stem duchy")

Agilolfing dynasty

Carolingian dynasty and dominion from the Holy Roman Empire

Ducal Bavaria (also known as the "Younger Stem duchy")

Luitpolding dynasty, 911–947

German kings, 947–1070

Houses of Welf and Babenberg, 1070–1180

Ducal and Electoral Bavaria (Hereditary dukes)

First partition, 1253–1340

Second partition 1349–1503

House of Wittelsbach

Partitions of Bavaria under Wittelsbach rule

Table of rulers

Kingdom of Bavaria

Post-monarchy

Family tree

References

External links