Duchy of Bavaria
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Coat of arms of Bavaria.
Coat of arms of Bavaria.

The following is a list of rulers during the history of Bavaria:

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Dukes of Bavaria

United Bavaria 548-1253

Agilolfing Dynasty 548-788

Around 548 the kings of the Franks placed the border region of Bavaria under the administration of a duke -- possibly Frankish or possibly chosen from amongst the local leading families -- who was supposed to act as a regional governor for the Frankish king. The first duke we know of, and likely the first, was Gariwald, or Garibald I, a member of the powerful Agilolfing family. This was the beginning of a series of Agilolfing dukes that was to last until 788.

Rulers unknown, ca. 630-680

By the time of Duke Theodo I, 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 Duke Grimoald.

Charles Martel, ruler in fact though not in name of the Frankish realm, reasserted royal supremacy over Bavaria, defeating and killing Duke Grimwald and annexing portions of Bavaria during the rule of Hugbert.

Tassilo III recognized the suzerainty of the Frankish kings Pippin III in 757 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 in 794.

Carolingian Dynasty 788-911

The Kings (later Emperors) of the Franks now assumed complete control, placing Bavaria under the rule of non-hereditary governors and civil servants. The Emperor Louis the Pious divided control of the Empire among his sons, and the divisions became permanent in the decades following his death in 840. The following Frankish rulers controlled Bavaria as part of their possessions:

In 817, Louis bestowed Bavaria upon his then-youngest son, Louis the German. Louis was 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's bastard son, Arnulf, rebelled against Charles and took power in eastern Francia shortly before Charles' death. He was succeeded by his son Louis.

Luitpolding Dynasty, 911-947

Luitpold, founder of the Luitpolding dynasty, was not a Duke of Bavaria but a Margrave of Carinthia under the rule of Louis the Child. Frankish power had waned in the region due to Hungarian attacks, allowing the local rulers greater independence. Luitpold's son, Arnulf, claimed the title of Duke (implying full autonomy) in 911, and was recognized as such by the German king, Henry the Fowler, in 920.

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.

Bavaria under the German Kings, 947-1070

From Otto I onward until the 11th century, the Kings of Germany repeatedly transferred Bavaria into different hands (including their own), never allowing any one family to establish itself. Bavaria was ruled by a series of short-lasting, mostly unrelated dynasties.

On Berthold's death, Otto gave the duchy to his own brother Henry (I), who was also Arnulf's son-in-law.

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).

The death of Otto saw a shuffling of crowns. First Bavaria was given to Berthold's son Henry (III), briefly restoring the Luitpolding dynasty.

Henry III then exchanged Bavaria for Carinthia, and Henry II received Bavaria again. His son, Henry IV of Bavaria, was elected King of Germany as Henry II.

King Henry II gave Bavaria to his brother-in-law Henry (V), Count of Luxemburg in 1004. The King reasserted direct control over the duchy 1009-1017.

King Conrad II of Germany gave Bavaria to his son Henry (VI) after the death of Henry V in 1026.

In 1042, Henry VI, who had become King of Germany in 1039 as Henry III, granted the duchy to another Henry (VII), Count of Luxemburg, nephew of Henry V.

After Henry VII's death, the dukedom was vacant for a couple of years. Emperor Henry III then gave the duchy to Kuno, Count of Zütphen, in 1049. Kuno was deposed in 1053.

Emperor Henry III now gave the duchy first to his young son Henry (VIII), then to an even younger son, Conrad, and upon the latter's death gave it back to Henry VIII again. Henry VIII became King of Germany (as Henry IV) in 1056.

In 1061, Empress Agnes, the 11-year-old King Henry IV's mother and regent, entrusted the duchy to Otto of Nordheim.

Bavaria under the Welfs and Babenbergs 1070-1180

In 1070, King Henry IV deposed duke Otto, granting the duchy instead to Count Welf, a member of the Italo-Bavarian family of Este. Welf subsequently quarreled with King Henry and was deprived of his duchy for nineteen years, during which it was directly administered by the German crown. Welf recovered the duchy in 1096, and was succeeded by his sons Welf (II) and Henry (IX); the latter was succeeded by his son, Henry (X), who also became Duke of Saxony.

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. When Leopold died, Conrad resumed the duchy and then granted it to Leopold's brother Henry (XI).

When Frederick I 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.

Wittelsbach Dynasty 1180-1253

In 1180, Henry XII and Emperor Frederick fell out, and Frederick dispossessed the Duke and gave his territory to Otto (I) of the House of Wittelsbach. Bavaria remained in the possession of various branches of the family until the First World War.

Though Otto I of Wittelsbach was the third duke of Bavaria named Otto he is mostly called Otto I as founder of a new dynasty. Louis I and Otto II served also as Counts Palatine of the Rhine.

Bavaria partitioned, 1253-1503

First partition, 1253-1340

On Otto II'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, making the Dukes difficult to list.

In Lower Bavaria, Henry XIII was succeeded by his three sons, Otto III, Louis III, and Stephen I ruling jointly. Otto III's successor in the joint dukedom was his son Henry XV. Stephen's successors were his sons Otto IV and Henry XIV. Henry XIV's son was John I.

In Upper Bavaria, Louis II was succeeded by his sons Rudolf I and Louis IV. The latter was elected King of Germany in 1314. After John I's death in 1340, Louis IV unified the Bavarian duchy.

Dukes of Lower Bavaria

Dukes of Upper Bavaria
  • Louis II 1253–1294, son of Otto II
  • Co-rulers, sons of Louis II:

The dukes of Upper Bavaria served also as Counts Palatinate of the Rhine. In 1329 Louis IV released the Palatinate of the Rhine including the Bavarian Upper Palatinate to the sons of Rudolf I. The Upper Palatinate would be reunited with Bavaria in 1623, the Lower Palatinate in 1777.

Reunion, 1340-1349

Second partition, 1349-1503

In 1349, the six sons of Louis IV again partitioned Bavaria into Upper and Lower Bavaria. Further partitions followed, which are most easily represented in tabular format:

Dukes of Lower Bavaria

Dukes of Upper Bavaria

In 1353, Lower Bavaria was partitioned into Bavaria-Landshut and Bavaria-Straubing.
  • Co-rulers, sons of Louis IV:
  • Meinhard 1361–1363, son of Louis V (also Count of Tyrol)

In 1363, Upper Bavaria was partitioned between Bavaria-Straubing and Bavaria-Landshut.
Duke of Bavaria-Landshut Dukes of Bavaria-Straubing
also Counts of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut
Dukes of Bavaria-Landshut Dukes of Bavaria-Straubing

In 1392 Bavaria-Landshut was broken into three duchies, Bavaria-Munich, a smaller Bavaria-Landshut, and Bavaria-Ingolstadt.
  • Co-rulers:
  • William II 1404–1417, son of Albert I
  • Contested rule:
    • John III 1418–1425, son of Albert I
    • Jacqueline 1417–1432, daughter of William II (uncontested from 1425)

Bavaria-Straubing was partitioned among the other Bavarian duchies.
Dukes of Bavaria-Munich Dukes of Bavaria-Landshut Dukes of Bavaria-Ingolstadt
Dukes of Bavaria-Munich Duke of Bavaria-Landshut Dukes of Bavaria-Ingolstadt

Bavaria-Munich was partitioned into a smaller Bavaria-Munich and Bavaria-Dachau in 1467

Bavaria-Ingolstadt was annexed by Bavaria-Landshut in 1447.
Dukes of Bavaria-Landshut

Bavaria-Landshut was annexed by Bavaria-Munich in 1503.
Duke of Bavaria-Munich Duke of Bavaria-Dachau

Bavaria-Dachau was reunited with Bavaria-Munich in 1501.
Duke of Bavaria-Munich

Reunited Bavaria, 1505-1918

Dukes of Bavaria 1505-1623

Dukes of Bavaria
Image Name Date Notes
Albert IV 1504-1508 Son of Albert III. Called "the Wise". Duke of Bavaria-Munich, he became ruler of the greater part of Bavaria following the Landshut War (1503-1505). In 1506 Albert decreed that the duchy should pass according to the rules of primogeniture.

William IV

Louis X

1508-1550

1516-1545

 Co-rulers, sons of Albert IV.
Albert V 1550-1579 Son of William IV.
William V 1579-1597 Son of Albert V, abdicated, died 1626.
Maximilian I 1597-1623 Son of William V.

Electors of Bavaria, 1623-1805

Electors of Bavaria
Image Name Date Notes
Maximilian I 1623-1651 Maximilian I, was an ally of Emperor Ferdinand II in the Thirty Years' War. When the Elector Palatine, 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 Electoral title. Maximilian I was granted the Electorate of the Rhenish Palatinate in 1623. In 1648, Frederick's heir was restored to his Rhenish territory (but not to the Oberpfalz ceded to Bavaria) together with an a new Electorate; however, Maximilian retained the Electorate granted him in 1623.
Ferdinand Maria 1651-1679 Son of Maximilian I.
Maximilian II Emanuel 1679-1706
1714-1726		 Son of Ferdinand Maria.

Maximilian II took part in the War of the Spanish Succession on the side of France, against the Emperor. He was accordingly forced to flee Bavaria following the Battle of Blenheim and deprived of his Electorate in 1706. He regained his Electorate in 1714 by the Peace of Baden.
Charles Albert 1726-1745 Son of Maximilian II.

Charles Albert once again 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 1745-1777 Son of Charles Albert.

Maximilian III, who had no children, was the last of the direct Bavarian Wittelsbach line descended from Louis IV. He was succeeded by the Elector Palatine, Charles Theodore, who thereby regained their old titles for the senior Wittelsbach line (descended from Louis IV's older brother Rudolf I).
Charles Theodore 1777-1799 Distant cousin of Maximilian III Joseph; Elector Palatine from 1743.

Charles Theodore was also childless, and was succeeded by a distant cousin, the Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, Maximilian Joseph.
Maximilian IV Joseph 1799-1805 Distant cousin of Charles Theodor; 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 Joseph abandoned his Electoral title (as there would soon be no Emperor to elect) for the title of King of Bavaria (1805), becoming Maximilian I.
v • d • e
Flag of Holy Roman Empire Members of the Electoral College of the Holy Roman Empire following the Golden Bull of 1356

Kings of Bavaria, 1806-1918

Main article: King of Bavaria
Kings of Bavaria
Image Name Date Notes
Maximilian I Joseph 1806-1825
Adopted the style of king on January 1, 1806.
Ludwig I Augustus 1825-1848 (d.1868)
Son of Maximilian I. Abdicated in the Revolutions of 1848
Maximilian II 1848-1864 Son of Ludwig I.
Ludwig II 1864-1886 Son of Maximilian II. Acceded to Bavaria becoming a component of the German Empire in 1871. Declared insane in 1886.
Otto 1886-1913 (d.1916) Brother of Ludwig II. Otto was mentally ill throughout his reign, and his functions were carried out by the following regents:
Ludwig III 1913-1918 First cousin of Otto, son of Prince Luitpold. Regent 1912-1913. Lost his throne in the German revolutions at the end of the First World War.

Post-monarchy

In 1918, Bavaria became a republic.

Minister presidents of Bavaria, 1918-present

Main article: List of Ministers-President of Bavaria

Heads of the House of Wittelsbach since 1918 (not ruling)

External links
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