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{{Short description|Monarch of the Kingdom of Bavaria (1805-1918)}}
[[Image:Wappen Deutsches Reich - Königreich Bayern (Grosses).jpg|thumb|right|240px|The Coat of arms of the Kings of Bavaria]]
{{about|the monarchs of the early modern Kingdom of Bavaria|the medieval monarchs who bore the title|List of monarchs of Bavaria}}
'''King of Bavaria''' was a title held by the hereditary [[Wittelsbach]] rulers of [[Bavaria]] in the state known as the [[Kingdom of Bavaria]] from 1805 until 1918, when the kingdom was abolished. It was the second kingdom, almost a thousand years after the short-lived [[Carolingian]] kingdom of Bavaria.
{{Infobox former monarchy
| royal_title = King
| realm = [[Kingdom of Bavaria|Bavaria]]
| native_name = {{lang|de|König von Bayern}}
| coatofarms = Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Bavaria 1835-1918.svg
| coatofarmscaption = '''[[Coat of arms of Bavaria|Royal coat of arms]]'''
| image = König Ludwig III. von Bayern.jpg
| caption = '''Last to reign'''<br>'''[[Ludwig III]]'''
| first_monarch = [[Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria|Maximilian I]]
| last_monarch = [[Ludwig III of Bavaria|Ludwig III]]
| style = [[Majesty|His Majesty]]
| residence =
| appointer = Hereditary
| began = 1806
| ended = 1918
| pretender = [[Franz von Bayern|Franz, Duke of Bavaria]]
}}


[[File:Crown Kings Bavaria Munich.jpg|thumb|The [[Crown of Bavaria]].]]
Under the terms of the [[Treaty of Pressburg]] concluded [[December 26]], [[1805]] between [[Napoleon Bonaparte|Napoleonic]] [[France]] and [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis II]], several [[principality|principalities]] allied to Napoleon were elevated to [[monarchy|kingdoms]]. One of the staunchest of these had been the [[prince-elector]] of Bavaria, Maximilian IV Joseph, and on [[January 1]], [[1806]], he formally assumed the title King [[Maximilian I of Bavaria]].


The '''King of Bavaria''' ({{langx|de|König von Bayern}}) was a title held by the hereditary [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbach]] rulers of [[Bavaria]] in the state known as the [[Kingdom of Bavaria]] from 1805 until 1918, when the kingdom was abolished. It was the second time Bavaria was a kingdom, almost a thousand years after the short-lived [[Carolingian dynasty|Carolingian]] [[Duchy of Bavaria#Younger stem duchy|kingdom of Bavaria]].
Maximilian's successors resisted German nationalism, and Bavaria became the protector of smaller states whose leaders felt threatened by [[Prussia]] or [[Austria]] in the [[German Confederation]]. Religious ties linked the state more to Austria until their defeat in the [[Austro-Prussian War]]. King [[Ludwig II of Bavaria|Ludwig II]] signed an alliance with Prussia on [[22 August]] [[1866]], effectively relinquishing Bavarian independence.


==History==
With the treaty of [[23 November]] [[1870]] Bavaria was integrated into the new [[German Empire]], but permitted a relatively large degree of self-determination. The Kings of Bavaria maintained their titles, and maintained separate diplomatic and military corps. When the German Empire was abolished in November 1918 after the end of [[World War I]], the last king of Bavaria, [[Ludwig III of Bavaria|Ludwig III]], was deposed.
Under the terms of the [[Treaty of Pressburg (1805)|Treaty of Pressburg]] concluded 26 December 1805 between [[Emperor of the French|French Emperor]] [[Napoleon]] and [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis II]], several [[principality|principalities]] allied to Napoleon were elevated to [[monarchy|kingdoms]]. One of the staunchest of these had been the [[prince-elector]] of Bavaria, Maximilian IV Joseph, and on 1 January 1806, he assumed formally the title King [[Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria]]. He was a member of the Wittelsbach branch [[House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld|Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Zweibrücken]].

Maximilian's successors resisted [[German nationalism]], and Bavaria became the protector of smaller states whose leaders felt threatened by [[Prussia]] or [[Austria]] in the [[German Confederation]]. Religious ties and the [[Upper German]] language linked the state more to Austria until their defeat in the [[Austro-Prussian War]]. King [[Ludwig II of Bavaria|Ludwig II]] signed an alliance with Prussia on 22 August 1866, effectively relinquishing Bavarian independence.

With the treaty of 23 November 1870 Bavaria was integrated into the new [[German Empire]], but permitted a relatively large degree of [[self-determination]]. The Kings of Bavaria maintained their titles, and maintained separate diplomatic and [[Bavarian Army|military]] corps. When the German Empire was abolished in November 1918 after the end of [[World War I]], the last king of Bavaria, [[Ludwig III of Bavaria|Ludwig III]], was deposed.


==Kings of Bavaria==
==Kings of Bavaria==
*[[Maximilian I of Bavaria|Maximilian I Joseph]] 1805&ndash;1825
* [[Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria|Maximilian I Joseph]] 1805–1825
*[[Ludwig I of Bavaria|Ludwig I]] 1825&ndash;1848 (d.1868)
* [[Ludwig I of Bavaria|Ludwig I]] 1825–1848 (d. 1868)
*[[Maximilian II of Bavaria|Maximilian II]] 1848&ndash;1864
* [[Maximilian II of Bavaria|Maximilian II]] 1848–1864
*[[Ludwig II of Bavaria|Ludwig II]] 1864&ndash;1886
* [[Ludwig II of Bavaria|Ludwig II]] 1864–1886
*[[Otto of Bavaria|Otto]] 1886&ndash;1913 (d.1916)
* [[Otto, King of Bavaria|Otto]] 1886–1913 (d. 1916)
**''[[Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria|Prince Luitpold of Bavaria]], Regent'' 1886&ndash;1912
** ''[[Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria|Prince Luitpold of Bavaria]], Regent'' 1886–1912
**''[[Ludwig III of Bavaria|Prince Ludwig of Bavaria]], Regent'' 1912&ndash;1913
** ''[[Ludwig III of Bavaria|Prince Ludwig of Bavaria]], Regent'' 1912–1913
*[[Ludwig III of Bavaria|Ludwig III]] 1913&ndash;1918
* [[Ludwig III of Bavaria|Ludwig III]] 1913–1918


{{#tag:timeline|
The title ''King of Bavaria'' is sometimes used in reference to [[Carolingian]] kings ruling over Bavaria. See [[List_of_rulers_of_Bavaria#Carolingian_.28see_also_Franks.29|List of rulers of Bavaria]] for these.
ImageSize = width:1200 height:120
PlotArea = width:600 height:60 left:10 bottom:20
Colors =
id:yellow value:rgb(0.7,0.7,1) # light yellow
id:red value:rgb(1,0.7,0.7) # light red
id:green value:rgb(0.7,1,0.7) # light green
id:blue value:rgb(1,1,0.7) # light blue
id:cyan value:rgb(0.7,1,1) # light purple
id:purple value:rgb(1,0.7,1) # light purple
id:grey value:gray(0.8) # grey


Period = from:1806 till:1918
==Current Heir==
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Franz of Bavaria.jpg|Left|200px|thumb|Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Herzog von Bayern. {{deletable image-caption}}]] -->
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:1806
[[Franz, Duke of Bavaria|'''Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Herzog von Bayern''']] (born [[July 14]] [[1933]]), styled as [[Duke of Bavaria|''His Royal Highness The Duke of Bavaria]]'', is head of the [[Wittelsbach]] family, the former ruling family of the [[King of Bavaria|Kingdom of Bavaria]].
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1806

BarData=
bar:barre1

PlotData=

align:center textcolor:black fontsize:8 mark:(line,black) shift:(0,0)

bar:barre1
from: 1806 till: 1825 color:purple text:[[Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria|Maximilian I]]
from: 1825 till: 1848 color:yellow text:[[Ludwig I of Bavaria|Ludwig I]]
from: 1848 till: 1864 color:blue text:[[Maximilian II of Bavaria|Maximilian II]]
from: 1864 till: 1886 color:red text:[[Ludwig II of Bavaria|Ludwig II]]
from: 1886 till: 1913 color:green text:[[Otto, King of Bavaria|Otto]]
from: 1913 till: 1918 color:grey text:[[Ludwig III of Bavaria|Ludwig III]]

}}

The title ''King of Bavaria'' is sometimes used in reference to Carolingian kings ruling over Bavaria. See [[List of monarchs of Bavaria]] for these.

===List of kings===
[[File:Ludwig I of Bavaria.jpg|thumb|''[[Portrait of Ludwig I of Bavaria]]'' by [[Joseph Karl Stieler]], 1826. Ludwig reigned from 1825 until he was overthrown in the [[Revolution of 1848]]]]
{| class="wikitable"
! Name
! class="unsortable" | Portrait
! Title
! Reign start
! class="unsortable" | Reign end
! House
! class="unsortable" | Official title
! class="unsortable" | Note
|- style="background:#fff"
| [[Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria|Maximilian I Joseph]]
| [[File:King Max I Joseph in Coronation Robe.jpg|80px|Maximillian I Joseph]]
| [[Elector of the Palatinate]]<br />King of Bavaria
| 1799 || 1825
| [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbach]]
| His Majesty Maximilian Joseph, King of Bavaria
| Son of [[Count Palatine Frederick Michael of Zweibrücken]].<br />Distant cousin of his predecessor Elector [[Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria|Charles Theodore]]; Count Palatine of Zweibrücken from 1795.<br />
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 once again became an ally of France, and Maximilian IV Joseph abandoned his Electoral title — as there would soon be no Emperor to elect — for the title of King of Bavaria, becoming Maximilian I Joseph on 1 January 1806.
|- style="background:#fff"
| [[Ludwig I of Bavaria|Ludwig I]]
| [[File:Ludwig I of Bavaria.jpg|80px|Ludwig I]]
| King of Bavaria
| 1825 || 1848
| [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbach]]
| His Majesty Ludwig, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine.
| Son of [[Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria|Maximilian I Joseph]].<br />
Abdicated in the [[Revolutions of 1848 in the German states|Revolutions of 1848]].
|- style="background:#fff"
| [[Maximilian II of Bavaria|Maximilian II Joseph]]
| [[File:Maximilian II of Bavaria.jpg|80px|Maximillian II Joseph]]
| King of Bavaria
| 1848 || 1864
| [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbach]]
| His Majesty Maximilian, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine.
| Son of [[Ludwig I of Bavaria|Ludwig I]].
|- style="background:#fff"
| [[Ludwig II of Bavaria|Ludwig II]]
| [[File:König Ludwig II. von Bayern in Generalsuniform mit dem Krönungsmantel.jpg|120x120px|Ludwig II]]
| King of Bavaria
| 1864 || 1886
| [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbach]]
| His Majesty Ludwig, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine.
| Son of [[Maximilian II of Bavaria|Maximilian II Joseph]].
Ludwig II was called the ''Märchenkönig'' (fairy-tale king). He acceded to Bavaria becoming a [[States of the German Empire|state]] of the [[German Empire]] in 1871, he was declared insane in 1886.<ref>{{Citation |last=King |first=Greg |title=The Mad King: The Life and Times of Ludwig II of Bavaria. |year=1996 |publisher=Carol Publishing |isbn=1-55972-362-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/madkinglifetimes00king }}</ref>
|- style="background:#fff"
| [[Otto, King of Bavaria|Otto I]]
| [[File:OttoIBeieren.jpg|80px|Otto]]
| King of Bavaria
| 1886 || 1913
| [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbach]]
| His Majesty Otto, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine.
| Son of [[Maximilian II of Bavaria|Maximilian II Joseph]].<br />
Otto was mentally ill throughout his reign, and his functions were carried out by the following [[prince regent]]s:
* [[Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria|Prince Luitpold of Bavaria]] 1886–1912
* [[Ludwig III of Bavaria|Prince Ludwig of Bavaria]] 1912—1913
|- style="background:#fff"
| [[Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria|Luitpold]]
| [[File:Luitpold Wittelsbach cropped.jpg|105x105px|Luitpold]]
| Prince Regent of Bavaria
| ''1886'' || ''1912''
| [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbach]]
| His Royal Highness Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine.
| Son of [[Ludwig I of Bavaria|Ludwig I]], Prince Regent of Bavaria for kings Ludwig II and Otto.
|- style="background:#fff"
| [[Ludwig III of Bavaria|Ludwig III]]
| [[File:Louis III en costume de sacre.jpg|80px|Ludwig III]]
| Prince Regent of Bavaria<br />King of Bavaria
| 1913 || 1918
| [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbach]]
| His Majesty Ludwig, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine.
| Son of [[Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria|Prince Regent Luitpold]] and grandson of [[Ludwig I of Bavaria|Ludwig I]].<br />
Prince Regent from 1912 until 1913, then King of Bavaria, he lost his throne in the [[German Revolution of 1918–1919|German Revolution]] at the end of [[World War I]].
|}

==Current heir==
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Franz of Bavaria.jpg|Left|200px|thumb|Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Herzog von Bayern. {{Deletable image-caption|date=May 2012}}]] -->
'''[[Franz von Bayern|Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Herzog von Bayern]]''' (born 14 July 1933), styled ''[[Duke of Bavaria|His Royal Highness The Duke of Bavaria]]'', is head of the [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbach]] family, the former ruling family of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

The succession to the headship of the family is determined by Article 2 of Title 2 of the 1818 Constitution of the Kingdom of Bavaria, which states, "The crown is hereditary among the male descendants of the royal house according to the law of primogeniture and the agnatic lineal succession."<ref>[http://www.jura.uni-wuerzburg.de/lehrstuehle/dreier/dokumente_und_entscheidungen/dokumente_am_lehrstuhl/verfassung_des_koenigreichs_bayern_26_mai_1818/ Constitution of the Kingdom of Bavaria, 1818] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212201851/http://www.jura.uni-wuerzburg.de/lehrstuehle/dreier/dokumente_und_entscheidungen/dokumente_am_lehrstuhl/verfassung_des_koenigreichs_bayern_26_mai_1818/ |date=2009-12-12 }}</ref> The succession is further clarified by Title 5 of the Bavarian Royal Family Statute of 1819.<ref>Hermann Schulze: die Hausgesetze der regierenden deutschen Fürstenhäuser. 1. Bd. Jena, 1862. pp. 337-47. Cited in [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/royalty/HGBayern.htm#5 Bavarian Royal Family Statute, 1819]</ref>

In 1948 and 1949 [[Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria|Crown Prince Rupprecht]], with the agreement of the other members of the house, amended the house laws to allow the succession of the sons of princes who had married into [[count|comital houses]].<ref>Dieter J. Weiss, ''Kronprinz Rupprecht von Bayern (1869-1955): Eine politische Biografie'' (Regensburg: Friedrich Pustet, 2007): 346.</ref> In 1999 Duke Franz, with the agreement of the other members of the house, amended the house laws further to allow the succession of the sons of any princes who married with the permission of the head of the house.

Franz has never married. The [[heir presumptive]] to the headship of the [[House of Wittelsbach]] is his brother [[Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria]]. Because Max has five daughters but no sons, he is followed in the line of succession by his and Franz's first cousin (and second cousin in the [[agnatic|male line]]) [[Prince Luitpold of Bavaria (b.1951)|Prince Luitpold]].<ref>''Genealogie des Hauses Wittelsbach''. München: Verwaltung des Herzogs von Bayern, 2000.<!-- ISSN/ISBN, page(s) needed --></ref>

The current line of succession to the headship of the family is:
{{Tree list}}
* [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] ''[[Ludwig I of Bavaria]] (1786–1868)''
** ''[[Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria]] (1821–1912)''
*** {{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] ''[[Ludwig III of Bavaria]] (1845–1921)''
**** ''[[Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria]] (1869–1955)''
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''[[Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria]] (1905–1996)''
****** '''Franz, [[Franz, Duke of Bavaria|The Duke of Bavaria]] (born 1933)'''
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(1)''' [[Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria|Prince Max of Bavaria, Duke in Bavaria]] (born 1937)
**** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''[[Prince Franz of Bavaria]] (1875–1957)''
***** ''[[Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (1913–2008)|Prince Ludwig of Bavaria]] (1913–2008)''
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(2)''' [[Prince Luitpold of Bavaria (b.1951)|Prince Luitpold of Bavaria]] (born 1951)
******* '''(3)''' Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (born 1982)
******* '''(4)''' Prince Heinrich of Bavaria (born 1986)
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(5)''' Prince Karl of Bavaria (born 1987)
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''Prince Rasso of Bavaria (1926–2011)''
****** '''(6)''' Prince Wolfgang of Bavaria (born 1960)
******* '''(7)''' Prince Tassilo of Bavaria (born 1992)
******* '''(8)''' Prince Richard of Bavaria (born 1993)
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(9)''' Prince Philipp of Bavaria (born 1996)
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(10)''' Prince Christoph of Bavaria (born 1962)
******* '''(11)''' Prince Corbinian of Bavaria (born 1996)
******* '''(12)''' Prince Stanislaus of Bavaria (born 1997)
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(13)''' Prince Marcello of Bavaria (born 1998)
** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''[[Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (1828–1875)|Prince Adalbert of Bavaria]] (1828–1875)''
*** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''[[Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria]] (1859–1949)''
**** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''[[Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (1886–1970)|Prince Adalbert of Bavaria]] (1886–1970)''
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''[[Prince Konstantin of Bavaria]] (1920–1969)''
****** '''(14)''' [[Prince Leopold of Bavaria (b. 1943)|Prince Leopold of Bavaria]] (born 1943) - current heir to Otto I, King of Greece (Leopold's eldest son Prince Manuel of Bavaria was born out of wedlock and is not in the line of succession)
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(15)''' Prince Konstantin of Bavaria (born 1986)
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(16)''' Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (born 1944)
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} '''(17)''' Prince Hubertus of Bavaria (born 1989)
{{Tree list/end}}


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Rulers of Bavaria]]
* [[List of monarchs of Bavaria]]
* [[History of Bavaria]]
* [[History of Bavaria]]
* [[Queen of Bavaria]]


==References==
[[Category:Lists of monarchs|Bavaria]]
{{reflist|33em}}
[[Category:History of Bavaria]]
[[Category:Kings of Bavaria| ]]



[[de:Königreich Bayern]]
[[es:Reyes de Baviera]]
[[Category:Kings of Bavaria| 01]]
[[Category:Kingdom of Bavaria|.]]
[[nl:Koninkrijk Beieren]]
[[Category:Bavaria-related lists|Kings]]
[[ja:バイエルン王国]]
[[Category:Lists of monarchs|Bavaria]]
[[zh:巴伐利亞王國]]
[[Category:Lists of German nobility|Bavaria, Kings]]
[[Category:Monarchs of Bavaria|K]]

Latest revision as of 05:32, 27 November 2024

This article is about the monarchs of the early modern Kingdom of Bavaria. For the medieval monarchs who bore the title, see List of monarchs of Bavaria.
King of Bavaria
König von Bayern
Royal coat of arms
Last to reign
Ludwig III
Details
StyleHis Majesty
First monarchMaximilian I
Last monarchLudwig III
Formation1806
Abolition1918
AppointerHereditary
Pretender(s)Franz, Duke of Bavaria
The Crown of Bavaria.

The King of Bavaria (German: König von Bayern) was a title held by the hereditary Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria in the state known as the Kingdom of Bavaria from 1805 until 1918, when the kingdom was abolished. It was the second time Bavaria was a kingdom, almost a thousand years after the short-lived Carolingian kingdom of Bavaria.

History

[edit]

Under the terms of the Treaty of Pressburg concluded 26 December 1805 between French Emperor Napoleon and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, several principalities allied to Napoleon were elevated to kingdoms. One of the staunchest of these had been the prince-elector of Bavaria, Maximilian IV Joseph, and on 1 January 1806, he assumed formally the title King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. He was a member of the Wittelsbach branch Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Zweibrücken.

Maximilian's successors resisted German nationalism, and Bavaria became the protector of smaller states whose leaders felt threatened by Prussia or Austria in the German Confederation. Religious ties and the Upper German language linked the state more to Austria until their defeat in the Austro-Prussian War. King Ludwig II signed an alliance with Prussia on 22 August 1866, effectively relinquishing Bavarian independence.

With the treaty of 23 November 1870 Bavaria was integrated into the new German Empire, but permitted a relatively large degree of self-determination. The Kings of Bavaria maintained their titles, and maintained separate diplomatic and military corps. When the German Empire was abolished in November 1918 after the end of World War I, the last king of Bavaria, Ludwig III, was deposed.

Kings of Bavaria

[edit]
Ludwig III of BavariaOtto, King of BavariaLudwig II of BavariaMaximilian II of BavariaLudwig I of BavariaMaximilian I Joseph of Bavaria

The title King of Bavaria is sometimes used in reference to Carolingian kings ruling over Bavaria. See List of monarchs of Bavaria for these.

List of kings

[edit]
Portrait of Ludwig I of Bavaria by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1826. Ludwig reigned from 1825 until he was overthrown in the Revolution of 1848
Name Portrait Title Reign start Reign end House Official title Note
Maximilian I Joseph Maximillian I Joseph Elector of the Palatinate
King of Bavaria 		1799 1825 Wittelsbach His Majesty Maximilian Joseph, King of Bavaria Son of Count Palatine Frederick Michael of Zweibrücken.
Distant cousin of his predecessor Elector 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 once again became an ally of France, and Maximilian IV Joseph abandoned his Electoral title — as there would soon be no Emperor to elect — for the title of King of Bavaria, becoming Maximilian I Joseph on 1 January 1806.

Ludwig I Ludwig I King of Bavaria 1825 1848 Wittelsbach His Majesty Ludwig, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine. Son of Maximilian I Joseph.

Abdicated in the Revolutions of 1848.

Maximilian II Joseph Maximillian II Joseph King of Bavaria 1848 1864 Wittelsbach His Majesty Maximilian, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine. Son of Ludwig I.
Ludwig II Ludwig II King of Bavaria 1864 1886 Wittelsbach His Majesty Ludwig, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine. Son of Maximilian II Joseph.

Ludwig II was called the Märchenkönig (fairy-tale king). He acceded to Bavaria becoming a state of the German Empire in 1871, he was declared insane in 1886.[1]

Otto I Otto King of Bavaria 1886 1913 Wittelsbach His Majesty Otto, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine. Son of Maximilian II Joseph.

Otto was mentally ill throughout his reign, and his functions were carried out by the following prince regents:

Luitpold Luitpold Prince Regent of Bavaria 1886 1912 Wittelsbach His Royal Highness Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine. Son of Ludwig I, Prince Regent of Bavaria for kings Ludwig II and Otto.
Ludwig III Ludwig III Prince Regent of Bavaria
King of Bavaria 		1913 1918 Wittelsbach His Majesty Ludwig, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine. Son of Prince Regent Luitpold and grandson of Ludwig I.

Prince Regent from 1912 until 1913, then King of Bavaria, he lost his throne in the German Revolution at the end of World War I.

Current heir

[edit]

Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Herzog von Bayern (born 14 July 1933), styled His Royal Highness The Duke of Bavaria, is head of the Wittelsbach family, the former ruling family of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

The succession to the headship of the family is determined by Article 2 of Title 2 of the 1818 Constitution of the Kingdom of Bavaria, which states, "The crown is hereditary among the male descendants of the royal house according to the law of primogeniture and the agnatic lineal succession."[2] The succession is further clarified by Title 5 of the Bavarian Royal Family Statute of 1819.[3]

In 1948 and 1949 Crown Prince Rupprecht, with the agreement of the other members of the house, amended the house laws to allow the succession of the sons of princes who had married into comital houses.[4] In 1999 Duke Franz, with the agreement of the other members of the house, amended the house laws further to allow the succession of the sons of any princes who married with the permission of the head of the house.

Franz has never married. The heir presumptive to the headship of the House of Wittelsbach is his brother Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria. Because Max has five daughters but no sons, he is followed in the line of succession by his and Franz's first cousin (and second cousin in the male line) Prince Luitpold.[5]

The current line of succession to the headship of the family is:

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ King, Greg (1996), The Mad King: The Life and Times of Ludwig II of Bavaria., Carol Publishing, ISBN 1-55972-362-9
  2. ^ Constitution of the Kingdom of Bavaria, 1818 Archived 2009-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Hermann Schulze: die Hausgesetze der regierenden deutschen Fürstenhäuser. 1. Bd. Jena, 1862. pp. 337-47. Cited in Bavarian Royal Family Statute, 1819
  4. ^ Dieter J. Weiss, Kronprinz Rupprecht von Bayern (1869-1955): Eine politische Biografie (Regensburg: Friedrich Pustet, 2007): 346.
  5. ^ Genealogie des Hauses Wittelsbach. München: Verwaltung des Herzogs von Bayern, 2000.
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