European Kingdoms

Bavaria

When the Romano-German general and emperor. Odoacer, destroyed the Germanic Rugians in AD 487, a new confederation of Germans formed in its place. They were the Bavarians. Situated to the south-east of modern Germany, the Bavarians were subjugated by the Franks in around 555. From 568-788, the Bavarians controlled the territory that would soon become Austria. In 888, Bavaria emerged as a stem duchy from the fragmentation of the Frankish empire.

555

The Bavarians are conquered by the Frankish king Chlothar I.

Early Dukes of Bavaria

724 - 736

Hugbert

736 - 748

Odilo

743 - 744

The Carolingian mayors of the Merovingian palace, Pepin the Short and Carloman, march against the Bavarians, before turning north to attack the Saxons. Odilo is allowed to remain duke, but upon his death, Grifo, half brother of Pepin and Carloman, attempts to gain the title before being defeated.

748

Grifo

Half-brother of Pepin of the Franks.

748 - ?

Tassilo III

Infant son, installed by Pepin of the Franks.

Duchy of Bavaria (Welfs)
AD 889 - 1180

Judith of Bavaria was the mother of Charles II the Bald of the Western Franks.

889 - 907

Liutpold

907 - 937

Arnulf the Bad

937 - 938

Eberhard

938 - 947

Berthold

947 - 955

Henry I

955 - 976

Henry II the Quarrelsome

976 - 982

Otto I

983 - 985

Henry III the Younger

985 - 995

Henry II the Quarrelsome

Restored?

995 - 1005

Henry IV the Saint

HRE Henry II (1002-1024).

1005 - 1009

Henry V

Henry I of Luxemburg (998-1026).

1009 - 1017

Henry VI of Franconia

1017 - 1026

Henry V

Restored?

1026 - 1042

Henry VI of Franconia

Restored?

1042 - 1047

Henry VII

Henry II of Luxemburg (1027-1047).

1049 - 1053

Kuno

1053 - 1055

Conrad of Franconia

1055 - 1061

Henry VIII

1061 - 1070

Otto II

1070 - 1101

Welf I

1102 - 1120

Welf II

1120 - 1126

Henry IX the Black

1126 - 1139

Henry X the Proud

1139 - 1141

Leopold

1141 - 1156

Henry XI Jasomirgott

1156 - 1180

Henry XII the Lion

1180

Henry Welf comes into conflict with the HRE, Frederick Barbarossa. Frederick dispossesses Henry of his lands and passes Bavaria to the Wittelsbachs. Following standard German practice, they often sub-divide their territory between brothers, with one always being dominant. Subsidiary branches are not shown here (but are included in the counting of names, so there will appear to be gaps here).

Duchy of Bavaria (Wittelsbachs)
AD 1180 - 1777

1180 - 1183

Otto I

Count of Wittelsbach.

1183 - 1231

Louis I the Kelheimer

Count of the Palatinate (1214).

1231 - 1253

Otto II the Noble

1253 - 1294

Louis II the Severe

1290 - 1312

Otto III

Also King of Hungary (1305-1307).

1294 - 1347

Louis IV

HRE (1314-1347).

1347

Louis is killed in a hunting accident whilst successfully resisting the Pope's named replacement for the title of HRE.

1347 - 1375

Stephen II

1375 - 1397

John II

1397 - 1438

Ernest

1438 - 1460

Albert III

1645 - 1508

Albert IV the Wise

1508 - 1550

William IV

1545

The duchy is reunited when the last subsidiary branch dies out, putting an end to the weakening divisions of territory.

1550 - 1579

Albert V

1579 - 1597

William V the Pious

Died 1626.

1597 - 1651

Maximilian I

Elector (1623).

1651 - 1679

Ferdinand Maria

1679 - 1726

Maximilian II Emmanuel

1688

Maximilian's forces form part of the Imperial Army which captures Belgrade from the Ottomans.

1726 - 1745

Charles Albert

HRE (1742-1745).

1745 - 1777

Maximilian III Joseph

1777

The line of Bavarian Wittelsbachs dies out with Maximilian. The title passes to the Wittelsbach Electors of the Palatinate.

Duchy of Bavaria (Palatinate Wittelsbachs)
AD 1777 - 1805

This branch of the Wittelsbachs had served as counts and prince electors of the Palatinate since 1329. When the main family line died out in Bavaria in 1777, the title of duke of Bavaria passed to the Palatinate Wittelsbachs.

1777 - 1799

Charles IV Theodore

Elector of the Palatinate.

1778 - 1779

The War of the Bavarian Succession.

1799 - 1805

Maximilian IV Joseph

Elector.

1805

Bavaria is raised to a kingdom by Napoleon Bonaparte of the French First Empire. Maximilian's daughter marries Eugene de Beauharnais, Napoleon's stepson.

Kingdom of Bavaria
AD 1805 - 1918

The French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte did much to clear up the confusing and archaic mass of tiny states in the German territories, forming stronger states with larger territories. One of the strongest was that of the newly formed kingdom of Bavaria, which was raised from a duchy by Napoleon after his defeat of the Third Coalition in the same year. It also gained the Austrian province of the Tyrol - but only until Napoleon abdicated in 1814.

1805 - 1825

Maximilian I Joseph

Former elector of the duchy of Bavaria.

1814

Bavaria gains territory as a result of the Congress of Vienna.

1825 - 1848

Ludwig I

Died 1868.

1848 - 1864

Maximilian II Joseph

Brother of Otto, king of Greece (1832).

1864 - 1886

Ludwig II the Mad

Declared insane, deposed, and died mysteriously.

1871 - 1918

The kingdom is forcibly included into the German empire by Prussia and effectively becomes a sub-kingdom.

1886 - 1913

Otto

Aided by Luitpold, regent (1886-1912), and then Ludwig III.

1913 - 1918

Ludwig III

Deposed.

1918

All German monarchies are abolished upon the defeat of the German empire in World War I.

Hereditary Kings of Bavaria
AD 1918 - Present Day

The head of the Wittelsbachs remained the titular successor to the kings of Bavaria, although they were reduced in ranks to dukes. The current Duke Albert is also the senior member of the House of Stuart, and is considered by modern Jacobites to be the rightful ruler of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Albert himself does not make any claim to the English throne.

1918 - 1921

Ludwig III

Former King of Bavaria.

1921 - 1955

Rupprecht

Born 1869. Crown Prince of Bavaria.

1955 - 1996

Albrecht

Grandson of Ludwig III. Born 1905. Duke of Bavaria.

1996 - Present

Albert

Born 14 July 1933. Duke of Bavaria.

Max

Brother. Heir. Duke in Bavaria.