Emperor Charles VII
| Charles VII | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Georg Desmarées
|
|
| Holy Roman Emperor | |
| Reign | 24 January 1742 – 20 January 1745 |
| Coronation | 12 February 1742, Frankfurt |
| Predecessor | Charles VI |
| Successor | Francis I |
| King of Bohemia | |
| Reign | 19 December 1741 – 12 May 1743 |
| Coronation | 19 December 1741, Prague |
| Predecessor | Maria Theresa |
| Successor | Maria Theresa |
| Elector of Bavaria | |
| Reign | 26 February 1726 – 20 January 1745 |
| Predecessor | Maximilian II Emanuel |
| Successor | Maximilian III Joseph |
| Born |
6 August 1697 Brussels, Netherlands |
| Died | 20 January 1745 (aged 47) Munich, Bavaria |
| Burial | Theatine Church, Munich |
| Spouse | Maria Amalia of Austria |
| Issue |
Maria Antonia, Electress of Saxony Theresa Benedicta Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria Maria Anna Josepha, Margravine of Baden-Baden Maria Josepha, Holy Roman Empress |
| House | Wittelsbach |
| Father | Maximilian II Emanuel |
| Mother | Theresa Sobieska |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Charles VII (6 August 1697 – 20 January 1745) was the prince-elector of Bavaria from 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 until his death in 1745. A member of the House of Wittelsbach, Charles was the only person not born of the House of Habsburg to become emperor in over three centuries, though he was connected to that house both by blood and by marriage.
Charles Albert was born in Brussels, the son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, and Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska, daughter of King John III Sobieski of Poland.
His family was split during the War of the Spanish Succession and was for many years under house arrest in Austria. Only in 1715 was the family reunited. After attaining his majority in August 1715, he undertook an educational tour of Italy from 3 December 1715 until 24 August 1716. In 1717, he served with Bavarian auxiliaries in the Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18.
On 5 October 1722, Charles Albert married Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria, whom he had met at the imperial court in Vienna. She was the younger daughter of the late Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In 1725 Charles Albert visited Versailles for the wedding of Louis XV of France, and established firm contacts with the French court.
In 1726, when his father died, Charles Albert became Duke of Bavaria and a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. He maintained good relations both with his Habsburg relatives and with France, continuing his father's policies. In 1729 he instituted the knightly Order of St George. That year, he also started building the Rothenberg Fortress.
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