Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria
| Maximilian I | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Duke of Bavaria | |
| Reign | 15 October 1597 – 25 February 1623 |
| Predecessor | William V |
| Elector Palatine | |
| Reign | 23 February 1623 – 24 October 1648 |
| Predecessor | Frederick V |
| Successor | Charles I Louis |
| Elector of Bavaria | |
| Reign | 25 February 1623 – 27 September 1651 |
| Successor | Ferdinand Maria |
| Born |
17 April 1573 Munich |
| Died | 27 September 1651 (aged 78) Ingolstadt |
| Burial | St. Michael's Church, Munich |
| Spouses |
Elisabeth of Lorraine (m. 1595; d. 1635) Maria Anna of Austria (m. 1635) |
| Issue |
Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria Duke Maximilian Philipp Hieronymus |
| House | Wittelsbach |
| Father | William V, Duke of Bavaria |
| Mother | Renata of Lorraine |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Maximilian I, Duke/Elector of Bavaria (17 April 1573 – 27 September 1651), called "the Great", was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and a prince-elector (Kurfürst) of the Holy Roman Empire. His reign was marked by the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648).
Maximilian I was born in Munich, the eldest son of William V, Duke of Bavaria and Renata of Lorraine to survive infancy. He was educated by the Jesuits, and upon his father's abdication, began to take part in the government in 1591. In 1595 he married his cousin, Elisabeth Renata (also known as Elizabeth of Lorraine), daughter of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine, and became Duke of Bavaria upon his father's abdication in 1597.
His first marriage to Elisabeth Renata was childless. A few months after the death of Elisabeth Renata, Maximilian married, on 15 July 1635 in Vienna, his 25-year-old niece Maria Anna of Austria (1610-1665), the daughter of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maximillian's sister, Maria Anna of Bavaria (1574-1616). The main motivation for this swift remarriage was not so much political grounds as the hope of producing a prince to inherit. In contrast to the Elector's first wife, Maria Anna was very interested in politics and well instructed about developments. She was not bound to the Habsburgs, but rather completely advocated the Bavarian standpoint. Additionally, she conducted lively exchanges of opinion with high officials of the Munich court and took part in meetings of the cabinet. By her he left two sons, Ferdinand Maria, who succeeded him, and Maximilian Philip.
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