List of rulers of Bavaria

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The following is a list of rulers during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reuntied, under several dynasties. Since 1949 Bavaria is a democratic state in Federal Republic of Germany.

Dynastic overview

Agilolfing dynasty, 548–788

      Agilolfing dynasty

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.

Carolingian dynasty, 788–911

      Carolingian dynasty

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 Frankish rulers controlled Bavaria as part of their possessions.

Luitpolding dynasty, 911–947

      Luitpolding dynasty

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.

German kings, 947–1070

      Ottonian dynasty       Salian dynasty

From 947 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.

Houses of Welf and Babenberg, 1070–1180

      Houses of Welf and Babenberg

In 1070, Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor deposed duke Otto, granting the duchy instead to Welf I, Duke of Bavaria, a member of the Italo-Bavarian family of Este. Welf I 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 I 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.

Wittelsbach dynasty, 1180–1919

      Wittelsbach dynasty

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

First partition, 1253–1340

In 1253, 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.

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.

Second partition 1349–1503

From 1349 until 1503 the second partition of Bavaria took place. In 1349, the six sons of Louis IV partitioned Bavaria into Upper and Lower Bavaria again. In 1353, Lower Bavaria was partitioned into Bavaria-Landshut and Bavaria-Straubing. Upper Bavaria was partitioned between Bavaria-Straubing and Bavaria-Landshut in 1363. After the death of Stephan II in 1392, Bavaria-Landshut was broken into three duchies, John II, Duke of Bavaria gained Bavaria-Munich, Frederick, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut received a smaller Bavaria-Landshut, and in Bavaria-Ingolstadt ruled Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria.

1349–1363 Duchy of Lower Bavaria
In 1353, Lower Bavaria was partitioned into Bavaria-Landshut and Bavaria-Straubing. Duchy of Upper Bavaria
In 1363, Upper Bavaria was partitioned between Bavaria-Straubing and Bavaria-Landshut.
Duchy of Bavaria-Landshut Duchy of Bavaria-Straubing
Also Counts of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut
Duchy of Bavaria-Landshut Duchy of Bavaria-Straubing
1363–1432 Duchy of Bavaria-Landshut
In 1392 Bavaria-Landshut was broken into three duchies, Bavaria-Munich, a smaller Bavaria-Landshut, and Bavaria-Ingolstadt. Duchy of Bavaria-Straubing
In 1432 Bavaria-Straubing was partitioned among the other Bavarian duchies.
Duchy of Bavaria-Munich Duchy of Bavaria-Landshut Duchy of Bavaria-Ingolstadt
Duchy of Bavaria-Munich Duchy of Bavaria-Landshut Duchy of Bavaria-Ingolstadt
1432–1503 Duchy of Bavaria-Munich
Bavaria-Munich was partitioned into a smaller Bavaria-Munich and Bavaria-Dachau in 1467. Duchy of Bavaria-Landshut Duchy of Bavaria-Ingolstadt
Bavaria-Ingolstadt was annexed by Bavaria-Landshut in 1447.
Duchy of Bavaria-Munich Duchy of Bavaria-Dachau
Bavaria-Dachau was reunited with Bavaria-Munich in 1501. Duchy of Bavaria-Landshut
Bavaria-Landshut was annexed by Bavaria-Munich in 1503.
Duchy of Bavaria-Munich

Following the Landshut War (1503–1505), the Duke of Bavaria-Munich Albert IV the Wise became ruler of Bavaria. In 1506 Albert decreed that the duchy should pass according to the rules of primogeniture.

In 1623 Maximilian I was granted the title Electorate (German: Kurfürst) of the Rhenish Palatinate in 1623.

Kings of Bavaria, 1806–1918

In 1805 under the Peace of Pressburg between the Napoleonic France and the Holy Roman Empire several states were elevated to kingdoms. The Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria held the tilte King of Bavaria from 1806 until 1918. The prince-elector of Bavaria, Maximilian IV Joseph formally assumed the title King Maximilian I of Bavaria on 1 January 1806. The well-known so called Märchenkönig (Fairy tale king) Ludwig II constructed Neuschwanstein Castle, Herrenchiemsee or Linderhof Palace during his reign (1864–1886). In 1918 Ludwig III lost his throne in the German revolution.

Post-monarchy

In 1918 — at the end of the First World War in the German revolution — Bavaria became a democratic republic in the Weimar Republic; the name for the period of Germany from 1919 to 1933. Since then the rulers of Bavaria are minister presidents.

Table of rulers

      Agilolfing dynasty       Carolingian dynasty       Luitpolding dynasty       Ottonian dynasty       Salian dynasty       Houses of Welf and Babenberg       Wittelsbach dynasty

Ducal Bavaria

Name Image Title Start term End term House Part Note
Garibald I Duke of Bavaria 555 (c.) 591 Agilolfings Some sources call him "King of the Bavarian".[1]
Tassilo I Duke of Bavaria 591 (c.) 610 Agilolfings Named rex (king) at his ascension.
Garibald II Duke of Bavaria 610 (c.) 630 Agilolfings
Theodo Duke of Bavaria 680 (c.) 716 (?) Agilolfings By the time of Theodo, 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 Grimoald.
Theodbert Duke 702 (c.) 719 Agilolfings Salzburg Son of Theodo.
Theobald Duke 711 (c.) 719 Agilolfings Parts of Bavaria Son of Theodo.
Tassilo II Duke 716 (c.) 719 Agilolfings Passau Son of Theodo.
Grimoald Duke 716 (c.) 725 Agilolfings Freising Son of Theodo, later ruling all of Bavaria.
Hugbert Duke 725 737 Agilolfings Son of Theudbert. In 725(?), Charles Martel, ruler in fact though not in name of the Frankish realm, reasserted royal supremacy over Bavaria, defeating and killing Grimoald and annexing portions of Bavaria during the rule of Hugbert.
Odilo 737 748 Agilolfings Son of Gotfrid.
Grifo 748 748 Agilolfings Usurper
Tassilo III Duke of Bavaria 748 788 Agilolfings In 757 Tassilo III recognized the suzerainty of the Frankish kings Pippin III 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 am Main in 794.
Charlemagne Emperor 788 814 Carolingian
Gerold of Vinzgouw Prefect of Bavaria 794 799 Udalriching Appointed Baioariæ præfectus by Charlemagne. Died in battle.
Louis the Pious Emperor 814 817 Carolingian In 817, Louis bestowed Bavaria upon his then-youngest son, Louis the German.
Louis the German King of Bavaria 817 865 Carolingian 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 King of Bavaria 864 880 Carolingian Eldest son of Louis the German.
Louis the Younger King of Bavaria 880 882 Carolingian Son of Louis the German.
Charles the Fat King of Bavaria 882 887 Carolingian Youngest son of Louis the German.

Carloman's bastard son, Arnulf of Carinthia, rebelled against Charles and took power in eastern Francia shortly before Charles' death.