Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
| Ferdinand Maria | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Bavaria, Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire | |
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| Ferdinand Maria by Paul Mignard | |
| Spouse | Henriette Adelaide of Savoy |
| Issue | |
| Maria Anna Victoria, Dauphine of France Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria Joseph Clemens, Elector-Archbishop of Cologne Violante Beatrice, Grand Princess of Tuscany |
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| House | House of Wittelsbach |
| Father | Maximilian I |
| Mother | Maria Anna of Austria |
| Born | October 31, 1636 Munich, Bavaria |
| Died | May 26, 1679 (aged 42) Schleissheim Palace |
| Burial | Theatiner Church |
Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (31 October 1636 – 26 May 1679) was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and an elector (Kurfürst) of the Holy Roman Empire from 1651 to 1679.
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[edit] Biography
He was born in Munich. He was the eldest son of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria - whom he succeeded, and his second wife Maria Anna of Austria, daughter of the emperor Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor.
On 8 December 1650 he married Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, daughter of Victor Amadeus I of Savoy and his French wife Christine Marie of France, daughter of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici. The couple had seven children, two of which would have progeny.
Still a minor he succeeded his father in 1651, his mother and his uncle Albert VI of Bavaria served as regents of Bavaria for three years.
Ferdinand Maria was crowned on 31 October 1654. His absolutistic style of leadership became a benchmark for the rest of Germany. Though Ferdinand Maria allied with France he abstained the imperial crown in 1657 after the death of his uncle Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor to avoid a conflict with Habsburg. Ferdinand Maria supported the wars of the Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire with Bavarian auxiliary forces (1662–1664). During the Franco-Dutch War since 1672 Bavaria was officially neutral. The marriage of his eldest daughter Maria Anna and her cousin le Grand Dauphin in 1680 was the outcome of the Bavarian alliance with France.
Ferdinand Maria modernized the Bavarian army and introduced the first Bavarian local government code. The elector did much indeed to repair the wounds caused by the Thirty Years' War, encouraging agriculture and industries, and building or restoring numerous churches and monasteries. In 1669, moreover, he again called a meeting of the diet, which had been suspended since 1612. The electorate he left with a very wealthy treasury.
He died in Schleissheim Palace and was succeeded by his son Maximilian II Emanuel. He is buried in the crypt of the Theatiner Church in Munich.
[edit] Cultural legacy
Ferdinand Maria married in 1650 princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy and with her the Italian Baroque was introduced in Bavaria.
The Theatiner Church in Munich was built from 1663 onwards as a gesture of thanks for the birth of the long-awaited heir to the Bavarian crown, Prince Max Emanuel. In 1664, he commissioned the building of Nymphenburg Palace, near Munich. Lake Starnberg became the venue of numerous festivities of the court with the famous fleet of Venetian Gondolas. At the shore Castle Berg was constructed.
[edit] Trivia
- He was the great grandfather of French monarch Louis XV.
- Plans for a Bavarian colony near New York were discussed but soon abandoned during Ferdinand Maria's reign
[edit] Issue
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- Maria Anna Christina Victoria, Duchess of Bavaria 28 November 1660 – 20 April 1690), married Louis, le Grand Dauphin and had issue; present King of Spain descends from Marie Anne Victoire;
- Maximilian Maria Emanuel Cajetan, Duke of Bavaria (11 July 1662 – 26 February 1726), next Elector of Bavaria; married Maria Antonia of Austria and had issue; married Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska and had issue;
- Luise Margarete Antonie, Duchess of Bavaria
- Ludwig Amadeus Victor, Duke of Bavaria
- Kajetan Maria Franz, Duke of Bavaria
- Joseph Clemens Kajetan, Duke of Bavaria (5 December 1671 – 12 November 1723), Elector and Archbishop of Cologne
- Violante Beatrix, Duchess of Bavaria (3 April 1673 – 3 June 1731) married Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany
[edit] Ancestors
[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms
[edit] Titles and styles
- October 31, 1636 – 27 September 1651 His Serene Highness the Electoral Prince of Bavaria
- 27 September 1651 – 26 May 1679 His Serene Highness the Elector of Bavaria
[edit] Succession
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Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
Born: 31 October 1636 Died: 26 May 1679 |
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| Preceded by Maximilian I |
Elector of Bavaria 1651–1679 |
Succeeded by Maximilian II Emanuel |
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