RULERS OF GERMANY (DEUTSCHLAND): HISTORICAL NOTE

Parts of Germany were already under Frankish control under the Merovingians, but most of the country was acquired under Charlemagne with his annexations of Bavaria and Saxony in 780s. The list of German kings commences arbitrarily with the beginning of the Carolingian dynasty in 751, although the appearance of the combination of lands that would become Germany did not occur until 840. At this point Ludwig II the German succeeded his father Ludwig I the Pious as king of the East Franks, a position confirmed by the treaty of Verdun in 844. After the deaths of Lodovico II of Italy and of Charles II the Bald of France in the 870s, the German kings intervened in Italy and claimed the imperial title. The German branch of the Carolingians became extinct in 907 and, although Lorraine acknowledged the French Carolingian Charles III the Simple, the German nobility elected one of their own number, Konrad I of Franconia, to be their king. On his deathbed, Konrad I nominated his greatest rival, Heinrich of Saxony as his successor, and the nobility elected Heinrich I king in spite of Bavarian opposition. Heinrich I recovered Lorraine in 925 and his son Otto I the Great defeated the Magyars in 955. In the early 950s and early 960s, Otto I also intervened in Italy, ultimately making himself Italian king, and acquiring the title of Emperor from the Pope in 962. From this point on, all Roman emperors in the West were German kings, although the title was technically open to any deserving Christian ruler. German kings (also called “Kings of the Romans”) were not considered Emperors unless crowned as such by a Pope until 1508. The kingdoms of Germany and Italy were united by a personal union within an Empire that was eventually described as a Holy Roman Empire (Heiliges Römisches Reich). The throne remained technically elective, but the hereditary principle was strong and kings bolstered it by proclaiming their sons co-rulers. On the childless death of young Otto III in 1002, the crown passed to his cousin Heinrich of Bavaria. On Heinrich II’s death in 1024, the German nobility had to elect a new king, but its choice was still between descendants of Otto I, one of whom became Konrad II. Konrad II also inherited the kingdom of Burgundy (Arelate) and brought it into the Empire as its third component in 1032. His son Heinrich III was a strong ruler, but royal authority declined severely during the reign of a minor after his death. When Heinrich IV sought to reassert his authority, he faced by the opposition of both the nobility and the Papacy. The German kings never fully overcame this alliance or either of the parties involved. On the death of Heinrich V in 1125, the succession ignored his Hohenstaufen natural heirs and went outside the royal family for the first time (in the person of Lothar II). The Hohenstaufen Konrad III eventually succeeded Lothar II and passed the throne to his nephew Friedrich I. The Hohenstaufen lost the throne again during the minority of Friedrich II and the civil war between Philipp of Swabia and Otto IV of Brunswick. When Friedrich II recovered Germany, he faced implacable opposition from the Papacy which resented being surrounded by Friedrich’s German and Sicilian possessions. With the death of Konrad IV in 1254, the hereditary principle was discarded in favor of election.

Between 1257 and 1272, the throne was disputed between Alfonso X of Castile and Richard of Cornwall. In 1273 Rudolf of Habsburg was elected king as a relatively insignificant prince. However, the one power the crown had retained allowed Rudolf I to greatly enhance the position of his family. The Babenberg margraves of Austria being extinct and the succession to the duchy being open to question, it could be recovered by the crown and conferred on a new prince. Rudolf I defeated his rival Otakar II of Bohemia in 1276 and 1278, and endowed his own family with Austria and Styria. Avoiding the hereditary principle and shying away from the now powerful Habsburgs, the electors next elected as king Adolf of Nassau, whose attempts at aggrandizement soon led to his deposition in favor of a second Habsburg, Albrecht I in 1298. He too sought to expand his family possessions, planting one son as king of Bohemia. On his assassination in 1308 the electors elected a fairly minor prince, Heinrich of Luxemburg, who immediately placed his own son Jan as king of Bohemia and thus enhanced the positions of his own family. After Heinrich VII’s death in 1313, the electors selected Ludwig IV of Bavaria as king (Ludwig V). He weathered Habsburg opposition and aggrandized his family’s possessions by marrying the heiress of Holland and Hainault and making his sons margraves of Brandenburg. The next king to be elected was Karl IV (Karel I of Bohemia), the grandson of Heinrich VII. In 1356 Karl IV issued a Golden Bull, which recognized the virtual independence of the major German princes and regulated imperial coronations. Having thus resigned himself to the anarchic state of the Empire, Karl IV focused on improving his Bohemian kingdom, and acquired Brandenburg for his own family from the Wittelsbachs. Karl IV also crowned his son Wenzel (Václav IV of Bohemia) co-ruler as King of the Romans and thus assured his succession in 1378. Although the ineffective Wenzel was eventually deposed and replaced with Rupprecht of Pfalz in 1400, the kingship was gradually becoming hereditary once again. Thus, Wenzel’s brother Sigismund succeeded Rupprecht in 1410, and was himself succeeded by his son-in-law Albrecht IV of Habsburg (king as Albrecht II). On the death of Albrecht II, his cousin Friedrich of Styria was elected king (Friedrich III), and the succession remained in the hands of the Habsburgs with only one interruption down to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. The one interruption was occasioned by the extinction of the direct male Habsburg line in 1740, but the contest over the succession (or election) was basically between two Habsburg sons-in-law.

Royal and imperial control over the realm was further compromised by the Reformation in the 16^th century and by the Thirty Years’ War in 1618–1648. Since the Habsburgs were at once staunchly Catholic and unable to defeat their Protestant challengers, their authority over the Protestant princes of the North diminished greatly. In 1701 Friedrich III of Brandenburg was allowed to assume the title King in Prussia (i.e. beyond the boundaries of the Empire) as Friedrich I. Several other German states became kingdoms during the Napoleonic Wars or were granted a high status after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 or later in the 19^th century. The Holy Roman Empire and the last vestiges of the Medieval German “state” were swept away in 1806, when the Habsburg emperor Franz II abdicated and became Emperor of Austria instead. A movement for the unification of Germany gradually appeared and eventually culminated in the creation in 1870 of a German Empire headed by the King of Prussia as Emperor and including the other German kingdoms of Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg. The rulers of the Medieval German kingdom, of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, Württemberg, Bade, Hesse, Mecklenburg and Oldenburg are included in the list below.

RULERS OF GERMANY (DEUTSCHLAND): LIST

	Kings of the Franks, Kings of the East Franks from 840, Kings of the Germans (Romans), Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519
751–768	PIPPIN the Short	Son of Charles Martel; elected king of the Franks
768–814	KARL I the Great (Charlemagne)	Son of Pippin (Emperor 800)
768–771	KARLMANN I	Son of Pippin
	KARL the Younger	Son of Karl I; co-ruler 806–811
814–840	LUDWIG I the Pious	Son of Karl I (Emperor 813 and 816)
815–817	LOTHAR I	Son of Ludwig I; replaced, died 855 (Emperor 817 and 823)
817–876	LUDWIG II the German	Son of Ludwig I; King of Bavaria; of the East Franks 840
828–838	KARL II the Bald	Son of Ludwig I; King of Swabia; replaced, died 877 (Emperor 875)
876–880	KARLMANN II	Son of Ludwig II; King of Bavaria
876–882	LUDWIG III	Son of Ludwig II; King of Saxony
876–887	KARL III the Fat	Son of Ludwig II; King of Swabia; deposed, died 888 (Emperor 881)
887–899	ARNULF of Carinthia	Son of Karlmann II (Emperor 896)
900–911	LUDWIG IV the Child	Son of Arnulf
911–918	KONRAD I	Son of Konrad of Oberlahngau; elected king
919–936	HEINRICH I the Fowler	Son of Otto I of Saxony; elected king
936–973	OTTO I the Great	Son of Heinrich I (Emperor 962)
973–983	OTTO II the Red	Son of Otto I; co-ruler 961 (Emperor 967)
983–1002	OTTO III	Son of Otto II, co-ruler 983 (Emperor 996)
1002–1024	HEINRICH II the Saint	Son of Heinrich II son of Heinrich I of Bavaria son of Heinrich I (Emperor 1014)
1024–1039	KONRAD II the Salian	Son of Heinrich of Speyer son of Otto of Carinthia son of Konrad of Lorraine by Liutgard daughter of Otto I (Emperor 1027)
1039–1056	HEINRICH III the Black	Son of Konrad II; co-ruler 1028 (Emperor 1046)
1056–1105	HEINRICH IV	Son of Heinrich III; co-ruler 1054; deposed by son, died 1106 (Emperor 1084)
(1077–1080)	RUDOLF of Swabia	Son of Kuno of Rheinfelden; mortally wounded in battle
(1081–1088)	HERMANN of Salm	Son of Giselbert of Luxemburg; killed in battle
(1089–1090)	EKBERT of Meissen	Son of Ekbert I of Meissen; murdered
(1090–1101)	KONRAD	Son of Heinrich IV; co-ruler 1087–1093; deposed by father, anti-king from 1090
1105–1125	HEINRICH V	Son of Heinrich IV; co-ruler 1099 (Emperor 1111)
1125–1137	LOTHAR II of Supplinburg	Son of Gebhard of Supplinburg; elected king (Emperor 1133)
1138–1152	KONRAD III of Hohenstaufen	Son of Friedrich I of Swabia by Agnes daughter of Heinrich IV; formerly anti-king 1027–1035
	HEINRICH	Son of Konrad III; co-ruler 1147–1150
1152–1190	FRIEDRICH I Barbarossa (Red Beard)	Son of Friedrich II of Swabia brother of Konrad III (Emperor 1155)
1190–1197	HEINRICH VI	Son of Friedrich I; co-ruler 1169 (Emperor 1191)
1197–1198	FRIEDRICH II Roger	Son of Heinrich VI; co-ruler 1196; deposed
1198–1208	PHILIPP of Swabia	Son of Friedrich I; murdered
1198–1218	OTTO IV of Braunschweig	Son of Heinrich XII of Bavaria; elected king (Emperor 1209)
1210–1250	FRIEDRICH II Roger	Restored (Emperor 1220)
	HEINRICH	Son of Friedrich II; co-ruler 1220–1235; deposed by father, committed suicide 1242
(1246–1247)	HEINRICH Raspe of Thuringia	Son of Hermann I of Thuringia
(1247–1256)	WILHELM of Holland	Son of Floris IV of Holland
1250–1254	KONRAD IV	Son of Friedrich II; co-ruler 1237
(1257–1272)	RICHARD of Cornawall	Son of John of England; elected king
(1257–1274)	ALFONS the Wise of Castile	Son of Fernando III of Castile by Elisabeth daughter of Philipp; resigned, died 1284
1273–1291	RUDOLF I of Habsburg	Son of Albrecht IV of Habsburg; elected king
1292–1298	ADOLF of Nassau	Son of Walram II of Nassau; elected king; deposed, killed in battle 1298
1298–1308	ALBRECHT I of Austria	Son of Rudolf I; murdered
1308–1313	HEINRICH VII of Luxemburg	Son of Heinrich III of Luxemburg; elected king (Emperor 1312)
1314–1347	LUDWIG V the Bavarian	Son of Ludwig II of Bavaria; elected king; mortally wounded (Emperor 1328)
(1314–1322)	FRIEDRICH the Handsome	Son of Albrecht I; co-ruler 1325–1330
1346–1378	KARL IV of Bohemia	Son of Jan of Bohemia son of Heinrich VII (Emperor 1355)
(1349–1349)	GÜNTHER of Schwarzburg	Son of Heinrich VII of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg; abdicated, died 1349
1378–1400	WENZEL of Bohemia	Son of Karl IV; co-ruler 1376; deposed, died 1419
1400–1410	RUPRECHT the Little of Pfalz	Son of Ruprecht II of Pfalz
(1410–1411)	JOBST of Moravia	Son of Jan Jindřich of Moravia brother of Karl IV
1410–1437	SIGISMUND of Bohemia	Son of Karl IV (Emperor 1433)
1438–1439	ALBRECHT II of Austria	Son of Albrecht IV son of Albrecht III son of Albrecht II of Austria son of Albrecht I
1440–1493	FRIEDRICH III the Peaceful of Styria	Son of Ernst of Styria (Emperor 1452)
1493–1519	MAXIMILIAN I	Son of Friedrich III; co-ruler 1486 (Emperor 1508)
1519–1558	KARL V	Son of Felipe I of Castile son of Maximilian I; abdicated, died 1558
1558–1564	FERDINAND I	Brother of Karl V; co-ruler 1531
1564–1576	MAXIMILIAN II	Son of Ferdinand I; co-ruler 1562
1576–1612	RUDOLF II	Son of Maximilian II; co-ruler 1575
1612–1619	MATTHIAS	Son of Maximilian II
1619–1637	FERDINAND II	Son of Karl II of Austria-Styria son of Ferdinand I
1637–1657	FERDINAND III	Son of Ferdinand II; co-ruler 1636
	FERDINAND IV	Son of Ferdinand III; co-ruler 1653–1654
1658–1705	LEOPOLD I	Son of Ferdinand III
1705–1711	JOSEF I	Son of Leopold I
1711–1740	KARL VI	Son of Leopold I
1742–1745	KARL VII Albert of Bavaria	Son of Maximilian II of Bavaria; husband of Marie Amalie daughter of Josef I
1745–1765	FRANZ I Stefan of Lorraine	Son of Léopold of Lorraine; husband of Maria Theresia daughter of Karl VI
1765–1790	JOSEF II of Austria	Son of Franz I
1790–1792	LEOPOLD II	Son of Franz I
1792–1806	FRANZ II	Son of Leopold II; abdicated, died 1835
1806–		Confederacy of the Rhine, to Germany 1871

RULERS OF PRUSSIA (PREUSSEN): LIST

	Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg
1134–1170	ALBRECHT I the Bear	Son of Otto of Ballenstedt by Eilika of Saxony
1170–1184	OTTO I	Son of Albrecht I
1184–1205	OTTO II	Son of Otto I
1205–1220	ALBRECHT II	Son of Otto I
1220–1266	JOHANN I	Son of Albrecht II; in Stendal
1220–1267	OTTO III	Son of Albrecht II; in Salzwedel
1266–1281	JOHANN II	Son of Johann I; in Stendal
1266–1308	OTTO IV	Son of Johann I; in Stendal
1266–1304	KONRAD	Son of Johann I; in Stendal
1267–1268	JOHANN III	Son of Otto III; in Salzwedel
1268–1299	OTTO V	Son of Otto III; in Salzwedel
1268–1300	ALBRECHT III	Son of Otto III; in Salzwedel
1280–1303	OTTO VI	Son of Otto III; in Salzwedel
1286–1305	JOHANN IV	Son of Konrad; in Stendal
1291–1297	OTTO VII	Son of Konrad; in Stendal
1293–1318	HEINRICH I	Son of Johann I; in Stendal
1299–1308	HERMANN	Son of Otto V; in Salzwedel
1304–1319	WALDEMAR	Son of Konrad; in Stendal
1308–1317	JOHANN V	Son of Hermann; in Salzwedel
1319–1320	HEINRICH II	Son of Heinrich I; in Stendal
1324–1351	LUDWIG I the Elder of Wittelsbach	Son of Ludwig V of Germany; abdicated, died 1361
1351–1365	LUDWIG II the Roman	Brother of Ludwig I
1351–1373	OTTO V the Indolent	Brother of Ludwig II; abdicated, died 1379
1373–1378	WENZEL of Luxemburg	Son of Karl IV of Germany; abdicated, died 1419
1378–1395	SIGISMUND	Brother of Wenzel; deposed
1397–1411	JOBST of Moravia	Son of Jan Jindřich of Moravia brother of Karl IV of Germany
1411–1415	SIGISMUND	Restored; abdicated, died 1437
	Hohenzollern Margraves of Brandenburg, Electors of Brandenburg from 1417
1415–1440	FRIEDRICH I of Hohenzollern	Son of Friedrich V of Nürnberg; Elector 1417
1440–1471	FRIEDRICH II	Son of Friedrich I
1471–1486	ALBRECHT Achilles	Son of Friedrich I
1486–1499	JOHANN Cicero	Son of Albrecht Achilles
1499–1535	JOACHIM I Nestor	Son of Johann Cicero
1535–1571	JOACHIM II	Son of Joachim I
1571–1598	JOHANN GEORG	Son of Joachim II
1598–1608	JOACHIM FRIEDRICH	Son of Johann Georg
1608–1619	JOHANN SIGISMUND	Son of Joachim Friedrich
1619–1640	GEORG WILHELM	Son of Johann Sigismund
1640–1688	FRIEDRICH WILHELM Great Elector	Son of Georg Wilhelm
1688–1701	FRIEDRICH III	Son of Friedrich Wilhelm; from 1701 King in Prussia, died 1713
	Kings in Prussia 1701, Kings of Prussia 1742, from 1871 also Emperors of Germany
1701–1713	FRIEDRICH I	= Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg
1713–1740	FRIEDRICH WILHELM I	Son of Friedrich I
1740–1786	FRIEDRICH II the Great	Son of Friedrich Wilhelm I; King of Prussia 1742
1786–1797	FRIEDRICH WILHELM II	Son of August Wilhelm son of Friedrich Wilhelm I
1797–1840	FRIEDRICH WILHELM III	Son of Friedrich Wilhelm II
1840–1861	FRIEDRICH WILHELM IV	Son of Friedrich Wilhelm III
1861–1888	WILHELM I	Son of Friedrich Wilhelm III; regent 1858; Emperor of Germany 1871
1888–1888	FRIEDRICH III	Son of Wilhelm I
1888–1918	WILHELM II	Son of Friedrich III; deposed, died 1941
1918–		To Germany

RULERS OF BAVARIA (BAYERN)

	Dukes of Bavaria
895–907	Liutpold	Margrave of Bavaria; killed at Bratislava against the Magyars
907–914	Arnulf	Son of Liutpold; Duke of Bavaria 911; deposed
914–918	Konrad I	Son of Konrad of Lahngau
918–937	Arnulf	Restored
937–938	Eberhard	Son of Arnulf; deposed
938–947	Berchtold	Son of Liutpold
947–955	Heinrich I	Son of Heinrich I of Germany; married Judith, daughter of Arnulf
955–976	Heinrich II the Quarrelsome	Son of Heinrich I; deposed
976–983	Otto I of Swabia	Son of Liudolf of Swabia son of Otto I of Germany brother of Heinrich I
983–985	Heinrich III	Son of Berchtold; deposed, died 989
985–995	Heinrich II the Quarrelsome	Restored
995–1004	Heinrich IV (II) the Saint	Son of Heinrich II; resigned
1004–1009	Heinrich V of Luxemburg	Son of Sigefroi of Luxemburg; brother of Heinrich IV’s wife Kunegund; deposed
1009–1017	Heinrich IV (II) the Saint	Restored; resigned, died 1024
1017–1026	Heinrich V	Restored
1026–1027	Konrad II the Salian	Son of Heinrich of Speyer; abdicated, died 1039
1027–1042	Heinrich VI (III) the Black	Son of Konrad II; resigned
1042–1047	Heinrich VII of Luxemburg	Son of Frédéric I of Luxemburg, brother of Heinrich V
1047–1049	Heinrich VI (III) the Black	Restored; resigned, died 1056
1049–1053	Konrad III of Zütphen	Son of Liudolf, son of Ezzo of Lothringen by Mathilde, daughter of Otto II of Germany; deposed, died 1055
1053–1054	Heinrich VIII (IV)	Son of Heinrich VI; abdicated
1054–1055	Konrad IV the Child	Son of Heinrich VI
1055–1061	Agnes of Poitou	Daughter of Guillaume V of Aquitaine; wife of Heinrich VI; resigned, died 1077
1061–1070	Otto II of Northeim	Son of Benno of Northeim; married Richza, daughter of Otto II of Swabia, son of Ezzo of Lothringen by Mathilde, daughter of Otto II of Germany; deposed, died 1083
1070–1077	Welf I of Este	Son of Adalberto Azzo II of Este; married Ethelind, daughter of Otto II; deposed
1077–1096	Heinrich VIII (IV)	Restored; resigned, died 1106
1096–1101	Welf I	Restored
1101–1120	Welf II the Fat	Son of Welf I
1120–1126	Heinrich IX the Black	Son of Welf I
1126–1138	Heinrich X the Proud	Son of Heinrich IX; deposed, died 1139
1139–1141	Leopold of Austria	Son of Leopold III of Austria by Agnes, daughter of Heinrich VIII
1141–1143	Konrad V (III) of Hohenstaufen	Son of Friedrich I of Swabia by Agnes, daughter of Heinrich VIII; resigned, died 1152
1143–1156	Heinrich XI Jasomirgott	Brother of Leopold, daughter of Heinrich VIII; resigned, died 1177
1156–1180	Heinrich XII the Lion	Son of Heinrich X; deposed, died of a fall from his horse 1195
	Wittelsbach Dukes of Bavaria
1180–1183	Otto I of Wittelsbach	Son of Otto IV of Wittelsbach
1183–1231	Ludwig I the Upright	Son of Otto I; murdered
1231–1253	Otto II the Illustrious	Son of Ludwig I
1253–1294	Ludwig II the Severe	Son of Otto II; in Upper Bavaria
1253–1290	Heinrich I	Son of Otto II; in Lower Bavaria
1290–1312	Otto III	Son of Heinrich I; in Lower Bavaria
1290–1296	Ludwig III	Son of Heinrich I; in Lower Bavaria
1290–1310	Stefan I	Son of Heinrich I; in Lower Bavaria
1294–1317	Rudolf I	Son of Ludwig II; in Upper Bavaria
1294–1347	Ludwig IV (V)	Son of Ludwig II; in Upper Bavaria; all Bavaria 1340; mortally wounded in battle
1310–1339	Heinrich II the Elder	Son of Stefan I; in Lower Bavaria
1312–1334	Otto IV	Son of Stefan I; in Lower Bavaria
1312–1333	Heinrich III the Natternberger	Son of Otto III; in Lower Bavaria
1339–1340	Johann I	Son of Heinrich II; in Lower Bavaria
1347–1361	Ludwig V the Elder	Son of Ludwig IV; in Upper Bavaria 1349
1347–1375	Stefan II	Son of Ludwig IV; in Lower Bavaria 1349; in Landshut 1353; also Upper Bavaria 1363
1347–1351	Ludwig VI the Roman	Son of Ludwig IV; in Upper Bavaria 1349; abdicated, died 1365
1347–1358	Wilhelm I the Mad	Son of Ludwig IV; in Lower Bavaria 1349; in Straubing 1353; deposed, died 1389
1347–1404	Albrecht I	Son of Ludwig IV; in Lower Bavaria 1349; in Straubing 1353
1347–1379	Otto V the Indolent	Son of Ludwig IV; in Upper Bavaria 1349–1351; abdicated; in Landshut 1376
1361–1363	Meinhard	Son of Ludwig V; in Upper Bavaria
1375–1413	Stefan III the Magnificent	Son of Stefan II; in Ingolstadt
1375–1393	Friedrich	Son of Stefan II; in Landshut
1375–1397	Johann II	Son of Stefan II; in Munich
	Albrecht II the Younger	Son of Albrecht I; co-ruler 1387–1397
1393–1450	Heinrich IV the Rich	Son of Friedrich; in Landshut; also Munich 1447
1397–1438	Ernst the Forceful	Son of Johann II; in Munich
1397–1435	Wilhelm II	Son of Johann II; in Munich
1404–1425	Johann III	Son of Albrecht I; in Straubing; co-ruler 1397
1404–1417	Wilhelm III	Son of Albrecht I; in Straubing
1413–1441	Ludwig VII the Bearded	Son of Stefan III; in Ingolstadt; deposed, died 1447
1435–1440	Adolf	Son of Wilhelm II; in Munich
1438–1460	Albrecht III the Pious	Son of Ernst; in Munich
1441–1445	Ludwig VIII the Hunchback	Son of Ludwig VII; in Ingolstadt
1450–1479	Ludwig IX the Rich	Son of Heinrich IV; in Landshut
1460–1463	Johann IV the Truthful	Son of Albrecht III; in Munich
1460–1467	Sigmund the Generous	Son of Albrecht III; in Dachau; abdicated, died 1501
1460–1508	Albrecht IV the Wise	Son of Albrecht III
1479–1503	Georg the Rich	Son of Ludwig IX; in Landshut
1508–1550	Wilhelm IV the Steadfast	Son of Albrecht IV; in Munich 1514
1508–1545	Ludwig X	Son of Albrecht IV; in Landshut 1514
1550–1579	Albrecht V the Practical	Son of Wilhelm IV
1579–1597	Wilhelm V the Pious	Son of Albrecht V; abdicated, died 1626
1597–1623	Maximilian I	Son of Wilhelm V; Elector from 1623, died 1651
	Wittelsbach Electors of Bavaria
1623–1651	MAXIMILIAN I	= Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria
1651–1679	Ferdinand Maria the Peaceful	Son of Maximilian I
1679–1726	Maximilian II Emanuel Blueking	Son of Ferdinand Maria; in exile 1706–1714
1726–1745	Karl Albert	Son of Maximilian II
1745–1777	Maximilian III Josef	Son of Karl Albert
1777–1799	Karl Theodor	Son of Johann Christian of Sulzbach
1799–1805	Maximilian IV Josef	Son of Friedrich Michael son of Christian III of Zweibrücken; King from 1805, died 1825
	Kings of Bavaria
1805–1825	Maximilian I Josef	= Elector Maximilian IV of Bavaria
1825–1848	Ludwig I	Son of Maximilian I; abdicated, died 1868
1848–1864	Maximilian II	Son of Ludwig I
1864–1886	Ludwig II the Mad	Son of Maximilian II
1886–1913	Otto	Son of Maximilian II; deposed, died 1916
1913–1918	Ludwig III	Son of Liutpold, son of Ludwig I; deposed, died 1921
1918–		To Germany
	Wittelsbach: Line of Pfalz-Sulzbach (Ancestors of Karl Theodor)
1319–1327	ADOLF	Son of Rudolf I of Bavaria; Count Palatine on the Rhine
1327–1398	RUPRECHT II	Son of Adolf
1398–1410	RUPRECHT III the Little	Son of Ruprecht I
1410–1459	STEFAN	Son of Ruprecht II; in Simmern
1459–1489	LUDWIG I the Black	Son of Stefan
1489–1514	ALEXANDER	Son of Ludwig I; in Zweibrücken
1514–1552	LUDWIG II	Son of Alexander
1552–1569	WOLFGANG	Son of Ludwig II
1569–1614