Louis V, Duke of Bavaria

Statue by Ernst Herter, 1899, former Siegesallee, Berlin

Louis V, Duke of Bavaria, called the Brandenburger (May 1315 – 18 September 1361 in Zorneding near Munich) was Duke of Bavaria and as Louis I also Margrave of Brandenburg and Count of Tyrol. Louis V was the eldest son of Emperor Louis IV and his first wife Beatrix of Świdnica. He was a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty.

Biography

Louis V was Margrave of Brandenburg from 1323 onwards when he received the country as a fiefdom from his father. As such Louis contributed to the Declaration at Rhense in 1338. The Wittelsbach rule in Brandenburg never got much popularity. As a consequence of the murder of Provost Nikolaus von Bernau by Berlin citizens in 1325 the town was punished with a papal interdict. From 1328 onwards Louis was in war against the Duchy of Pomerania which he claimed as a fiefdom and the conflict did not end before 1333 when he had to resign.

In order to acquire Tyrol for the Wittelsbach family, Louis V married Margarete Maultasch in 1342 before she was divorced from her previous husband, John Henry of Luxembourg. John Henry was a brother of Emperor Charles IV and son of John the Blind, who had deposed Margarete's father, Henry of Gorizia-Tyrol as King of Bohemia in 1310. William of Ockham and Marsilius of Padua defended this first "civil marriage" in the Middle Ages. The Pope, however, excommunicated the couple and the scandal was known across Europe. Also Tyrol was punished with an interdict.

When his father died in 1347, Louis succeeded him as Duke of Bavaria and Count of Holland and Hainaut together with his five brothers. In 1349, Bavaria and the Wittelsbach possessions in the Netherlands were partitioned; he and his younger brothers Louis VI the Roman and Otto V the Bavarian received Upper Bavaria. His brothers Stephen II, William I and Albert I received Lower Bavaria, Holland and Hainaut.

The banned Louis could not apply for the German crown and his party tried to move Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen to the acceptance of the German crown, however, he mistrusted the inconstancy of his voters and rejected the request. Louis then negotiated with his father's ally Edward III of England to compete against the new German king Charles IV. Edward was elected 10 January 1348 at Lahnstein but resigned already four months later. Finally the Wittelsbach party elected Günther von Schwarzburg as anti-king in 1349. Louis V successfully resisted Charles IV even though Günther von Schwarzburg's kingship failed. He managed to keep all possessions for the Wittelsbach dynasty until his death.

First Louis successfully repulsed an attack of Charles IV against Tyrol in 1347. In alliance with Denmark and Pomerania Louis V then drove back a revolt in 1348 - 1350 caused by the "False Waldemar," an imposter who claimed Brandenburg and got support from several cities and Charles IV. The civil war caused a huge devastation in Brandenburg. In march of 1350 Louis came to terms with Charles IV and the conflict ended.

In 1349 and 1351 Louis issued two decrees to relieve the consequences of the plague.

Louis released Brandenburg in December 1351 to his brothers Louis VI the Roman and Otto V the Bavarian in exchange for the sole rule of Upper Bavaria. Louis then combined the administration of Upper Bavaria and Tyrol. With the Golden Bull of 1356 only the Palatinate branch of the Wittelsbach and Louis VI the Roman as margrave of Brandenburg were invested with the electoral dignity, which caused a new conflict between Louis and Charles IV.

Louis had good relations with his Habsburg relatives and arbitrated during the conflicts of Albert II, Duke of Austria with Switzerland. With their support, Louis and his consort Margarete were absolved from the excommunication in 1359. Louis suddenly died in September of 1361 during a ride from Tyrol to Munich and was succeeded by his son Meinhard. He is buried at the Frauenkirche in Munich.

Family and children

He was married two times.

1. 1324: Margrete of Denmark (1305-1340), daughter of King Christopher II of Denmark
   1. Elisabeth of Bavaria (1326?-1345?)
2. 1342: Margarete Maultasch (1318-1369), daughter of Henry I of Bohemia
   1. Hermann of Bavaria (Mar 1343-1360)
   2. Meinhard III (9 February 1344 in Landshut-13 January 1363 Castle Tyrol), married 1359 with Margarete of Habsburg (1346-1366), daughter of Duke Albert II of Austria
   3. daughter
   4. daughter

Ancestors

Map

• The Holy Roman Empire 1347