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Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria

Also known as Maximilian the Great (epithet)

Munich, 27 Apr 1573 – Ingolstadt, 27 Sep 1651

15 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born27 Apr 1573, Munichnot verified1 source
  • MarriedElisabeth of Lorrainenot verified1 source
  • MarriedArchduchess Maria Anna of Austrianot verified1 source
  • TitleDuke of Bavaria, 1597–1623or Count Palatine of the Rhine, 1623–1648 · prince-elector of Bavaria, 1623–1651 · Elector Palatine, 1623–1648not verified1 source
  • Titleprince-elector of Bavaria, 1623–1651or Duke of Bavaria, 1597–1623 · Count Palatine of the Rhine, 1623–1648 · Elector Palatine, 1623–1648not verified1 source
  • TitleElector Palatine, 1623–1648or Duke of Bavaria, 1597–1623 · Count Palatine of the Rhine, 1623–1648 · prince-elector of Bavaria, 1623–1651not verified1 source
  • TitleCount Palatine of the Rhine, 1623–1648or Duke of Bavaria, 1597–1623 · prince-elector of Bavaria, 1623–1651 · Elector Palatine, 1623–1648not verified1 source
  • Died27 Sep 1651, Ingolstadtnot verified1 source
  • FatherWilhelm V, Duke of Bavarianot verified1 source
  • MotherRenata of Lorrainenot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 27 Apr 1573

    Born in Munich

  2. 1597–1623

    Duke of Bavaria

  3. 1623–1651

    Prince-elector of Bavaria

  4. 1623–1648

    Elector Palatine

  5. 1623–1648

    Count Palatine of the Rhine

  6. 1636–1638

    2 children are born

  7. 27 Sep 1651

    Dies in Ingolstadt, aged 78

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partners

Children · 2

During his lifetime

He lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Munich.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1570s · Maximilian is born in Munich

In the news1575

Smallpox and measles epidemic (1575)

A widespread outbreak of smallpox and measles occurred in Holstein in 1575, severely impacting the lives of local families.

Getting around

Uncomfortable carriage travel for the wealthy

While carriages existed, they were largely used by the sick or wealthy, as they were uncomfortable, unsprung, and known for their squeaky axles.

In the news1572

Banking house collapse ruins economy (1572)

The collapse of the major merchant and banking house Loitz in Stettin in 1572 caused widespread economic turmoil throughout the region of Pomerania.

Daily life

Beer was safer than water

Drinking water was often unhygienic and contaminated, so beer was frequently consumed instead because brewing made it safer and provided essential calories.

What people wore

Sumptuary Laws Restricting Social Dress

Strict sumptuary laws restricted what citizens could wear based on their social status; for instance, common citizens and artisans were forbidden from using expensive materials like gold, silver, pearls, velvet, or silk. Wives of common citizens were allowed to wear a gold ring valued at no more than five or six guilders and a veil with a golden border no more than two fingers wide.

Music

Wedding musician pay based on social status

City councils regulated the musicians employed for weddings based on social status, with pay for brass and wind players reaching two guilders, while bagpipers and fiddlers received half a guilder.

At the table

Rare Festive Pastries

For ordinary families, sweet pastries fried in fat, known as Nonnenfürzle, were rare festive delicacies served on special occasions like church festivals. They were made from choux pastry and, according to local tradition, were named for the hissing sound they made as steam escaped in the hot fat.