Maximilian III, Elector of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
Maximilian III Joseph was Prince-elector
of the Holy Roman Empire
and Duke of Bavaria
from 1745 to 1777.
, Maximilian was the eldest son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII
and his wife, Maria Amalia of Austria
, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I
.
Upon his father's death in January 1745, he inherited a country in the process of being invaded by Austria
n armies (see War of the Austrian Succession
). The 18-year-old Maximilian Joseph wavered between the Peace-party, led by his mother Maria Amalia of Austria and Army Commander Friedrich Heinrich von Seckendorff and the War-party, led by Foreign Minister General Ignaz Count of Törring and the French envoy Chavigny. After the decisive defeat in the Battle of Pfaffenhofen
on April 15 Maximilian Joseph quickly abandoned his father's imperial pretenses and made peace with Maria Theresa
in the Treaty of Füssen
, in which he agreed to support her husband, Grand Duke Francis Stephen of Tuscany, in the upcoming imperial election. During the Seven Years' War
Bavarian forces then fought on Habsburg's side.
Maximilian Joseph's sister Maria Josepha of Bavaria
was married in 1765 with Maria Theresa's son Emperor Joseph II
.
Maximilian Joseph was a progressive and enlightened ruler
who did much to improve the development of his country. The elector encouraged agriculture, industries and the exploitation of the mineral
wealth of the country and abolished the Jesuit censorship of the press. In 1747 the porcelain factory at Nymphenburg
was established, while the Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis
was written in 1756. Munich's first academic institution, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, was founded in 1759 by Maximilian III. During the severe famine in 1770 Maximilian sold crown jewels to pay corn shipments. In this year he also issued his edict against the extravagant pomposity of the Church
which contributed to the end of the era of Bavarian rococo
. He also forbade the Oberammergau Passion Play
. In 1771 the elector regulated the general school attendance.
In December of 1777 Maximilian Joseph rode in his carriage through Munich; on the ride, as he passed one of the tower clocks, the mechanism broke, and the clock struck 77 times. Commenting to the passengers, Max Joseph decided this was an omen, and that his years had run out. Within days, he was stricken with a strange disease. None of his 15 doctors could diagnose it, but by Christmas, it had become clear that it was a particularly virulent strain of small pox, called by contemporaries, purple small pox.
By the last day of the month he was dead without leaving an heir. Maximilian III Joseph is buried in the crypt of the Theatinerkirche in Munich.
which derived from Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
and had ruled Bavaria since early 14th century, Maximilian's death led to a succession dispute and the brief War of the Bavarian Succession. He was succeeded by his distant cousin, the Elector Palatine Charles Theodore
from the senior branch of the dynasty. Maximilian's widow Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony
and his sister Duchess Maria Antonia of Bavaria negotiated with Prussia to secure Bavaria's independence from Austria, which had invaded portions of the duchy immediately after the Elector's death.
Cuvilliés Theatre
and in 1755 the Stone Hall of Nymphenburg Palace
. He also ordered to decorate some rooms of the New Schleissheim Palace
in rococo style.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
was received by Maximilian III Joseph, who was like his sister Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria
skilled in music and composed, but due to strict frugality no post was offered. In 1775 La finta giardiniera
, an Italian opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, received its first performance at the Salvatortheater in Munich.
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and Duke of Bavaria
Electorate of Bavaria
The Electorate of Bavaria was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria....
from 1745 to 1777.
Biography
Born in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Maximilian was the eldest son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII
Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VII Albert a member of the Wittelsbach family, was Prince-elector of Bavaria from 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 until his death in 1745...
and his wife, Maria Amalia of Austria
Maria Amalia of Austria
Maria Amalia of Austria was the younger daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I
Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph I , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of the Romans was the elder son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg....
.
Upon his father's death in January 1745, he inherited a country in the process of being invaded by Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n armies (see War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
). The 18-year-old Maximilian Joseph wavered between the Peace-party, led by his mother Maria Amalia of Austria and Army Commander Friedrich Heinrich von Seckendorff and the War-party, led by Foreign Minister General Ignaz Count of Törring and the French envoy Chavigny. After the decisive defeat in the Battle of Pfaffenhofen
Battle of Pfaffenhofen
The Battle of Pfaffenhofen was fought on April 15, 1745 between France and Austria. The Austrians under Karl Josef Batthyány defeated the outnumbered French under General Ségur, ending the war in Bavaria.-Prelude:...
on April 15 Maximilian Joseph quickly abandoned his father's imperial pretenses and made peace with Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
in the Treaty of Füssen
Treaty of Füssen
The Peace of Füssen was a peace treaty signed at Füssen, Bavaria, between the Electorate of Bavaria and Habsburg Austria. Signed on 22 April 1745, it ended the participation of Bavaria on the French side in the War of the Austrian Succession.-Background:...
, in which he agreed to support her husband, Grand Duke Francis Stephen of Tuscany, in the upcoming imperial election. During the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
Bavarian forces then fought on Habsburg's side.
Maximilian Joseph's sister Maria Josepha of Bavaria
Maria Josepha of Bavaria
Maria Josepha , Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, Princess of Bavaria, was the daughter of Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria and Maria Amalia of Austria and the second wife of Emperor Joseph II...
was married in 1765 with Maria Theresa's son Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
.
Maximilian Joseph was a progressive and enlightened ruler
Enlightened absolutism
Enlightened absolutism is a form of absolute monarchy or despotism in which rulers were influenced by the Enlightenment. Enlightened monarchs embraced the principles of the Enlightenment, especially its emphasis upon rationality, and applied them to their territories...
who did much to improve the development of his country. The elector encouraged agriculture, industries and the exploitation of the mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
wealth of the country and abolished the Jesuit censorship of the press. In 1747 the porcelain factory at Nymphenburg
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
was established, while the Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis
Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis
The Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis is a civil code enacted in the Duchy of Bavaria in 1756. It was named after Maximilian III Joseph, and written in German, although included many Latin phrases. In its content, it adhered to the Usus modernus Pandectarum more strongly than later codification...
was written in 1756. Munich's first academic institution, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, was founded in 1759 by Maximilian III. During the severe famine in 1770 Maximilian sold crown jewels to pay corn shipments. In this year he also issued his edict against the extravagant pomposity of the Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
which contributed to the end of the era of Bavarian rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
. He also forbade the Oberammergau Passion Play
Oberammergau Passion Play
Oberammergau Passion Play is a passion play performed since 1634 oberammergau-passion.com. 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2011. as a tradition by the inhabitants of the village of Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany.-Origins:...
. In 1771 the elector regulated the general school attendance.
In December of 1777 Maximilian Joseph rode in his carriage through Munich; on the ride, as he passed one of the tower clocks, the mechanism broke, and the clock struck 77 times. Commenting to the passengers, Max Joseph decided this was an omen, and that his years had run out. Within days, he was stricken with a strange disease. None of his 15 doctors could diagnose it, but by Christmas, it had become clear that it was a particularly virulent strain of small pox, called by contemporaries, purple small pox.
By the last day of the month he was dead without leaving an heir. Maximilian III Joseph is buried in the crypt of the Theatinerkirche in Munich.
Succession
As the last of the junior branch of the Wittelsbach dynastyTreaty of Pavia (1329)
The Treaty of Pavia which divided the House of Wittelsbach two branches, was signed in Pavia in 1329. Under the accord, Emperor Louis IV granted during his stay in Italy the Palatinate including the Bavarian Upper Palatinate to his brother Duke Rudolph's descendants, Rudolph II, Rupert I and...
which derived from Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
and had ruled Bavaria since early 14th century, Maximilian's death led to a succession dispute and the brief War of the Bavarian Succession. He was succeeded by his distant cousin, the Elector Palatine Charles Theodore
Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria
Charles Theodore, Prince-Elector, Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria reigned as Prince-Elector and Count palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as Prince-Elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777, until his death...
from the senior branch of the dynasty. Maximilian's widow Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony
Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony
Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony was a daughter of King Augustus III of Poland and his wife Maria Josepha of Austria who became Electress of Bavaria.-Biography:...
and his sister Duchess Maria Antonia of Bavaria negotiated with Prussia to secure Bavaria's independence from Austria, which had invaded portions of the duchy immediately after the Elector's death.
Cultural legacy
Maximilian III Joseph ordered in 1751 François de Cuvilliés to construct the splendid rococoRococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
Cuvilliés Theatre
Cuvilliés Theatre
The Cuvilliés Theatre or Old Residence Theatre is the former court theatre of the Residenz in Munich, southern Germany.- Description :...
and in 1755 the Stone Hall of Nymphenburg Palace
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
. He also ordered to decorate some rooms of the New Schleissheim Palace
Schleissheim Palace
The Schleissheim Palace actually comprises three palaces in a grand baroque park in the village of Oberschleißheim near Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The palace was the summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-Old Schleissheim Palace:...
in rococo style.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
was received by Maximilian III Joseph, who was like his sister Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria
Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria
Maria Antonia, Princess of Bavaria , Electress of Saxony, was a German composer, singer, harpsichordist and patron, known particularly for her operas Il trionfo della fedeltà and Talestri, regina delle amazoni . She was also the Regent of Saxony in 1763-1768...
skilled in music and composed, but due to strict frugality no post was offered. In 1775 La finta giardiniera
La finta giardiniera
La finta giardiniera , K. 196, is an Italian opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart wrote it in Munich in January 1775 when he was 18 years old and it received its first performance on January 13 at the Salvatortheater in Munich...
, an Italian opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, received its first performance at the Salvatortheater in Munich.
Ancestors
| Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria | Father: Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII Albert a member of the Wittelsbach family, was Prince-elector of Bavaria from 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 until his death in 1745... |
Paternal Grandfather: Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria Maximilian II , also known as Max Emanuel or Maximilian Emanuel, was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and an elector of the Holy Roman Empire. He was also the last Governor of the Spanish Netherlands and duke of Luxembourg... |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and an elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 1651 to 1679.-Biography:He was born in Munich... |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Henriette Adelaide of Savoy Henriette Adelaide of Savoy Henriette Adelaide of Savoy , was the wife of the Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria... |
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| Paternal Grandmother: Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska |
Paternal Great-grandfather: John III Sobieski, King of Poland |
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| Paternal Great-grandmother: Marie Casimire Louise de la Grange d'Arquien Marie Casimire Louise de la Grange d'Arquien Marie Casimire Louise de La Grange d'Arquien, in Polish: Maria Kazimiera, known also by the diminutive form "Marysieńka" was consort to King John III Sobieski, from 1674 to 1696.-Biography:... |
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| Mother: Maria Amalia of Austria Maria Amalia of Austria Maria Amalia of Austria was the younger daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg... |
Maternal Grandfather: Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of the Romans was the elder son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg.... |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor | style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria... |
|
| Maternal Great-grandmother: Eleonore-Magdalena of Neuburg Eleonore-Magdalena of Neuburg Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg was Holy Roman Empress as the spouse of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. Through her marriage, she was also Queen of Bohemia and Hungary, German Queen, and Archduchess of Austria. She served as Interim Regent in 1711... |
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| Maternal Grandmother: Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick |
Maternal Great-grandfather: John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg John Frederick was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, from 1665 until his death.... |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Benedicta-Henrietta of Simmern |