Everything about Maximilian Ii Emanuel Elector Of Bavaria totally explained
Maximilian II (
July 11,
1662 -
February 26,
1726), known as either
Max Emanuel and
Maximilian Emanuel, was a
Wittelsbach ruler of
Bavaria and an elector (
Kurfürst) of the
Holy Roman Empire. He was also the last Governor of the
Spanish Netherlands and duke of
Luxembourg. An able soldier, his ambition led to conflicts that limited his ultimate dynastic achievements.
He was born in
Munich to
Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and
Henriette Adelaide of Savoy (d.1676). His maternal grandparents were
Victor Amadeus I of Savoy and
Christine Marie of France. Christine Marie was the second daughter of
Henry IV of France and his second wife
Marie de' Medici.
Wars against the Ottoman Empire and France
Maximilian inherited the elector's mantle while still a minor in 1679. By 1683 he was already embarked on a military career, fighting in the defense of
Vienna against the attempt of the
Ottoman Empire to extend their Islamic conquests further into
Europe. Returning to court for long enough to marry
Maria Antonia, daughter of
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and
Margaret of Spain, on
15 July 1685, his fame was assured when, in 1688, he led the capture of
Belgrade from the Turks.
In the
War of the Grand Alliance he again fought on the
Habsburgs' side, protected the Rhine frontier, and, being the Emperor's son-in-law, was appointed
governor of the
Spanish Netherlands in 1692.
Governor of the Spanish Netherlands
His Netherlands adventure catalyzed Maximilian Emanuel's dynastic ambitions, he also patronized the arts and acquired numerous
Dutch and
Flemish paintings for the
Wittelsbach collection. But in the year of his appointment as governor, Maria Antonia died. An alternative avenue for his ambition was offered by his
12 January 1694, marriage to
Teresa Kunegunda Sobieska, the death in that same year of whose father, the elected King of Poland
Jan III Sobieski, offered a potential avenue of influence in
Polish affairs.
However, he concentrated his interests in
Western Europe and making his sons by Teresa Kunegunda Sobieska,
Charles Albert and
Klemens August, the principal outlets for his ambitions.
War of the Spanish Succession
In 1699 Maximilian Emanuel's first son
Joseph Ferdinand, appointed heir of the Spanish crown, had died. By the outbreak of the
War of the Spanish Succession in 1701, he'd developed a plan for the Wittelsbachs to supplant the Habsburgs as Holy Roman Emperors. Allying himself with the
French against the Habsburgs, his plans were frustrated by the disastrous defeat at the
Battle of Blenheim in 1704. In the ensuing evacuation of his court to the Netherlands, Maximilian Emanuel's family became separated and his sons were held prisoners for several years in
Austria, Klemens August being brought up by
Jesuits. Bavaria was partitioned between Austria and the
elector palatine, leading to bloody uprisings of the people against the Austrian imperial troops. Maximilian Emanuel was again forced to flee the Netherlands after the
Battle of Ramillies (23 May 1706) and found refuge at the French court in
Versailles. In 1712
Luxemburg and
Namur were ceded to Maximilian Emaunel by his French allies.
The war was finally ended in 1713 in the
Treaty of Utrecht which restored Maximilian Emanuel. Only in 1715 was the family re-united in Munich.
Final years in Bavaria
Back in Bavaria, Maximilian Emanuel patronized the arts even more than before. Not only was the
Nymphenburg Palace enlarged during his reign but also the new
Schleissheim Palace was completed. In 1724 he created a union of all lines of the
Wittelsbach dynasty. Maximilian Emanuel founded also in 1726 the
Royal Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Immaculate Conception, a dynastic Order of the Royal House of Bavaria.
Sixteen years after Maximilian Emanuel's death in Munich, his son Charles VII Albert finally realized Wittelsbach aspirations when the male Habsburg line became extinct. Based upon his marriage to a daughter of
Emperor Joseph I, he was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1742, but he died within three years and the Empire reverted back to the Habsburgs through
Francis Stephen of Lorraine, husband of
Maria Theresa, eldest daughter of Joseph I's younger brother,
Charles VI.
Maximilian Emanuel is buried in the crypt of the
Theatinerkirche in Munich.
Ancestors
Succession
First marriage with
Maria Antonia of Austria, daughter of Emperor
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor:
Second marriage with
Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska of Poland, daughter of
John III Sobieski:
Stillborn child (1695)
Maria Anna Karoline (1696-1750), since 1720 a nun
Charles Albert (1697-1745), elector of Bavaria, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, ∞ 1722 Amalia Maria Josepha Anna of Austria (1701-1756)
Philipp Moritz Maria (1698-1719), elected bishop of Paderborn and Münster
Ferdinand Maria Innocenz (1699-1738), imperial general
Clemens August (1700-1761), Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Prince Archbishop of Cologne, Bishop of Regensburg, Paderborn, Osnabrück, Hildesheim and Münster
Wilhelm (1701-1704)
Alois Johann Adolf (1702-1705)
Johann Theodor (1703-1763), Cardinal, Prince bishop of Regensburg, Freising and Liege
Maximilian Emanuel Thomas (1704-1709)
Literature
Ludwig Hüttl: Max Emanuel. Der Blaue Kurfürst 1679-1726. Eine politische Biographie. Munich: Süddeutscher Verlag, 1976. ISBN 3799158634
Christian Probst: Lieber bayrisch sterben. Der bayrische Volksaufstand der Jahre 1705 und 1706. Munich: Süddeutscher Verlag, 1978. ISBN 3-7991-5970-3
Marcus Junkelmann: Kurfürst Max Emanuel von Bayern als Feldherr. Munich: Herbert Utz Verlag, 2000. ISBN 3-89675-731-8 Further Information
Get more info on 'Maximilian Ii Emanuel Elector Of Bavaria'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://maximilian_ii_emanuel__elector_of_bavaria.totallyexplained.com">Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
