Frederick I, the Victorious (''der Siegreiche'') (1 August 1425,

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

– 12 December 1476,

) was a

Count Palatine of the Rhine The counts palatine of Lotharingia /counts palatine of the Rhine /electors of the Palatinate (german: Kurfürst von der Pfalz) ruled some part of Rhine area in the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire from 915 to 1803. The title was a kind ...

and

Elector Palatine The counts palatine of Lotharingia /counts palatine of the Rhine /electors of the Palatinate (german: Kurfürst von der Pfalz) ruled some part of Rhine area in the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire from 915 to 1803. The title was a kind ...

from the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...

in 1451–1476.

Biography

He was a son of

Louis III, Elector Palatine Louis III (german: Ludwig III. der Ältere or der Bärtige) (23 January 1378 – 30 December 1436), was an Elector Palatine of the Rhine from the house of Wittelsbach in 1410–1436. Biography Louis III was the third son of King Rupert of Ge ...

and his second wife

Matilda of Savoy Matilda (Mechtilde) of Savoy (1390–1438) was a daughter of Amadeo, Prince of Achaea (also known as Amadeus of Piedmont or Amadeus of Savoy) and Catherine of Geneva. She was the second wife of the Elector Palatine Louis III, whom she married o ...

. His maternal grandparents were Amadeus, Prince of Achaea and his wife Catherina of Geneva. He ruled the

Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...

after the death of his brother Louis IV as regent for his nephew

Philip, Elector Palatine Philip the Upright (german: Philipp der Aufrichtige) (14 July 1448 – 28 February 1508) was an Elector Palatine of the Rhine from the house of Wittelsbach from 1476 to 1508. Biography He was the only son of Louis IV, Count Palatine of the R ...

. He adopted his nephew in 1451 and refused to marry. From this "Arrogation," he claimed the right to be the legitimate elector. As this action was against imperial law, Emperor Frederick III refused to confirm Frederick's status. However, the emperor did not manage to displace Frederick who was an able strategist and allied with

Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria Louis IX (german: Ludwig IX, Herzog von Bayern-Landshut, also known as Louis the Rich; 23 February 1417 – 18 January 1479) was Duke of Bavaria-Landshut from 1450. He was a son of Henry XVI the Rich and Margaret of Austria. Louis was the ...

. Frederick was also successful against other opponents such as the emperor's party follower Albrecht III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg and

Diether von Isenburg Diether von Isenburg ( 14127 May 1482) was twice Archbishop (1459–1461 and 1475–1482) and founder of the University of Mainz. As Archbishop of Mainz, he was ''ex officio'' Elector and Lord Chancellor of Germany. Biography Diether was a son ...

, the archbishop of Mainz, and increased his territory. With the

Battle of Seckenheim The Battle of Seckenheim (June 1462) saw the army of the Electoral Palatinate led by Frederick I, Elector Palatine and his ally Dieter von Isenburg face an invading army led by Charles I, Margrave of Baden-Baden, Ulrich V, Count of Württemberg, Lo ...

during the

Bavarian War (1459–63) Bavarian War may refer to: * Bavarian War (1420–1422), a conflict between Louis VII of Bavaria-Ingolstadt and Henry XVI of Bavaria-Landshut * Bavarian War (1459–1463), a conflict between Albert Achilles of Brandenburg and Louis IX of Bavaria- ...

Frederick captured his antagonists Bishop

George of Baden George of Baden (1433 – February 11, 1484) was Bishop of Metz. He was the fourth son of Jacob, Margrave of Baden-Baden and Catherine de Lorraine (1407–1439). He entered the church in 1445 and studied in Erfurt, Pavia and Cologne. In 1456, he ...

Charles I, Margrave of Baden-Baden Charles I of Baden (1427 – 24 February 1475, Pforzheim) was a Margrave of Baden-Baden during 1454–1475. Charles was the elder son of Jacob, Margrave of Baden-Baden, and his wife Catherine, daughter of Charles II, Duke of Lorraine. In 1462 h ...

and

Ulrich V, Count of Württemberg Ulrich V of Württemberg called ''"der Vielgeliebte"'' (the much loved) (1413Detlev Schwennicke: ''Europaische Stammtafeln'', New Series, Vol. I/2, Tafel 256. – 1 September 1480, in Leonberg), Count of Württemberg. He was the younger son of Cou ...

Marriage and children

In 1471/1472, Frederick married his long-time mistress

Clara Tott Clara Tott, in other sources Clara Dett, Clara of Dettingen, Tettingen, or Clare Dettin ( – 1520), was a court singer associated with the Elector Palatine Frederick I, whom she is said to have secretly married. Life Clara Tott was the ...

. She was a commoner and this was considered a

morganatic marriage Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

. They had two children: *Friedrich von Wittelsbach (1461–1474). *

Louis I, Count of Löwenstein Louis I, Count of Löwenstein (29 September 1463 in Heidelberg – 28 March 1523 in Löwenstein) was the founder of the House of Lowenstein-Wertheim. Life Louis was a son of the Elector Palatine Frederick I (1425-1476) from his morganatic marri ...

(29 September 1463 – 28 March 1523). Married first Elisabeth von Montfort and secondly Sophia Böcklin. Ancestor of the further rulers of

Löwenstein Löwenstein () is a city in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was first mentioned in 1123. The castle of Löwenstein served as a residence for the counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim. In 1634 the castle was destroyed by the ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick 01, Elector Palatine Wittelsbach, Frederick I of the Rhine Wittelsbach, Frederick I of the Rhine House of Wittelsbach Prince-electors of the Palatinate