Louis I (german: Ludwig; 23 December 1173 – 15 September 1231), called the Kelheimer or of Kelheim, since he was born and died at
Kelheim
Kelheim () is a town and municipality in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the district Kelheim and is situated at the confluence of the rivers Altmühl and Danube. Kelheim has a population of around 16,750 (2020).
History
Kelheim is ...
, was the
Duke of Bavaria from 1183 and
Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1214. He was a son of
Otto I
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...
and his wife
Agnes of Loon. Louis was married to
Ludmilla, a daughter of Duke
Frederick of Bohemia.
Life
Early years
Soon after his father's death in 1183, Louis was appointed under the guardianship of his uncle
Conrad of Wittelsbach and
Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. His mother,
Agnes, an energetic and enterprising leader, had taken over the regency of Bavaria in the meantime, securing her son's inheritance. Upon his coming-of-age, in 1189, at sixteen years old, at the beginning of his reign, he had already fallen in the midst of a conflict which triggered the nearly simultaneous extinction of the Burgrave of Regensburg and the
Count of Sulzbach in the years 1188 and 1189. This allowed Barbarossa to expand his royal domains within the Empire to include Regensburg and Sulzbach at Louis's expense. When the Emperor died on
Crusade
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...
, and his son,
Henry VI had ascended the throne on 15 April 1191 in Rome, he had immediately found a princely opposition in
Ottokar I of Bohemia
Ottokar I ( cs, Přemysl Otakar I.; c. 1155 – 1230) was Duke of Bohemia periodically beginning in 1192, then acquired the title of King of Bohemia, first in 1198 from Philip of Swabia, later in 1203 from Otto IV of Brunswick and in 1212 (a ...
and his brother-in-law Count
Albert III of Bogen who demanded a revision of the Staufen imperial land policy. Using that justification, Albert had designs to seize the Sulzbach domains from Emperor Henry's royal territory. Louis immediately attempted to mediate and called for a
Hoftag in
Laufen, which caught the attention of many great men within the Empire, to settle the dispute. Yet he could not stop the Count of Bogen and the Sulzbach land was taken. When Duke Louis turned against that, it came to war. Louis's forces were pushed back by the combined might of Count Albert and Duke Ottokar. Even the vicious counter-attack of
Leopold V, Duke of Austria
Leopold V (1157 – 31 December 1194), known as the Virtuous (german: der Tugendhafte) was a member of the House of Babenberg who reigned as Duke of Austria from 1177 and Duke of Styria from 1192 until his death. The Georgenberg Pact resulted in L ...
and
Berthold, Duke of Merania were not able to change the situation. And Louis had vowed to never stop until Count Albert was without Sulzbach.
It was in the summer of 1192 at
Worms where he received the German tradition of
knighting, which was the handing of sword and belt, in the presence of
Emperor Henry VI and many other Princes.
[Stevens 1706, pp. 56] By 1193, Emperor Henry became involved in-person over the affair and seized Sulzbach and Albert declared a standstill of arms; Albert was to be banished and Ottokar of Bohemia deprived of his duchy. In exchange for this service, Louis was to remain, for the next decade and a half, on the side of the Staufen. Louis would demonstrate his partisanship at the Hoftag at
Würzburg,
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...
and his attendance of the Imperial retinue to
Apulia
it, Pugliese
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and
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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, where he would stand with the Emperor on securing Emperor Henry's inheritance of southern Italy.
Until the death of the emperor, Louis remained a loyal supporter of Henry VI and accompanied the
Hohenstaufen
The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynas ...
in 1194 also to Italy on his second expedition for the conquest of the kingdom of Sicily, which was entitled Henry's wife Constance as sole heir. In the struggle for the throne after the death of Henry VI, he remained one of the main supporters of the Hohenstaufen
Philip of Swabia
Philip of Swabia (February/March 1177 – 21 June 1208) was a member of the House of Hohenstaufen and King of Germany from 1198 until his assassination.
The death of his older brother Emperor Henry VI in 1197 meant that the Hohenstaufen rule (w ...
. His continued support, however, had a price. When the Landgrave of Stefling died without an heir in 1196, instead of including the region over to his royal domain, Henry enfeoffed it to Louis instead. Suddenly,
Eberhard, Archbishop of Salzburg and
Conrad, Bishop of Regensburg, falling at variance, declared war on Duke Louis and spared no sacred nor profane structures. It was only through Louis's character that peace was restored.
[Stevens 1706, pp. 56]
The following year, in 1197, Louis went with the Emperor to Sicily to prepare for their departure for the German
Crusade of 1197
The Crusade of 1197, also known as the Crusade of Henry VI (german: Kreuzzug Heinrichs VI.) or the German Crusade (''Deutscher Kreuzzug''), was a crusade launched by the Hohenstaufen emperor Henry VI in response to the aborted attempt of his f ...
. But Henry had died of an illness; possibly malaria, suddenly. And the journey was canceled. Henry's death thus began a most difficult epoch in German history.
Rise to power
The northern and western German princes demanded a new emperor, choosing
Otto of Brunswick, mainly under the encouragement of
Pope Celestine III
Pope Celestine III ( la, Caelestinus III; c. 1106 – 8 January 1198), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 March or 10 April 1191 to his death in 1198. He had a tense relationship with several monarchs, ...
, while the southern and eastern German princes remained loyal to the Hohenstaufen. While it was true that Emperor Henry was still alive when his young son
Frederick II was elected king at two years of age, he had no way of knowing that his son would become challenged by such a force. The only force that could counter the north and west German's choice was Henry's brother Philip who had initially considered being regent, but was refused that right as the south and east Germans needed an acting king; and Frederick II was too young. Because of all that, it resulted in a double-election in 1198. That same year, Louis's old nemesis, Albert III of Bogen, had died. Thus leaving him with one less problem and one great opportunity.
Louis married the widowed
Ludmilla of Bohemia
Ludmilla (Ludmiła) of Bohemia (died 14 August 1240) was a daughter of Frederick, Duke of Bohemia, and his wife, Elizabeth of Hungary. Ludmilla was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty. She was Duchess consort of Bavaria by her marriage to Louis ...
in 1204 to gain the alliance of her uncle King
Ottokar I of Bohemia
Ottokar I ( cs, Přemysl Otakar I.; c. 1155 – 1230) was Duke of Bohemia periodically beginning in 1192, then acquired the title of King of Bohemia, first in 1198 from Philip of Swabia, later in 1203 from Otto IV of Brunswick and in 1212 (a ...
. This also gave him claim to the lands of Albert III of Bogen (brother-in-law of King Ottokar I), if at least not directly. That same year, the Margraviate of
Vohburg passed to Louis as well.
An old story goes that the Duke made the acquaintance of Ludmilla of Bohemia with affection and she fearing he did it to delude her, hid three persons she trusted behind a curtain and gave them three pictures to hold up. This done, she begged of him to see her no more unless he promised to marry her before witnesses. The Duke hesitated and she pointed to the three pictures saying,"Those said persons should be witnesses to your promises." Louis, thinking those persons could never rise in judgement against him, made her all the protestations she could desire, so she drew back the curtains and revealed the three living witnesses. He was so taken with the contrivance that he solemnly married her afterwards.
[Stevens 1706, pp. 56-57]
The margraves of Cham died without heirs in 1204 which resulted in major areas given to Louis by King Philip; however, the
March of the Nordgau was left as an imperial fief. With this new wealth of land, Louis founded
Landshut
Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also ...
and began the building of
Trausnitz Castle there that same year. The castle was completed by the time of Emperor Frederick II's visit later in 1235.
By the month of June 1208, the many lords of the Empire were gathering with King Philip at
Bamberg
Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castl ...
, the seat of the
Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg, to celebrate the wedding of his niece,
Beatrice II, Countess of Burgundy, with
Otto I, Duke of Merania
Otto I (c. 1180 – 7 May 1234), a member of the House of Andechs, was Duke of Merania from 1204 until his death. He was also Count of Burgundy (as Otto II) from 1208 to 1231, by his marriage to Countess Beatrice II, and Margrave of Istria and ...
. The ceremony was headed by
Ekbert, Bishop of Bamberg of the
House of Andechs (brother of the groom Otto) and
Henry II, Margrave of Istria who also was in attendance. After the ceremony, King Philip retired to his quarters, where he was murdered by
Otto VIII, Count Palatine of Bavaria Otto VIII, Count of Bavaria (before 1180 – 7 March 1209) was Count Palatine of Bavaria from 1189 to 1209.
Origin
Otto VIII was the son of Otto VII, and thereby the grandson of Otto IV, Count of Scheyern.
Regicide
On 21 June 1208 Otto VII ...
. The killer evaded the king's guards and fled the city. The lords were immediately called for a court assembly, and they blamed the house of Andechs for the murder of the King. Whether they had a hand in it directly is under debate, but that it happened under their watch is not; they were at least guilty of connivance, with Louis suspecting Henry II of Istria the most. All Andechs were banned from their lands, minus Otto I of Merania and Beatrice his bride who were both regarded as blameless. Thus, an old ally of Bavaria became an enemy overnight. Louis left Bamberg immediately, roused his army, and seized the
March of Istria
The March of Istria (or Margraviate of Istria ) was originally a Carolingian frontier march covering the Istrian peninsula and surrounding territory conquered by Charlemagne's son Pepin of Italy in 789. After 1364, it was the name of the Istrian ...
.
After King Philip's murder, Louis did not immediately support the
Welf King
Otto IV, but rather ran a new king's election in Bavaria under his influence in which he would decide whom he would support. Ultimately, like many others, to secure his accomplishments - and those of his family - he made deals with King Otto IV which granted him the imperial fiefs of the Andechs, assured succession of the
Palatinate of the Rhine
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 ...
towards him, and confirmed the everlasting reign of the
Wittelsbach family in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
.
Nonetheless in 1211, Louis joined the Hohenstaufen party again; Emperor Frederick II rewarded him with the Palatinate of the Rhine in 1214: Louis's son
Otto II
Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy ...
was married to Agnes of
the Palatinate
The Palatinate (german: Pfalz; Palatine German: ''Palz'') is a region of Germany. In the Middle Ages it was known as the Rhenish Palatinate (''Rheinpfalz'') and Lower Palatinate (''Unterpfalz''), which strictly speaking designated only the we ...
, a granddaughter of Duke
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion (german: Heinrich der Löwe; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195) was a member of the Welf dynasty who ruled as the duke of Saxony and Bavaria from 1142 and 1156, respectively, until 1180.
Henry was one of the most powerful German p ...
and
Conrad of Hohenstaufen. With this marriage, the Wittelsbach inherited the Palatinate and ultimately kept it as a Wittelsbach possession until 1918. Since that time also, the lion has become a heraldic symbol in the coat of arms for Bavaria and the Palatinate.
Crusade
On 23 July 1215, Louis was at
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th ...
, to oversee the re-crowning of
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jer ...
. While there, both Louis and Frederick took crusader vows. Louis was assigned commander of the Imperial army ahead of the Emperor, until Frederick would arrive there himself.
He founded the city of
Straubing in 1218.
The Emperor had given Louis 2000 marks of silver for his Crusade.
In May 1221, Louis sailed on with his Bavarian army with
Ulrich II, Bishop of Passau,
Herman V, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Herman V, Margrave of Baden (c. 1180 – 17 January 1243) ruled Verona and Baden from 1190 until his death.
He was the son of Herman IV and his wife Bertha of Tübingen. He married in 1217 to Irmengard, Countess Palatine by the Rhine (born 1 ...
,
John of Brienne
John of Brienne ( 1170 – 19–23 March 1237), also known as John I, was King of Jerusalem from 1210 to 1225 and Latin Emperor of Constantinople from 1229 to 1237. He was the youngest son of Erard II of Brienne, a wealthy nobleman in Champagn ...
and many other nobles. As soon as their fleet had arrived at Damietta, a council was held with
Pelagio Galvani
Pelagio Galvani (c. 1165 – 30 January 1230, Portuguese: Latin: Pelagius) was a Leonese cardinal, and canon lawyer. He became a papal legate and leader of the Fifth Crusade.
Born at Guimarães, his early life is little known. It is repeatedl ...
, the papal legate, in the city. Louis had urged they assemble their armies and strike at the sultan's camp, before the river should take up its usual increase. A plan was formed and tents were set up just up the river on 29 June. On 6 July, the Legate had ordered a three-day fast and carrying the banner of Christ barefoot, planted it where the river rises. That next day, King John had come with a numerous army to bring further assistance to their cause. Then on 17 July they gathered at the village of
Fariskur
Faraskur ( ar, فارسكور) is a city in Damietta Governorate, Egypt. Before the 1952 revolution it was a part of Dakahlia Governorate.
Notable people
*Riad Al Sunbati
See also
*Battle of Fariskur (1219), during the Fifth Crusade
*Battle o ...
, where they were met by the enemy. In the
battle of Fariskur, they repelled the enemy so well, no losses came to the crusader side. The legate had been generous in wages to the knights and their attendants, armed ships sparing neither body nor wealth to finish the task, along with the help of Duke Louis, King John, the bishops, archbishops and the grand masters of the orders.
On 19 July the Saracens had sent a large cavalry force against the Crusaders. The Muslims had surrounded the Christians and shot arrows at them, avoiding close combat. The Crusaders responded in kind and the Muslims withdrew. But the next day, on 20 July, the enemy had attacked fiercer than ever, only to injure and kill very few Crusaders in number. By 21 July, the Muslims retreated yet again. But in doing so, they burned many of their villages in the process, to prevent the Crusaders from gaining those footholds and their resources. This failed, as the Crusaders still managed to find food in many of the deserted villages. This granted the Crusaders a peaceful pass through
Saramsah, which the Sultan had destroyed.
He was given as a hostage in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
to
Al-Kamil but later released. In 1225 Louis took over the guardianship for the young king
Henry. Subsequently, however, Louis's relationship with both his ward and the emperor deteriorated. With the latter, there were differences in matters of church policy, during the conflict with Henry in 1229 he even fought with military means, but the Bavarian duke was defeated. He intrigued with the Pope against the Staufer during the
War of the Keys in Italy. Under pressure, he moved back to Kelheim Castle in 1230.
He founded the city of
Landau an der Isar in 1224.
Final years
Louis was murdered in 1231 on a bridge in Kelheim. The crime was never cleared up since the murderer - reportedly an
Assassin - was immediately lynched, though many suspected
Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jer ...
to be behind the deed. Afterwards the city of Kelheim lost the favour of the Wittelsbach family and its status as a ducal residence. Louis's son and successor,
Otto the Illustrious, had the bridge broken down in the following year and changed its gate to a chapel. Louis was buried in the crypt of
Scheyern Abbey.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ludwig 01, Duke of Bavaria
1173 births
1231 deaths
12th-century dukes of Bavaria
13th-century dukes of Bavaria
People from Kelheim
Counts Palatine of the Rhine
Ludwig 01 Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Ludwig 01 Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Medieval child rulers
Murdered royalty