Louis VI,

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 ...

(4 July 1539 in

Simmern Simmern (; officially Simmern/Hunsrück) is a town of roughly 7,600 inhabitants (2013) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the district seat of the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, and the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Simmern-Rheinböllen. In the Rhinelan ...

– 22 October 1583 in

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 ...

), was an

Elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

from the

Palatinate-Simmern The House of Palatinate-Simmern (german: Pfalz-Simmern) was a German- Bavarian cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach. The house was one of the collateral lineages of the Palatinate. The Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbach was divided i ...

branch of 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 o ...

. He was the first-born son of

Frederick III, Elector Palatine Frederick III of Simmern, the Pious, Elector Palatine of the Rhine (14 February 1515 – 16 October 1576) was a ruler from the house of Wittelsbach, branch Palatinate-Simmern-Sponheim. He was a son of John II of Simmern and inherited the Pala ...

and

Marie of Brandenburg-Kulmbach Marie of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (born 14 October 1519 in Ansbach – died 31 October 1567 in Heidelberg) was a Princess of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and by marriage Electress Palatine. Biography Marie was the oldest child of the Margrave Casimir of B ...

Biography

To learn French, the young prince Ludwig visited the Burgundian University Dole in 1554. As presumptive heir of the Electorate in the Palatinate, he was already participating in government affairs at the court of

Otto Henry, Elector Palatine Otto-Henry, Elector Palatine, (; 10 April 1502, Amberg – 12 February 1559, Heidelberg) a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty was Count Palatine of Palatinate-Neuburg from 1505 to 1559 and prince elector of the Palatinate from 1556 to 1559. H ...

. Since 1563, he was governor of the

Upper Palatinate The Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz, , ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany, and is located in the east of Bavaria. Geography The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and numerous ponds and lakes ...

. Unlike his father, he gave preference to

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

over

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

, replacing Calvinists from positions at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. The Calvinist theologians found protection at the court of Prince John Casimir, the brother of Ludwig, in

Neustadt an der Weinstrasse Neustadt (German for ''new town'' or ''new city'') may refer to: Places * Neustadt (urban district) Czech Republic *Neustadt an der Mettau, Nové Město nad Metují *Neustadt an der Tafelfichte, Nové Město pod Smrkem *Nové Město na Mora ...

and established the "

Casimirianum Neustadt The Casimirianum in Neustadt an der Haardt (currently Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Rheinland-Pfalz) was a Reformed academy, which was founded in 1578 by Count Palatine Johann Casimir and named after him. The Casimirianum endured only five years. ...

". During the

Cologne War The Cologne War (german: Kölner Krieg, Kölnischer Krieg, Truchsessischer Krieg; 1583–88) was a conflict between Protestant and Catholic factions that devastated the Electorate of Cologne, a historical ecclesiastical principality of the Holy ...

Louis VI was the only Lutheran imperial prince who stood on the side of Cologne's Elector and Archbishop

Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg (10 November 1547 – 31 May 1601) was Archbishop-Elector of Cologne. After pursuing an ecclesiastical career, he won a close election in the cathedral chapter of Cologne over Ernst of Bavaria. After his ...

. With the Lutheran reorganization of the country Louis adopted a new court constitution, a police constitution and in 1582, a grand country constitution.

Family and children

Ludwig VI was married twice. First, on 8 July 1560, he married

Elisabeth of Hesse Elisabeth of Hesse (13 February 1539 – 14 March 1582) was a German noblewoman. She was a daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse and Christine of Saxony, daughter of George, Duke of Saxony. On 8 July 1560 she married Louis VI, Elector Pal ...

(13 February 1539 – 14 March 1582). They had the following children: # Anna Marie (b. Heidelberg, 24 July 1561 - d. Eskilstuna, 29 July 1589), married

Charles IX of Sweden Charles IX, also Carl ( sv, Karl IX; 4 October 1550 – 30 October 1611), reigned as King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I () and of his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, the brother of King Eric X ...

# Elisabeth (b. Heidelberg, 15 June 1562 - d. Heidelberg, 2 November 1562). # Dorothea Elisabeth (b. Jagdschloß Deinschwang, 12 January 1565 - d. Jagdschloß Deinschwang, 7 March 1565). # Dorothea (b. Amberg, 4 August 1566 - d. Amberg, 10 March 1568). # Frederick Philip (b. Amberg, 19 October 1567 - d. Amberg, 14 November 1568). # Johann Friedrich (b. Amberg, 17 February 1569 - d. Amberg, 20 March 1569). # Ludwig (b. Amberg, 30 December 1570 - d. Amberg, 7 May 1571). # Katharina (b. Amberg, April 1572 - d. Amberg, 16 October 1586). # Christine (b. Schloß Hirschwald, 6 January 1573 - d. Zweibrücken, 21 July 1619). #

Frederick IV, Elector Palatine Frederick IV, Elector Palatine of the Rhine (german: Kurfürst Friedrich IV. von der Pfalz; 5 March 1574 – 19 September 1610), only surviving son of Louis VI, Elector Palatine and Elisabeth of Hesse, called "Frederick the Righteous" (german: ...

(b. Amberg, 5 March 1574 - d. Heidelberg, 9 September 1610). # Philip (b. Amberg, 4 May 1575 - d. Amberg, 9 August 1575). # Elisabeth (b. Amberg, 24 November 1576 - d. Heidelberg, 10 April 1577). Second, he married on 12 July 1583 Countess

Anne of Ostfriesland Anne of Ostfriesland (June 26, 1562 – April 21, 1621) was the eldest daughter of Count Edzard II of East Frisia and his wife, Catherine Vasa, daughter of Gustav I of Sweden. Anne married three times: *First, on July 12, 1583 in Heidelberg ...

(26 June 1562 – 21 April 1621), but they had no children.

References

Sources

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Louis 06, Elector Palatine 1539 births 1583 deaths House of Palatinate-Simmern House of Wittelsbach Prince-electors of the Palatinate Burials at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Heidelberg