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

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

– 12 December 1476,

) was a

Count Palatine of the Rhine This article lists counts palatine of Lotharingia, counts palatine of the Rhine, and electors of the Palatinate (), the titles of three counts palatine who ruled some part of the Rhine region in the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire b ...

and

Elector Palatine This article lists counts palatine of Lotharingia, counts palatine of the Rhine, and electors of the Palatinate (), the titles of three counts palatine who ruled some part of the Rhine region in the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire b ...

from the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

in 1451–1476.

Biography

He was a son of

Louis III, Elector Palatine Louis III () (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 Germany and his wife Elisabeth of Nuremberg. Dur ...

and his second wife

Matilda of Savoy Matilda (or Mechtilde) of Savoy (1390–1438) was Electress Palatine as the second wife of the Elector Palatine Louis III, whom she married on 30 November 1417. She was a daughter of Amadeo, Prince of Achaea and Catherine of Geneva. Children M ...

. His maternal grandparents were

Amadeus, Prince of Achaea Amadeus or Amedeo of Savoy (1363 – 7 May 1402) was the son of James of Piedmont and his third wife Marguerite de Beaujeu. By James' will of 16 May 1366, he was declared his firstborn (his elder half-brother was considered a traitor by their ...

and his wife Catherina of Geneva. He ruled the

Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy Roman Empero ...

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

Philip, Elector Palatine Philip the Upright () (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 Rhine and his wife Margaret ...

. 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 (, 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 founder of the University of Ingolstadt (now ...

. Frederick was also successful against other opponents such as the emperor's party follower

Albrecht III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg Albrecht III (9 November 141411 March 1486) was Elector of Brandenburg from 1471 until his death, the third from the House of Hohenzollern. A member of the Order of the Swan, he received the cognomen ''Achilles'' because of his knightly qualit ...

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 The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...

, 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 ...

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,

Charles I, Margrave of Baden-Baden Charles I of Baden (1427 – 24 February 1475, Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its je ...

and

Ulrich V, Count of Württemberg Ulrich V (14131 September 1480), nicknamed the Much-Loved (), was County of Württemberg, Count of Württemberg from 1419 and then count of Württemberg-Stuttgart until his death in 1480. Life Ulrich was born in 1413, the youngest child of Coun ...

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 spou ...

. They had two children: *Friedrich von Wittelsbach (1461–1474). * Louis I, Count of Löwenstein (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 town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was first mentioned in 1123. The castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nob ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick 01, Elector Palatine Wittelsbach, Frederick I of the Rhine Wittelsbach, Frederick I of the Rhine 15th-century Prince-electors of the Palatinate House of Wittelsbach