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,
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 ...
) 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. His maternal grandparents were
Amadeus, Prince of Achaea 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 and
Diether von Isenburg, 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 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. 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