William V, Duke of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
William V, Duke of Bavaria (29 September 1548 – 7 February 1626), called the Pious, (German
: Wilhelm V., der Fromme, Herzog von Bayern) was Duke of Bavaria from 1579 to 1597.
, the son of Albert V
and Anna of Austria (1528-1590)
.
He received a Jesuit education and showed keen attachment to the Jesuit Counter Reformation tenets. His title 'the Pious' was given to him because he devoted his daily routine to masses (when possible, several times a day), prayer, contemplation, and devotional reading. He took part in public devotions, processions, and pilgrimages.
His residence as crown prince was the ancient fortified Wittelsbach seat Trausnitz Castle
in Landshut
. Its upgrading from a Gothic fortification into a renaissance complex of truly representational proportions including the construction of an arcaded inner court were achieved in the decade between 1568 and 1578.
father and grandfather, William was a strong supporter of the counter-reformation
. He secured the archbishop
ric of Cologne
for his brother Ernest with his campaign in 1583; his brother Ferdinand commanded the Bavarian army in the first 18 months of the Cologne War
in an effort to secure the Electorate
. Eventually, the Spanish army, under the command of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
expelled the Calvinist contender for the Electorate, Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg
, and Ernst secured sole possession of both the Electorate and the Archdiocese of Cologne. This dignity remained in the possession of the family for nearly 200 years.
Two of his sons also followed ecclesiastical careers: Philipp Wilhelm of Wittelsbach became the Bishop of Regensburg and eventually a Cardinal
, and Ferdinand
succeeded his uncle, to become Archbishop of Cologne.
During his reign non-Catholics were forced to leave Bavaria, and the so-called Geistlicher Rat, an ecclesiastical council, was formed to advise William on theological affairs, independent of the traditional privy council or the treasury, which administered secular affairs. The Geistlicher Rat supervised and disciplined the duchy’s Catholic clergy through regular visitations; it controlled the Catholicism of all the state officials by issuing certificates documenting their annual confession and communion; it funded new Catholic schools, new Catholic colleges, new houses of religious orders, especially the missionary
and educational ones, such as the Jesuits and Capuchins
for men and the Ursulines
for women. William is responsible for numerous executions due to Witch-hunt
in his duchy.
The Jesuit Michael's Church and college of the Jesuits
were built in Munich between 1583 and 1597 as spiritual centers for the counter-reformation. William's spending on Church-related projects, including funding missionaries outside Bavaria— as far away as Asia and the Americas— put tremendous strain on the Bavarian treasury. The Italian confidence man Marco Bragadino
who was promising to make copious amounts of gold to erase the Dukes's debts was called upon by William V in 1590, and executed after he had failed. William abdicated on 15 October 1597 in favour of his son, Maximilian I
and retired into a monastery where he spent the remainder of his life in contemplation and prayer. He died in 1626 in the Schleissheim Palace
. He is buried in Saint Michael's Church.
was in charge of the decoration and remodelling of Trausnitz Castle in Landshut and later when William ascended to rule for the expansion of the Munich Residenz
and the construction of St. Michael's Church, of the adjoining college and of the palace Wilhelminische Veste (the so-called Maxburg) in Munich. Numerous sculptors and painters like Hans Krumpper
, Peter Candid
and Hans von Aachen
were engaged to the court. The history of Schleissheim Palace started with a renaissance
country house and hermitage founded by William. In 1589 William initialized the Hofbräu Brewery
.
Married Renata of Lorraine
(1544–1602) in Munich
on 22 February 1568. They had 10 children, three of whom died in infancy or childhood. The remainder went on to careers or marriage:
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Wilhelm V., der Fromme, Herzog von Bayern) was Duke of Bavaria from 1579 to 1597.
Education and early life
William was born in LandshutLandshut
Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. 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 the seat of the...
, the son of Albert V
Albert V, Duke of Bavaria
Albert V was Duke of Bavaria from 1550 until his death. He was born in Munich to William IV and Marie Jacobaea of Baden.-Early life:Albert was educated at Ingolstadt under good Catholic teachers...
and Anna of Austria (1528-1590)
Anna of Austria (1528-1590)
Anna of Austria was the daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and his wife Anna of Bohemia and Hungary .- Family :Anna was the third of fifteen children...
.
He received a Jesuit education and showed keen attachment to the Jesuit Counter Reformation tenets. His title 'the Pious' was given to him because he devoted his daily routine to masses (when possible, several times a day), prayer, contemplation, and devotional reading. He took part in public devotions, processions, and pilgrimages.
His residence as crown prince was the ancient fortified Wittelsbach seat Trausnitz Castle
Trausnitz Castle
Trausnitz Castle is a medieval castle situated in Landshut, Bavaria in Germany. It was the home of the Wittelsbach dynasty, and it served as their ducal residence for Lower Bavaria from 1255–1503, and later as hereditary rulers of the whole of Bavaria...
in Landshut
Landshut
Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. 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 the seat of the...
. Its upgrading from a Gothic fortification into a renaissance complex of truly representational proportions including the construction of an arcaded inner court were achieved in the decade between 1568 and 1578.
Reign
Like his WittelsbachWittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
father and grandfather, William was a strong supporter of the counter-reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
. He secured the archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
ric of Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
for his brother Ernest with his campaign in 1583; his brother Ferdinand commanded the Bavarian army in the first 18 months of the Cologne War
Cologne War
The Cologne War devastated the Electorate of Cologne, a historical ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire, present-day North-Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany...
in an effort to secure the Electorate
Electorate
Electorate may refer to:* voters, people entitled to vote in an election* electoral district or constituency, the geographic area of a particular election* The dominion of a Prince-elector in the Holy Roman Empire...
. Eventually, the Spanish army, under the command of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese was Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1586 to 1592, and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592.-Biography:...
expelled the Calvinist contender for the Electorate, Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg
Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg
Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg 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 election, he fell in love with and later married Agnes von Mansfeld-Eisleben, a Protestant...
, and Ernst secured sole possession of both the Electorate and the Archdiocese of Cologne. This dignity remained in the possession of the family for nearly 200 years.
Two of his sons also followed ecclesiastical careers: Philipp Wilhelm of Wittelsbach became the Bishop of Regensburg and eventually a Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
, and Ferdinand
Ferdinand of Bavaria
-Biography:Ferdinand was born in Munich, one of the sons of William V, Duke of Bavaria.His parents decided early that he would have church life, and they sent him to the Jesuit school at Ingolstadt for education in early 1587. He quickly became a canon in: Mainz, Cologne, Würzburg, Trier, Salzburg,...
succeeded his uncle, to become Archbishop of Cologne.
During his reign non-Catholics were forced to leave Bavaria, and the so-called Geistlicher Rat, an ecclesiastical council, was formed to advise William on theological affairs, independent of the traditional privy council or the treasury, which administered secular affairs. The Geistlicher Rat supervised and disciplined the duchy’s Catholic clergy through regular visitations; it controlled the Catholicism of all the state officials by issuing certificates documenting their annual confession and communion; it funded new Catholic schools, new Catholic colleges, new houses of religious orders, especially the missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and educational ones, such as the Jesuits and Capuchins
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
for men and the Ursulines
Ursulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
for women. William is responsible for numerous executions due to Witch-hunt
Witch-hunt
A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...
in his duchy.
The Jesuit Michael's Church and college of the Jesuits
Old Academy (Munich)
Die Old Academy , also called Wilhelminum, is a building in the center of Munich, Germany. Dating from the 16th century, it has a Renaissance facade and four inner courtyards.- History :...
were built in Munich between 1583 and 1597 as spiritual centers for the counter-reformation. William's spending on Church-related projects, including funding missionaries outside Bavaria— as far away as Asia and the Americas— put tremendous strain on the Bavarian treasury. The Italian confidence man Marco Bragadino
Marco Bragadino
Marco Bragadino or Marco Bragadini was a Venitian confidence man who claimed to be an alchemist. His name at birth is said to have been Mamugna but he impersonated the son of the dead military officer Marco Antonio Bragadin...
who was promising to make copious amounts of gold to erase the Dukes's debts was called upon by William V in 1590, and executed after he had failed. William abdicated on 15 October 1597 in favour of his son, Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria
Maximilian I, Duke/Elector of Bavaria , called "the Great", was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. His reign was marked by the Thirty Years' War ....
and retired into a monastery where he spent the remainder of his life in contemplation and prayer. He died in 1626 in the Schleissheim Palace
Schleissheim Palace
The Schleissheim Palace actually comprises three palaces in a grand baroque park in the village of Oberschleißheim near Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The palace was the summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-Old Schleissheim Palace:...
. He is buried in Saint Michael's Church.
Cultural activity
Already as crown prince in Landshut William patronised the arts. His court architect Friedrich SustrisFriedrich Sustris
Friedrich Sustris was a German-Dutch painter, decorator and architect. He was a son of the artist Lambert Sustris, who worked in Italy....
was in charge of the decoration and remodelling of Trausnitz Castle in Landshut and later when William ascended to rule for the expansion of the Munich Residenz
Residenz, Munich
The Munich Residenz is the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs in the center of the city of Munich, Germany...
and the construction of St. Michael's Church, of the adjoining college and of the palace Wilhelminische Veste (the so-called Maxburg) in Munich. Numerous sculptors and painters like Hans Krumpper
Hans Krumpper
Hans Krumpper was a German sculptor, plasterer, architect and intendant of the arts who served the Bavarian dukes William V...
, Peter Candid
Peter Candid
Peter Candid aka Peter de Witt or Peter de Witte was a Netherlandish Mannerist painter and architect. He moved to Florence as a child with his father, a tapestry weaver, and was trained in Italy. Candid worked with Giorgio Vasari on the Sala Regia in the Vatican and on the cupola of the Florence...
and Hans von Aachen
Hans von Aachen
Hans von Aachen , was a German mannerist painter.-Biography:He was born in Cologne, but his name is derived from the birthplace of his father, Aachen in Germany...
were engaged to the court. The history of Schleissheim Palace started with a renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
country house and hermitage founded by William. In 1589 William initialized the Hofbräu Brewery
Hofbräuhaus
The Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München is a brewery in Munich, Germany, owned by the Bavarian state government...
.
Family and children
Renata of Lorraine
Renata of Lorraine was the daughter of Francis I, Duke of Lorraine and Christina of Denmark. Her maternal grandparents were Christian II of Denmark and Isabella of Burgundy...
(1544–1602) in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
on 22 February 1568. They had 10 children, three of whom died in infancy or childhood. The remainder went on to careers or marriage:
- Maximilian IMaximilian I, Elector of BavariaMaximilian I, Duke/Elector of Bavaria , called "the Great", was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. His reign was marked by the Thirty Years' War ....
(1573–1651), future Duke and Elector of Bavaria - Maria Anna of Bavaria (Maria Anna v.Bayern), 1574–1616, married Ferdinand II, Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand II, Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
in 1600 - Philipp Wilhelm (22 September 1576 - 18 May 1598), BishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of RegensburgRegensburgRegensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
from 1595, CardinalCardinal (Catholicism)A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
from 1597 - FerdinandFerdinand of Bavaria-Biography:Ferdinand was born in Munich, one of the sons of William V, Duke of Bavaria.His parents decided early that he would have church life, and they sent him to the Jesuit school at Ingolstadt for education in early 1587. He quickly became a canon in: Mainz, Cologne, Würzburg, Trier, Salzburg,...
(6 October 1577 - 13 September 1650), ArchbishopArchbishopAn archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
and prince-electorPrince-electorThe Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
of CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
(1612–1650) - Albert VIAlbert VI of BavariaAlbert VI of Bavaria, , , son of William V, Duke of Bavaria and Renata of Lorraine, born and died in Munich.-Biography:Albert was 1651-1654 the regent for his young nephew Elector Ferdinand Maria....
(1584–1666), in 1612 married Mechthilde v. Leuchtenberg (1588–1634) - Magdalene of BavariaMagdalene of BavariaMagdalene of Bavaria was the daughter of William V, Duke of Bavaria and Renata of Lorraine. In 1613 she married Wolfgang William, Count Palatine of Neuburg. Their son was Philip William, Elector Palatine.-Ancestors:...
(4 July 1587 - 25 September 1628). Her tomb is in Hofkirche Neuburg a.d.Donau), in 1613 married Wolfgang Wilhelm, Pfalzgraf von Neuburg (1578–1663)