List of monarchs of Bavaria

Around 548 the kings of the Franks placed the border region of Bavaria under the administration of a duke—possibly Frankish or possibly chosen from amongst the local leading families—who was supposed to act as a regional governor for the Frankish king. The first duke we know of, and likely the first, was Gariwald, or Garibald I, a member of the powerful Agilolfing family. This was the beginning of a series of Agilolfing dukes that was to last until 788.

The kings (later emperors) of the Franks now assumed complete control, placing Bavaria under the rule of non-hereditary governors and civil servants. They were not dukes but rather kings of Bavaria. Emperor Louis the Pious divided control of the Empire among his sons, and the divisions became permanent in the decades following his death in 840. The Frankish rulers controlled Bavaria as part of their possessions.

Name	Image	Title	Start term	End term	Part	Note
Charlemagne		Emperor	788	814		Prefects of Bavaria: Gerold (794–799) and Audulf (799–818)
Louis the Pious		Emperor	814	826		In 814, Louis appointed his eldest son Lothair I as governor of Bavaria. In 817, Louis bestowed Bavaria upon his other son, Louis the German, who took charge of the province in 826, as King of Bavaria.
Louis the German		King of Bavaria	826	876		In 826, Louis started to rule as King of Bavaria, subordinate to his father, until the latter's death in 840. From 843, Bavaria was merged in Louis the German's Kingdom of East Francia. In 864, Louis the German gave control of Bavaria to his son Carloman, and died in 876. Louis' two younger sons, Louis and Charles—the latter of whom briefly recovered control of all the Frankish possessions—ruled Bavaria in succession after Carloman.
Carloman		King of Bavaria	876	880		Eldest son of Louis the German.
Louis the Younger		King of Bavaria	880	882		Son of Louis the German.
Charles the Fat		King of Bavaria	882	887		Youngest son of Louis the German. Carloman's bastard son, Arnulf of Carinthia, rebelled against Charles and took power in eastern Francia shortly before Charles' death.
Arnulf of Carinthia		King of Bavaria	887	899		Son of Carloman.
Louis the Child		King of Bavaria	899	911		Son of Arnulf of Carinthia.
Engeldeo		Margrave of Bavaria	890	895		Non-dynastic. Deprived of his title marchio Baioariorum and replaced by Luitpold.

Ruled by an array of dukes from an array of rivaling houses, individually appointed to office.

  Luitpolding dynasty

Luitpold, founder of the Luitpolding dynasty, was not a duke of Bavaria but a margrave of Carinthia under the rule of Louis the Child. Frankish power had waned in the region due to Hungarian attacks, allowing the local rulers greater independence. Luitpold's son, Arnulf, claimed the title of duke (implying full autonomy) in 911 and was recognized as such by King Henry the Fowler of Germany in 920.

  Ottonian dynasty   Salian dynasty

From 947 until the 11th century, the kings of Germany repeatedly transferred Bavaria into different hands (including their own), never allowing any one family to establish itself. Bavaria was ruled by a series of short-lasting, mostly unrelated dynasties.

  Houses of Welf and Babenberg

In 1070, Emperor Henry IV deposed Duke Otto, granting the duchy instead to Welf I, a member of the Italo-Bavarian family of Este. Welf I subsequently quarreled with King Henry and was deprived of his duchy for nineteen years, during which it was directly administered by the German crown. Welf I recovered the duchy in 1096, and was succeeded by his sons Welf II and Henry IX—the latter was succeeded by his son Henry X, who also became Duke of Saxony.

Name	Image	Title	Start term	End term	House	Part	Note
Luitpold		Margrave of Bavaria	895	907	Luitpolding
Arnulf the Bad		Duke of Bavaria	907	920	Luitpolding		Son of Luitpold. Arnulf the Bad claimed the title of duke—implying full autonomy—in 911, and was recognized as such by King Henry the Fowler in 920.
Eberhard		Duke of Bavaria	937	938	Luitpolding
Berthold		Duke of Bavaria	938	947	Luitpolding		Younger son of Luitpold. The German King Otto I reasserted central authority, banishing Arnulf's son Eberhard and re-granting the title to Berthold, a younger son of Luitpold.
Henry I		Duke of Bavaria	947	955	Ottonian		Son of Henry the Fowler. On Berthold's death, Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, gave the duchy to his own brother Henry (I), who was also Arnulf the Bad's son-in-law.
Henry II the Quarrelsome		Duke of Bavaria	955	976	Ottonian		Henry II made war upon his cousin, Emperor Otto II, and was deprived of his duchy in 976 in favor of his cousin Otto, Duke of Swabia (who now acquired two dukedoms).
Otto I		Duke of Bavaria	976	982	Ottonian
Henry III the Younger		Duke of Bavaria	983	985	Luitpolding		Bavaria was given to Berthold's son Henry III, briefly restoring the Luitpolding dynasty. Henry III exchanged Bavaria for Carinthia, and Henry II received Bavaria again.
Henry II the Quarrelsome		Duke of Bavaria	985	995	Ottonian		Restored
Henry IV		Duke of Bavaria	995	1004	Ottonian		Son of Henry II the Quarrelsome. Henry IV was elected as Holy Roman Emperor Henry II, who gave Bavaria to his brother-in-law Henry V, Count of Luxemburg in 1004.
Henry V		Duke of Bavaria	1004	1009	Luxemburg		Son of Siegfried of Luxembourg.
Henry IV		Duke of Bavaria	1009	1017	Ottonian		Henry IV reasserted direct control.
Henry V		Duke of Bavaria	1017	1026	Luxemburg		Son of Siegfried of Luxembourg. Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany, gave Bavaria to his son Henry VI after the death of Henry V in 1026.
Henry VI the Black		Duke of Bavaria	1026	1042	Salian		Son of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor. Later Henry was elected as Holy Roman Emperor Henry III, and became King of Germany in 1039.
Henry VII		Duke of Bavaria	1042	1047	Luxemburg		Son of Frederick of Luxembourg. In 1042, Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor, granted the duchy to Henry VII, Count of Luxemburg, nephew of Henry V.
Conrad I (Kuno)		Duke of Bavaria	1049	1053	Ezzonen		Son of Liudolf of Lotharingia. After Henry VII's death, the dukedom was vacant for a couple of years. Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor, then gave the duchy to Kuno, Count of Zütphen, in 1049. Kuno was deposed in 1053.
Henry VIII		Duke of Bavaria	1053	1054	Salian		Son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor. During his reign in Bavaria Henry VIII was a minor (born 1050). In 1056 he became King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor as Henry IV in 1084.
Conrad II		Duke of Bavaria	1054	1055	Salian		(minor, born 1052, died 1055) Son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VIII		Duke of Bavaria	1055	1061	Salian		(minor: born 1050) Son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor. Henry VIII became King of Germany (1056) and Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor in 1084.
Otto II		Duke of Bavaria	1061	1070	Nordheim		In 1061 Empress Agnes—the 11-year-old King Henry IV's mother and regent—entrusted the duchy to Otto of Nordheim.
Welf I		Duke of Bavaria	1070	1077	Welf		Welf I subsequently quarreled with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor and was deprived of his duchy for nineteen years, during which it was directly administered by the German crown.
Henry VIII		Duke of Bavaria	1077	1096	Salian		(minor: born 1050) Son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor. Henry VIII became King of Germany (1056) and Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor in 1084.
Welf I		Duke of Bavaria	1096	1101	Welf		Welf I recovered the duchy in 1096.
Welf II		Duke of Bavaria	1101	1120	Welf		Son of Welf I
Henry IX the Black		Duke of Bavaria	1120	1126	Welf		Son of Welf I. Abdicated.
Henry X the Proud		Duke of Bavaria	1126	1138	Welf		Son of Henry IX the Black. In a power struggle with King Conrad III of Germany, Henry X lost his duchy to the King, who granted it to his follower Leopold Margrave of Austria.
Leopold I		Duke of Bavaria	1139	1141	Babenberg		When Leopold died, Conrad III of Germany resumed the duchy and granted it to Leopold's brother Henry XI.
Henry XI Jasomirgott		Duke of Bavaria	1143	1156	Babenberg		Brother of Leopold.
Henry XII the Lion		Duke of Bavaria	1156	1180	Welf		When Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, became king of Germany, he restored Bavaria to the Welf line in the person of Henry X's son, Henry XII the Lion, Duke of Saxony.

Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bavaria

In 1180, Henry XII the Lion and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, fell out. The emperor consequently dispossessed the duke and gave his territory to Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria of the House of Wittelsbach. From now on, Bavaria remained in the possession of various branches of the family for 738 years until the end of the First World War.

In 1253, on Otto II's death, Bavaria was divided between his sons. Henry became Duke of Lower Bavaria and Louis of Upper Bavaria. From this point until the beginning of the 16th century, the territories were frequently divided between brothers, making the Dukes difficult to list.

In Lower Bavaria, Henry XIII was succeeded by his three sons, Otto III, Louis III, and Stephen I ruling jointly. Otto III's successor in the joint dukedom was his son Henry XV. Stephen's successors were his sons Otto IV and Henry XIV. Henry XIV's son was John I.

In Upper Bavaria, Louis II was succeeded by his sons Rudolf I and Louis IV. The latter was elected King of Germany in 1314. After John I's death in 1340, Louis IV unified the Bavarian duchy.

The dukes of Upper Bavaria served also as Counts Palatinate of the Rhine. In 1329 Louis IV released the Palatinate of the Rhine including the Bavarian Upper Palatinate to the sons of Rudolf I. The Upper Palatinate would be reunited with Bavaria in 1623, the Lower Palatinate in 1777.

From 1349 until 1503 the second partition of Bavaria took place. In 1349, the six sons of Louis IV partitioned Bavaria into Upper and Lower Bavaria again. In 1353, Lower Bavaria was partitioned into Bavaria-Landshut and Bavaria-Straubing. Upper Bavaria was partitioned between Bavaria-Straubing and Bavaria-Landshut in 1363. After the death of Stephan II in 1392, Bavaria-Landshut was broken into three duchies, John II gained Bavaria-Munich, Frederick, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut received a smaller Bavaria-Landshut, and in Bavaria-Ingolstadt ruled Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria.

Following the Landshut War (1503–1505), the Duke of Bavaria-Munich Albert IV the Wise became ruler of Bavaria. In 1506 Albert decreed that the duchy should pass according to the rules of primogeniture.

In 1623 Maximilian I was granted the title Prince-elector (German: Kurfürst) of the Rhenish Palatinate.

(Note: Here the numbering of the dukes is the same for all duchies, as all were titled Dukes of Bavaria, despite the different parts of land and its particular numbering of the rulers. The dukes are numbered by the year of their succession.)

Ruler		Born	Reign	Death	Ruling part	Consort	Notes
Otto III the Redhead		1117	1180–1183	11 July 1183	Bavaria	Agnes of Loon 1169 eleven children	In 1180 Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor gave Bavaria to Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria of the House of Wittelsbach.
Regency of Agnes of Loon (1183-1189)							Son of Otto III. Louis obtained the Palatinate of the Rhine in 1214. So Louis I served also as Count Palatine of the Rhine. He was assassinated 1231.
Louis I the Kelheimer		23 December 1173	1183–1231	15 September 1231	Bavaria	Ludmilla of Bohemia 1204 one child
Otto IV the Illustrious		7 April 1206	1231–1253	29 November 1253	Bavaria	Agnes of the Palatinate 1222 Worms eleven children	Otto IV served also as Count Palatine of the Rhine. On Otto IV's death, Bavaria was divided between his sons. Henry became duke of Lower Bavaria, and Louis of Upper Bavaria. From this point until the beginning of the 16th century, the territories were frequently divided between brothers.
Henry XIII		19 November 1235	1253–1290	3 February 1290	Lower Bavaria	Elizabeth of Hungary 1250 ten children	Son of Otto IV. After the partition of 1253, received Lower Bavaria.
Louis II the Strict		13 April 1229	1253–1294	2 February 1294	Upper Bavaria	Maria of Brabant 2 August 1254 (executed) no children Anna of Głogów 1260 two children Matilda of Austria 24 October 1273 four children	Son of Otto IV. After the partition of 1253, received Upper Bavaria.
Otto V		11 February 1261	1290–1312	9 November 1312	Lower Bavaria	Catherine of Austria January 1279 two children Anna of Głogów 18 May 1309 two children	Sons of Henry XIII, ruled jointly. In 1305 Otto became also King of Hungary and Croatia, as grandson of Béla IV of Hungary.
Louis III		9 October 1269	1290–1296	9 October 1296	Lower Bavaria	Isabella of Lorraine 1287 no children
Stephen I		14 March 1271	1290–1310	10 December 1310	Lower Bavaria	Judith of Świdnica-Jawor 1299 eight children
Regency of Matilda of Austria (1294-1296)							Sons of Louis II, ruled jointly. In 1317 Rudolph abdicated of his rights to his brother, who in 1328 was elected Holy Roman Emperor. louis had already been elected King of Germany in 1314. In the Treaty of Pavia (1329) Louis IV released the Palatinate of the Rhine passing the Bavarian Upper Palatinate to the sons of Rudolf I. After John I the Child's death in 1340, Louis IV unified the Bavarian duchy.
Rudolph I the Stammerer		4 October 1274	1294–1317	12 August 1319	Upper Bavaria	Matilda of Nassau 1 September 1294 Nuremberg six children
Louis IV the Bavarian		5 April 1282	1294–1340	11 October 1347	Upper Bavaria	Beatrice of Świdnica-Jawor 14 October 1308 six children Margaret II, Countess of Holland-Hainaut 26 February 1324 Cologne ten children
			1340–1347		Bavaria
Regency of Louis IV, Duke of Bavaria (1312-19)							Sons of Stephen I (Henry XIV and Otto VI) and Otto V (Henry XV), ruled jointly.
Henry XIV the Elder		29 September 1305	1312–1339	1 September 1339	Lower Bavaria	Margaret of Bohemia 12 August 1328 two children
Otto VI		3 January 1307	1312–1334	14 December 1334	Lower Bavaria	Richardis of Jülich 1330 one child
Henry XV the Natternberger		28 August 1312	1312–1333	18 June 1333	Lower Bavaria	Anna of Austria between 1326 and 1328 no children
Regency of Louis IV, Duke of Bavaria (1339-40)							Left no male heirs, which allowed his cousin (and brother-in-law) Louis to reunite the Bavarian lands.
John I the Child		29 November 1329	1339–1340	20 December 1340	Lower Bavaria	Anna of Upper Bavaria 18 April 1339 Munich no children
Louis V the Brandenburger		May 1315	1347–1349	18 September 1361	Bavaria	Margaret of Denmark 1324 no children Margaret, Countess of Tyrol 10 February 1342 Meran four children	The six sons of Louis IV, ruled jointly until 1349, when they divided the land: Louis V, Louis VI and Otto VII kept Upper Bavaria; William, Albert and Stephen Lower Bavaria. In 1351 Louis VI and Otto gave up their inheritance in Bavaria, in exchange of the Electoral dignity in Brandenburg. Having lost the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1373, Otto returned to Bavaria to claim new inheritance, and shared the part of Stephen II's sons (his nephews) in Landshut. In Lower Bavaria, the three brothers divided the land again in 1353: Stephen kept Landshut, William and Albert shared Straubing, and from 1389 the two shared Straubing also with Albert I's son, Albert II.
			1349–1361		Upper Bavaria
Louis VI the Roman		7 May 1328	1347–1349	17 May 1365	Bavaria	Cunigunde of Poland before 1349 no children Ingeborg of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1360 no children
			1349–1351		Upper Bavaria
Otto VII the Lazy		1340/42	1347–1349	15 November 1379	Bavaria	Catherine of Bohemia 19 March 1366 no children
			1349–1351		Upper Bavaria
			1375–1379		Bavaria-Landshut
Stephen II the Representative		1319	1347–1349	13 May 1375	Bavaria	Elisabeth of Sicily 27 June 1328 four children Margaret of Nuremberg 14 February 1359 three children
			1349–1353		Lower Bavaria
			1353–1375		Bavaria-Landshut
William I the Mad		12 May 1330	1347–1349	15 April 1389	Bavaria	Matilda of England 1352 London no children
			1349–1353		Lower Bavaria
			1353–1389		Bavaria-Straubing
Albert I		25 July 1336	1347–1349	13 December 1404	Bavaria	Margaret of Brzeg after 19 July 1353 Passau seven children Margaret of Clèves 1394 Heusden no children
			1349–1353		Lower Bavaria
			1353–1404		Bavaria-Straubing
Albert II		1368	1389–1397	21 January 1397	Bavaria-Straubing	Unmarried
Meinhard I		9 February 1344	1361–1363	13 January 1363	Upper Bavaria	Margaret of Austria 4 September 1359 Passau no children	Left no male descendants. After his death Upper Bavaria was divided between Bavaria-Landshut and Bavaria-Straubing.
Definitively annexed by Bavaria-Landshut (1/2) and Bavaria-Straubing (1/2)
Frederick I the Wise		1339	1375–1393	4 December 1393	Bavaria-Landshut	Anna of Neuffen 1360 one child Maddalena Visconti 2 September 1381 five children	Ruled jointly. Shared rule, until 1379, with their uncle Otto VII. In 1392 the brothers divided the land once more. Frederick retained Landshut, Stephen kept Ingolstadt and John received Munich.
Stephen III the Magnificent		1337	1375–1392	26 September 1413	Bavaria-Landshut	Taddea Visconti 13 October 1364 two children Anna of Neuffen 16 January 1401 Cologne no children
			1392–1413		Bavaria-Ingolstadt
John II		1341	1375–1392	14 June/1 July 1397	Bavaria-Landshut	Catherine of Gorizia 1372 three children
			1392–1397		Bavaria-Munich
Regencies of Maddalena Visconti and Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria (1393-1401), John II, Duke of Bavaria (1393-97), Ernest, Duke of Bavaria and William III, Duke of Bavaria (1397-1401)							Annexed Ingolstadt in 1445.
Henry XVI the Rich		1386	1393–1450	30 July 1450	Bavaria-Landshut	Margaret of Austria 25 November 1412 Landshut six children
Ernest		1373	1397–1438	14 June/1 July 1397	Bavaria-Munich	Elisabetta Visconti 26 January 1395 Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm four children	Ruled jointly.
William III		1375	1397–1435	12 September 1435	Bavaria-Munich	Margaret of Cleves 1433 two children
William II		5 April 1365	1404–1417	31 May 1417	Bavaria-Straubing	Margaret of Burgundy 12 April 1385 Cambrai one child	Eldest son of Albert I.
Louis VII the Bearded		1368	1413–1443	1 May 1447	Bavaria-Ingolstadt	Anne de Bourbon-La Marche 1 October 1402 two children Catherine of Alençon 1413 two children	Imprisoned by his son, who was allied with Henry XVI. Died in prison.
John III the Pitiless		1374	1417–1425	6 January 1425	Bavaria-Straubing	Elizabeth I, Duchess of Luxembourg 11418 no children	Son of Albert I. Contested Jacqueline, the heiress of the Wittelsbach possessions in the Low Countries, until his death.
Definitively annexed by the remaining Bavarian duchies
Albert III		27 March 1401	1438–1460	29 February 1460	Bavaria-Munich	Agnes Bernauer c. 1432? (morganatic) no children Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen 22 January 1437 Munich ten children	Son of Ernest.
Louis VIII the Hunchback		1 September 1403	1443–1445	7 April 1445	Bavaria-Ingolstadt	Unmarried	After his death Ingolstadt was annexed by Landshut.
Definitively annexed by Bavaria-Landshut
Louis IX the Rich		23 February 1417	1450–1479	18 January 1479	Bavaria-Landshut	Amalia of Saxony 21 March 1452 Landshut four children
John IV		4 October 1437	1460–1463	18 November 1463	Bavaria-Munich	Unmarried	Son of Albert III, ruled jointly with his brothers Sigismund and Albert IV.
Sigismund		26 July 1439	1460–1467	1 February 1501	Bavaria-Munich	Unmarried	In 1467, Sigismund created a smaller duchy with its center in Dachau, but left no descendants, and this duchy was merged again in Bavaria-Munich after his death.
			1467–1501		Bavaria-Dachau
Definitively annexed by Bavaria-Munich
George I the Rich		15 August 1455	1479–1503	1 December 1503	Bavaria-Landshut	Hedwig of Poland 14 November 1475 Landshut five children	Left no male descendants at his death. His duchy was annexed to Bavaria-Munich, which reunited the Bavarian duchy.
Albert IV the Wise		15 December 1447	1460–1503	18 March 1508	Bavaria-Munich	Kunigunde of Austria 3 January 1487 Munich seven children	Co-ruled with his brothers John IV and Sigismund. Reunited the duchy in 1503. In 1506 Albert decreed that the duchy should pass according to the rules of primogeniture.
			1503–1508		Duchy of Bavaria
William IV the Steadfast		13 November 1493	1508–1550	7 March 1550	Duchy of Bavaria	Jakobaea of Baden 5 October 1522 Munich four children	Sons of Albert IV, the last Bavarian pair of brothers ruling together.
Louis X		18 September 1495	1516–1545	22 April 1545	Duchy of Bavaria	Unmarried
Albert V the Magnanimous		29 February 1528	1550–1579	24 October 1579	Duchy of Bavaria	Anna of Austria 4 July 1546 Regensburg seven children
William V the Pious		29 September 1548	1579–1597	7 February 1626	Duchy of Bavaria	Renata of Lorraine 22 February 1568 Munich ten children
Maximilian I the Great		17 April 1573	1597–1651	27 September 1651	Duchy of Bavaria (until 1623) Electorate of Bavaria (from 1623)	Elisabeth of Lorraine 9 February 1595 Nancy no children Maria Anna of Austria 15 July 1635 Vienna two children	Children of William V. Maximilian I, was an ally of Emperor Ferdinand II in the Thirty Years' War. When the Elector of the Palatinate, Frederick V, head of a senior branch of the Wittelsbachs, became involved in the war against the Emperor, he was stripped of his Imperial offices and the Prince-elector title. Maximilian I was granted the Electorate of the Palatinate in 1623. Albert VI inherited from his wife the lands of Leuchtenberg, and from 1646 reorganizes them as a new Bavarian duchy, the short-lived Duchy of Bavaria-Leuchtenberg.
Albert VI		26 February 1584	1646-1666	5 July 1666	Duchy of Bavaria-Leuchtenberg	Mechtild of Leuchtenberg (24 October 1588 – 1 June 1634) 8 December 1650 five children
Regency of Albert VI, Duke of Bavaria (1651-1654)							Son of Maximilian I.
Ferdinand Maria		31 October 1636	1651-1679	26 May 1679	Electorate of Bavaria	Henriette Adelaide of Savoy 8 December 1650 eight children
Maximilian Philip Hieronymus		30 September 1638	1666-1705	20 March 1705	Duchy of Bavaria-Leuchtenberg	Mauricienne Fébronie de La Tour d’Auvergne (1652-1706) 1668 Château-Thierry no children	Son of Maximilian I, inherited his uncle Albert VI's possessions. His childless death led to the union of the Bavarian Leuchtenberg lands and the Electorate.
Annexed to the Electorate of Bavaria
Regency of Maximilian Philipp Hieronymus, Duke of Bavaria-Leuchtenberg (1679-1680)							Took part in the War of the Spanish Succession on the side of France, against Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. He was accordingly forced to flee Bavaria following the Battle of Blenheim and deprived of his Electorate on 29 April 1706. He regained his Electorate in 1714 by the Peace of Baden and ruled until 1726.
Maximilian II Emanuel		11 July 1662	1679-1726	26 February 1726	Electorate of Bavaria	Maria Antonia of Austria 15 July 1685 Vienna three children Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska 15 August 1694 Warsaw (by proxy) ten children
Charles Albert		6 August 1697	1726-1745	20 January 1745	Electorate of Bavaria	Maria Amalia of Austria 5 October 1722 Vienna seven children	Took on the House of Habsburg in the War of the Austrian Succession, again in combination with France, succeeding so far as to be elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1742 (as Charles VII). However, the Austrians occupied Bavaria (1742–1744), and the Emperor died shortly after returning to Munich.
Maximilian III Joseph the Beloved		28 March 1727	20 January 1745	30 December 1777	Electorate of Bavaria	Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony 9 July 1747 no children	As he had no children, was the last of the direct Bavarian Wittelsbach line descended from Louis IV. He was succeeded by the Elector of the Palatinate, Charles Theodore, who thereby regained their old titles for the senior Wittelsbach line—descended from Louis IV's older brother Rudolf I.
Charles Theodore		11 December 1724	1777-1799	16 February 1799	Electorate of Bavaria (merged with Electoral Palatinate)	Elisabeth Augusta of Palatinate-Sulzbach 17 January 1742 Mannheim one child Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este 15 February 1795 Hofburg, Innsbruck no children	Son of John Christian, Count Palatine of Sulzbach and Marie Anne Henriëtte Leopoldine de La Tour d'Auvergne. Distant cousin of Maximilian III; Elector Palatine from 1743. Charles Theodore was also childless, and was succeeded by a distant cousin, the Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, Maximilian IV Joseph—later King Maximilian I.
Maximilian IV Joseph		27 May 1756	1799-1806	6 August 1806	Electorate of Bavaria (merged with Electoral Palatinate)	Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt 30 September 1785 Darmstadt five children Caroline of Baden 9 March 1797 Karlsruhe eight children	Son of Count Palatine Frederick Michael of Zweibrücken. Distant cousin of Charles Theodore; Count Palatine of Zweibrücken from 1795. In the chaos of the wars of the French Revolution, the old order of the Holy Roman Empire collapsed. In the course of these events, Bavaria became once again the ally of France, and Maximilian IV Joseph became King Maximilian I of Bavaria—whilst remaining Prince-Elector and Arch-steward of the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the Holy Roman Empire was abolished.

In 1805 under the Peace of Pressburg between Napoleonic France and the Holy Roman Empire several duchies were elevated to kingdoms. The Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria held the title King of Bavaria from 1806 until 1918. The prince-elector of Bavaria, Maximilian IV Joseph formally assumed the title King Maximilian I of Bavaria on 1 January 1806. The well-known so called Märchenkönig (Fairy tale king) Ludwig II constructed Neuschwanstein Castle, Herrenchiemsee, and Linderhof Palace during his reign (1864–1886), threatening not only to go bankrupt in person, but also to bankrupt the country in the process. In 1918 Ludwig III lost his throne in the German Revolution of 1918–1919.

Name	Image	Title	Start term	End term	House	Note
Maximilian I		King of Bavaria	1 January 1806	13 October 1825	Wittelsbach	see above
Ludwig I		King of Bavaria	13 October 1825	20 March 1848	Wittelsbach	Son of Maximilian I Joseph. Abdicated in the Revolutions of 1848
Maximilian II		King of Bavaria	20 March 1848	10 March 1864	Wittelsbach	Son of Ludwig I
Ludwig II		King of Bavaria	10 March 1864	13 June 1886	Wittelsbach	Son of Maximilian II Ludwig II was called the Märchenkönig (Fairy tale king). He grudgingly acceded to Bavaria becoming a component of the German Empire in 1871, was declared insane in 1886.[2]
Otto		King of Bavaria	13 June 1886	5 November 1913	Wittelsbach	Brother of Ludwig II and son of Maximilian II. From a mathematical, calendrical point of view, his marked the longest "reign" amongst the Kings of Bavaria. However, Otto was mentally ill since teenhood and throughout all of his later life, hence the royal functions had to be carried out by the following princes regent: Prince Luitpold of Bavaria 10 June 1886 – 12 December 1912 Prince Ludwig of Bavaria 12 December 1912 – 5 November 1913
Ludwig III		King of Bavaria	5 November 1913	13 November 1918	Wittelsbach	Cousin of Otto, son of Prince Luitpold and grandson of Ludwig I. Prince regent from 1912 until 1913. Declared King of Bavaria following a controversial change of the constitution, discharging his cousin Otto from "office". Lost the throne in the German Revolution of 1918–1919 at the end of World War I. Marks the end of 738 years of uninterrupted Wittelsbach rule over Bavaria.