- William IV, Duke of Bavaria
William IV of Bavaria ( _de. Wilhelm IV., Herzog von Bayern), (
13 November 1493 –7 March 1550 ) wasDuke of Bavaria from 1508 to 1550, until 1545 together with his younger brotherLouis X, Duke of Bavaria .He was born inMunich to Albert IV andKunigunde of Austria , a daughter of Emperor Frederick III.Political activity
Though his father had determined the everlasting succession of the firstborn prince in 1506 his younger brother Louis refused a spiritual career with the argument that he was born before the edict became valid. With support of his mother and the States-General, Louis forced William to accept him as co-regent in 1516. Louis then ruled the districts of
Landshut andStraubing , in general in concord with his brother.William initially sympathized with the
reformation but changed his mind as it grew more popular in Bavaria. In 1522 William issued the first Bavarian religion mandate, banning the promulgation ofMartin Luther 's works. After an agreement withPope Clement VII in 1524 William became a political leader of the GermanCounter reformation , although he remained in opposition to the Habsburgs since his brother Louis X claimed the Bohemian crown. Both dukes also suppressed the peasant uprising in South Germany in an alliance with thearchbishop of Salzburg in 1525.The conflict with Habsburg ended in 1534 when both dukes reached an agreement with Ferdinand I in
Linz . William then supported Charles V in his war against theSchmalkaldic League in 1546.Cultural activity
William was a significant collector and commissioner of art. Among other works he commissioned an important suite of paintings from various artists, including the "Battle of Issus" by
Albrecht Altdorfer . This, like most of William's collection, is now housed in theAlte Pinakothek in Munich.On 23 April 1516, before a committee consisting of gentry and knights in
Ingolstadt , he issued his famous purity regulation for the brewing of Bavarian Beer, stating that only barley, hops, and water could be used. This regulation remained in force until it was abolished as a binding obligation in 1986 by Paneuropean regulations of theEuropean Union .Family and children
In 1522 William married Jakobaea of Baden (1507-1580); they had four children:
# Theodo of Bavaria (10 February 1526 — 8 July 1534)
# Duke Albert V of Bavaria (1528-1579)
# Wilhelm of Bavaria (17 February 1529 — 22 October 1530)
# Mechthild of Bavaria (12 July 1532 — 2 November 1565), married in 1557 Philibert of Baden (1536-1569) Also he had two illegitimate children:A son Knight Georg v.Hegnenberg (c.1509 - 1590) with Margarete Hausner v.Stettberg and a daughter Anna (died 1570) with an unknown womanWilliam is buried in the Frauenkirche in
Munich .External links
"Hofkleiderbuch (Abbildung und Beschreibung der Hof-Livreen) des Herzogs Wilhelm IV. und Albrecht V. 1508-1551." (Court and Coat of Arms Book of Bavarian Dukes: William IV and Albert V) at the [http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn=urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb00016900-2 Bavarian State Library]
Ancestors
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