Bavaria And Prussia: A Historical Relationship

Bavaria and Prussia are two distinct regions in Germany with a complex historical relationship. Bavaria, one of the largest German states, was elevated to a kingdom in 1806 and issued a constitution in 1808, granting basic rights and religious freedom to its citizens. On the other hand, Prussia, a predominantly Protestant region, played a pivotal role in shaping modern Germany. The question of whether Bavaria is part of Prussia stems from their intricate political alliances and conflicts throughout the 19th century, which eventually led to Bavaria joining the German Empire in 1871.

Bavaria and Prussia were both part of the Holy Roman Empire

The Kingdom of Prussia was based in the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its capital was Berlin. The kings of Prussia were from the House of Hohenzollern, who were made rulers of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1518. The Kingdom of Bavaria was ruled by the Wittelsbachs until 1918. Bavaria became a part of the Holy Roman Empire in the 10th century. In 788, Charlemagne incorporated Bavaria into the Carolingian Empire for a short time.

Prussia was a military power under Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, known as "The Great Elector". Prussia continued its rise to power under the reign of Frederick II "the Great". Bavaria, on the other hand, was ravaged by wars in the 18th century, such as the War of the Spanish Succession and the Austrian Succession. In 1777, the Bavarian succession passed to the elector Charles Theodore of the Palatinate.

In the 19th century, Bavaria and Prussia took different paths. Bavaria became a republic after the German Revolution in 1918, while Prussia was transformed into the Free State of Prussia. Prussia was abolished in 1947.

Bavaria was a German state that became a kingdom in 1806

The Kingdom of Bavaria was one of the largest German states (after Austria and Prussia). In 1806, Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach was crowned king of Bavaria. The kingdom faced challenges from the outset of its creation, relying on the support of Napoleonic France. The kingdom was forced to give Napoleon conscripts for the Peninsular War, faced war with Austria in 1809, and from 1810 to 1814 lost territory to Württemberg and Italy. In 1808, all relics of serfdom were abolished. In the same year, Maximilian promulgated Bavaria's first written constitution. Over the next five years, it was amended numerous times in accordance with Paris' wishes.

During the French invasion of Russia in 1812 about 30,000 Bavarian soldiers were killed in action. With the Treaty of Ried of 8 October 1813 Bavaria left the Confederation of the Rhine and agreed to join the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon in exchange for a guarantee of her continued sovereign and independent status. On 14 October, Bavaria made a formal declaration of war against Napoleonic France. The treaty was passionately backed by Crown Prince Ludwig and by Marshal Karl Philipp von Wrede. With the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, the German Campaign ended with the Coalition nations as the victors, in a complete failure for the French, although they achieved a minor victory when a Bavarian army attempted to block the retreat of the French Grande Armée at Hanau.

With the defeat of Napoleon's France in 1814, Bavaria lost the territories it had gained from Austria, but was compensated for some of its losses, receiving new territories such as the Grand Duchy of Würzburg, the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt, and parts of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Finally, the Rhenish Palatinate was given to Bavaria by the Treaty of Munich. It was the second-largest and second-most powerful state south of the Main, behind only Austria. In Germany as a whole, it ranked third behind Prussia and Austria.

In 1871, Bavaria joined the German Empire, which was proclaimed on 18 January 1871. It was one of the founding states of the German Empire and joined while retaining its title of kingdom. Bavaria continued as a monarchy and retained some special rights within the federation (such as railways and postal services and control of its army in peacetime).

Prussia was a dominant force in the German Confederation

Prussia was the leading state of the German Empire until its dissolution in 1918. Prussia was the driving force behind the unification of Germany in 1866 and was a military power under Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, known as "The Great Elector". Prussia continued its rise to power under the reign of Frederick II "the Great", who was instrumental in starting the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), establishing Prussia's dominant role among the German states, and establishing the country as a European great power through the victories of the powerful Prussian Army.

Prussia made attempts to unify all the German states (excluding the German cantons in Switzerland) under its rule, and whether Austria would be included in such a unified German domain became an ongoing question. After the Napoleonic Wars led to the creation of the German Confederation, the issue of unifying the German states caused the German revolutions of 1848–1849, with representatives from all states attempting to unify under their own constitution. Attempts to create a federation remained unsuccessful and the German Confederation collapsed in 1866 when the Austro-Prussian War ensued between its two most powerful member states.

Prussia was subsequently the driving force behind establishing in 1866 the North German Confederation, which was transformed in 1871 into the unified German Empire. The German Empire successfully unified all of the German states aside from Austria and Switzerland under Prussian hegemony due to the defeat of Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871. The war united all the German states against a common enemy, and with the victory came an overwhelming wave of nationalism which changed the opinions of some of those who had been against unification.

Bavaria was a founding state of the German Empire in 1871

Bavaria was indeed a founding state of the German Empire in 1871.

The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that succeeded the Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. In 1806, the Electorate of Bavaria was elevated to the status of a kingdom, with Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach becoming King Maximilian I of Bavaria.

In 1871, the Kingdom of Bavaria became a federated state of the newly formed German Empire, which was proclaimed on January 18 of that year. This unification of Germany into the German Empire saw the Kingdom of Bavaria become the second-largest state in the empire, behind the Kingdom of Prussia.

Bavaria's decision to join the German Empire was influenced by several factors. One key factor was the outcome of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, in which Prussia defeated Austria. This war signalled the end of Austria's influence over the lesser German states and the rise of Prussia as the dominant power in the region. Additionally, French Emperor Napoleon III's claims over Bavarian-held territories further encouraged Bavaria to align with Prussia to protect its interests.

Bavaria's entry into the German Empire was marked by a mix of jubilation and dismay. On the one hand, there was celebration over the defeat of France, which was seen as the greatest enemy to a united Germany. On the other hand, Bavaria soon became disillusioned with the direction the empire took under the leadership of Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, particularly regarding the loss of certain privileges that Bavaria had secured within the empire.

Despite these complexities, Bavaria's role as a founding state of the German Empire in 1871 was a significant development in the unification of Germany and the formation of a new political entity in Europe.

Bavaria was ruled by the Wittelsbach dynasty until 1918

The Wittelsbach dynasty ruled Bavaria from 1180 to 1918. The dynasty's name was taken from the castle of Wittelsbach, which was located near Aichach on the Paar in Bavaria. In 1124, Otto V, count of Scheyern, moved his family residence to Wittelsbach and began using the name himself. His son, Otto VI, was invested with the duchy of Bavaria in 1180, becoming Otto I.

The Wittelsbachs' authority extended beyond Bavaria when, in 1214, Otto II acquired the Palatinate of the Rhine through marriage. A descendant, Louis, became duke of Bavaria in 1294 and Holy Roman Emperor in 1328, as Louis IV. In 1329, Louis IV made the first significant division of the Wittelsbach lands, granting the Palatinate of the Rhine and the Upper Palatinate of Bavaria to the sons of his brother.

The Wittelsbachs of the Palatinate provided a German king, Rupert, who reigned from 1400 to 1410. However, their lands continued to be subdivided, creating numerous branches of the family. A Wittelsbach of one of the Palatinate branches became King of Sweden in 1654, and the Wittelsbach dynasty ruled there until 1718.

The Bavarian dukes became electors in 1623. The Bavarian elector Charles Albert, who died in 1745, was Holy Roman Emperor from 1742 to 1745, as Charles VII. With the death of his son, Maximilian III Joseph, in 1777, the Bavarian line of the Wittelsbachs came to an end.

The elector Palatine Charles Theodore, also a Wittelsbach, then succeeded to the duchy of Bavaria, per a dynastic treaty of 1724. On his death in 1799, the Palatinate and Bavaria were reunited under Duke Maximilian IV Joseph of Zweibrücken, who became King of Bavaria in 1806, as Maximilian I.

Maximilian I's descendants ruled as kings of Bavaria until the dynasty came to an end in 1918 with the socialist revolution that overthrew King Ludwig III.

Frequently asked questions