The History of Bavaria
Knowing Some Bavarian History Can Make Your Trip More Enjoyable
While traveling to Bavaria and seeing the many castle ruins perched on the hills, the old city walls, churches and cathedrals, I got curious about the beginning of the history of Bavaria.
I like to know when the beautiful landmarks were first built and where they fit in to the 1,400+ year history of Bavaria.
The beginning of Bavaria dates way back to the year 555 AD, and to the origins of the old Stem Duchy of Bavaria (Bayern).
The “Stem Duchies” (Stammesherzogtümer) of Germany were the domains of the old German Tribes.
Basic Timeline of Bavarian History
- 555 AD - Oldest historical evidence of a Bavarian duchy
- 788 - End of the old stem duchy
- 1180 - End of the new stem duchy
- 1180 to 1918 - Reign of the Wittelsbach family
- 1255 - First division of the country
- 1506 - Reunification of the duchy
- 1623 - Bavaria proclaimed electorate
- 1806 - Bavaria proclaimed kingdom
- 1871 - Bavaria becomes part of the newly founded Deutsche Reich
- 1918 - The monarchy ends, Bavaria becomes a Freistaat or "Free State"
- 1949 - Bavaria made part of the new Federal Republic of Germany
Okay, here is the 1,400 years of Bavarian History put in a nutshell:
During the reign of Emperor Augustus, the area occupied by the Celts south of the Donau River, called Old Bavaria, became part of the Roman Empire.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Celts, the Germans from the North, and the remaining Romans formed the tribe of the Bajuwares.
The Bavarian duchy (tribe) began in the year 555 AD, when it became part of the Franconian territory under the rule of the Merowingers. The victory of Karl the Great over Bavarian Duke Tassilo III in 788 AD marks the end of the “Old Duchy”.
The sovereignty held by the Bavarian dukes restored the “New Duchy”. However, conflict with other tribes led to dependency on the German kingdom.
In 1070, the Bavarian dukes regained some of their former power under the reign of the Welfs. Conflicts with the Staufers, led to the secession in 1180 of the territory, which later became Austria, as well as to the end of the New Duchy.
From 1180 to 1918, Bavaria was territorial duchy. It was under the reign of the Wittelsbach Royal family.
Bavaria emerged from the Thirty-Year War with gains in territory and became an electorate in 1623.
Bavaria was temporarily occupied by Austria during the War of Austrian Succession in the 1740’s.
During Napoleon’s reign, Bavaria sided with France and made large gains in territory.
In 1806, Bavaria is proclaimed a kingdom and switched sides to support Napoleon’s opponents. Bavaria was able to keep a major part of its territorial gains in its role as victor at the Congress of Vienna (Wiener Kongress) in 1814.
King Ludwig I, developed Munich into an arts and university town. However, he was forced to resign from the throne in 1848 as a result of his affair with dancer Lola Montez. "March Turbulences" (Märzunruhen).
In 1866, Bavaria is drawn into the Prusso-Austrian War and is defeated by Prussia.
In 1871, Bavaria becomes part of the newly founded Deutsche Reich but has "reservation rights" in where it keeps its own postal system, railway and army.
King Ludwig II, is known as the "Fairy-tale King" or "Mad King Ludwig" (Märchenkönig) after his death in 1886, for the construction of Neuschwanstein and other castles.
In 1918, the Wittelsbach monarchy collapsed during the "Novemberunruhen" (November Revolution) in Germany.
On November 9, 1918, Bavaria is proclaimed a Freistaat (free state). Socialist groups install a council republic for a short period of time.
During the Weimar Republic, Bavaria was made staging point for the Hitler-Putsch in 1923.
Between 1933 and 1945, Bavaria lost most of its power and importance, but it became a major staging point for the National Socialist movement.
During World War II, Wurzburg, Munich and Nuremberg in Bavaria were heavily destroyed. After the occupation by American forces, Bavaria became part of the newly founded Federal Republic of Germany as a federal state in 1949.
From there, Bavaria flourished in to a modern industrialized state it is today.
I am definitely not an historian, but when I learn what I can about the history of Bavaria, it really helps me to get so much more out of my travel experience.
Bavaria’s history is filled with struggles and battles, treaties and royal proclamations, occupations and re-unifications.
Learning something about the history of Bavaria will also make your trip more enjoyable.
