Story Highlights
- Historical event:
- 13 October 1825
- In the time of Maximilian I Joseph, Bavaria was much larger than it is today. It encompassed parts of modern Austria around Salzburg and Tyrol, and even parts of northern Italy and eastern Switzerland.
The first King of Bavaria, Maximilian I Joseph from the Wittelsbach dynasty, died on this day in 1825.
Bavaria became a kingdom only in 1806, at the time of Maximilian’s rule. At the time he came to power, his dynasty had already ruled Bavaria for six centuries, but the rulers didn’t bear the title of king. They were originally the Dukes, and later the Electors of Bavaria (Kurfürsten von Bayern).
Thus, Maximilian I Joseph became King of Bavaria (König von Bayern) only in 1806. At the time of Maximilian I Joseph, Bavaria encompassed parts of modern Austria around Salzburg and Tyrol, and even parts of northern Italy and eastern Switzerland.
After a reign that lasted almost 20 years, Maximilian I Joseph died on this day in the famous Nymphenburg Castle near Munich. That castle was the main summer residence of the Bavarian rulers (a sort of “Bavarian Versailles”).
