Maximilian III Joseph (28 March 1727 – 30 December 1777), also known by his epithet "the much beloved" was a
Prince-elector
The prince-electors ( pl. , , ) were the members of the Electoral College of the Holy Roman Empire, which elected the Holy Roman Emperor. Usually, half of the electors were archbishops.
From the 13th century onwards, a small group of prince- ...
of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
and Duke of
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
from 1745 to 1777. He was the last of the Bavarian branch of the
House of Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...
and because of his death, the
War of Bavarian Succession
The War of the Bavarian Succession (; 3 July 1778 – 13 May 1779) was a dispute between the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and an alliance of Saxony and Prussia over succession to the Electorate of Bavaria after the extinction of the Bavarian bran ...
broke out.
Biography

Born in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, Maximilian was the eldest son of
Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII and his wife,
Maria Amalia of Austria, daughter of
Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph I (Joseph Jacob Ignaz Johann Anton Eustachius; 26 July 1678 – 17 April 1711) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1705 until his death in 1711. He was the eldest son of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor from his thir ...
. Upon his father's death in January 1745, he inherited a country in the process of being invaded by
Austrian armies (see
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...
). The 18-year-old Maximilian Joseph wavered between the ''Peace-party'', led by his mother Maria Amalia and Army Commander
Friedrich Heinrich von Seckendorff
Friedrich Heinrich Reichsgraf von Seckendorff (5 July 1673 – 23 November 1763, aged 90) was a Franconian field marshal and diplomat, in the service of the imperial Habsburg monarchy of Austria. Later he served as commander of the Bavarian a ...
and the ''War-party'', led by Foreign Minister General Ignaz Count of Törring and the French envoy Chavigny. After the decisive defeat in the
Battle of Pfaffenhofen
The Battle of Pfaffenhofen was fought on 15 April 1745 between France and Austria. The Austrians under Karl Josef Batthyány defeated the outnumbered French under General Ségur, ending the war in Bavaria.
Prelude
In October 1744, the Franc ...
on 15 April Maximilian Joseph quickly abandoned his father's imperial pretenses and made peace with
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
in the
Treaty of Füssen
The Peace of Füssen () was a peace treaty signed at Füssen, between the Electorate of Bavaria and Habsburg Austria. Signed on 22 April 1745, it ended the participation of Bavaria on the French side in the War of the Austrian Succession.
B ...
, in which he agreed to support her husband, Grand Duke
Francis II Stephen of Tuscany, in the upcoming imperial election.
In 1747, Maximilian married his first cousin,
Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony
Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony (Maria Anna Sophia Sabina Angela Franciska Xaveria; 29 August 1728 – 17 February 1797) was a daughter of King Augustus III of Poland and his wife Maria Josepha of Austria who became Electress of Bavaria by marr ...
, but the marriage remained childless. During the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
Bavarian forces then fought on the Habsburg side. Maximilian Joseph's sister
Maria Josepha of Bavaria
Maria Josepha of Bavaria (20 March 173928 May 1767) was Holy Roman Empress, Queen of the Romans, List of Austrian consorts, Archduchess of Austria, and Grand Duchess of Tuscany, among other titles, by her marriage to Joseph II, Holy Roman Empero ...
was married in 1765 to Maria Theresa's son Archduke
Joseph
Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
. But long-term weakening of
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
was not in the Bavarian interest, as that country offered the only counterweight to the Habsburg monarchy. Maximilian Joseph tried, as far as possible, to keep Bavaria out of the wars. Apart from militia troops, he sent only a small force of 4,000 men to join the
Austrian army. In 1758/1759 (only a year and half into the war), he withdrew Bavarian auxiliary troops from Austrian service. Together with the Wittelsbach Elector
Charles Theodore of the
Palatinate he enforced the neutrality of the
Empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
during the conflict.
Maximilian Joseph was a progressive and
enlightened ruler who did much to improve the development of his country. He encouraged agriculture, industry, and exploitation of the mineral wealth of the country, and abolished the
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
censorship of the press. In 1747 the
Nymphenburg Porcelain Factory was established, while the ''
Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis'' was written in 1756. In 1759, he founded Munich's first academic institution, the
Bavarian Academy of Sciences
The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities () is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledge within their subject. The general goal of th ...
. During the severe famine in 1770 Maximilian sold some of the crown jewels to pay for grain imports to relieve hunger. In that year, he also issued an edict against the extravagant pomposity of the
Church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
which contributed to the end of the era of Bavarian
rococo
Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
. He also forbade the
Oberammergau Passion Play
The Oberammergau Passion Play () is a passion play that has been performed every 10 years from 1634 to 1674 and each decadal year since 1680 (with a few exceptions) by the inhabitants of the village of Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany. It was wr ...
. In 1771 the elector regulated general school attendance. In December 1777 Maximilian Joseph rode in his carriage through Munich; on the ride, as he passed one of the tower clocks, the mechanism broke, and the clock struck 77 times. Commenting to the passengers, Max Joseph decided this was an omen, and that his years had run out. Within days, he was stricken with a strange disease. None of his 15 doctors could diagnose it, but by Christmas, it had become clear that it was a particularly virulent strain of
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
, called "purple small pox" at the time.
By the last day of the month he was dead without leaving an heir. Maximilian III Joseph is buried in the crypt of the
Theatinerkirche in Munich.
Succession
As the last of the
junior branch of the Wittelsbach dynasty which derived from
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV (; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian (, ), was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 until his death in 1347.
20 October 1314 imperial election, Louis' election a ...
and had ruled Bavaria since early 14th century, Maximilian's death led to a succession dispute and the brief
War of the Bavarian Succession
The War of the Bavarian Succession (; 3 July 1778 – 13 May 1779) was a dispute between the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and an alliance of Electorate of Saxony, Saxony and Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia over succession to the Electorate of Bavaria ...
. He was succeeded (in the male line) by his 12th cousin, once removed, the
Elector Palatine
This article lists counts palatine of Lotharingia, counts palatine of the Rhine, and electors of the Palatinate (), the titles of three counts palatine who ruled some part of the Rhine region in the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire b ...
Charles Theodore from the senior branch of the dynasty.
Maximilian's widow
Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony
Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony (Maria Anna Sophia Sabina Angela Franciska Xaveria; 29 August 1728 – 17 February 1797) was a daughter of King Augustus III of Poland and his wife Maria Josepha of Austria who became Electress of Bavaria by marr ...
and Maximilian's sister
Duchess Maria Antonia of Bavaria
Maria Antonia, Princess of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (18 July 1724 – 23 April 1780) was a German princess, composer, singer, harpsichordist and patron of the arts, known particularly for her operas: ''Il trionfo della fedeltà'' (“The t ...
as well as Maria Anna of Palatinate-Sulzbach, the widow of the former Bavarian crown prince
Duke Clement Francis of Bavaria
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ...
negotiated with Max's reluctant heir and intervened together with
Frederick II. of Prussia and the new elector's
presumptive successor,
Charles II August, Duke of Zweibrücken
Charles II August Christian (; 29 October 1746 – 1 April 1795) was Palatine Zweibrücken, Duke of Zweibrücken from 1775 to 1795. A member of the House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld, Palatine House of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, a branch of the House of ...
, to secure Bavaria's independence from Austria. The Prussian king had to threaten both the emperor and Bavaria itself with war. Austria had already invaded portions of the duchy immediately after the Elector's death and the new elector had less than any interest in his new realm. Instead, Charles Theodore, much to public annoyance, repeatedly tried to change it for
Further Austria
Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (; , formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, includin ...
or the
Austrian Netherlands
The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...
, even better, for proximity to his Palatinian homelands.
[Germany, German guide-books, CUP Archive, 1931, pg]
94–95
Cultural legacy
Maximilian III Joseph ordered in 1751
François de Cuvilliés
François de Cuvilliés, sometimes referred to as ''the Elder'' (23 October 1695, Soignies, Hainaut14 April 1768, Munich), was a Bavarian decorative designer and architect born in the Spanish Netherlands. He was instrumental in bringing the Roco ...
to construct the splendid
rococo
Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
Cuvilliés Theatre
The Cuvilliés Theatre () or Old Residence Theatre (''Altes Residenztheater'') is the former court theatre of the Residenz in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
History
Elector of Bavaria Maximilian III Joseph (reg. 1745–1777) commissioned the co ...
and in 1755 the ''Stone Hall'' of
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace (, Palace of the Nymphs) is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. The Nymphenburg served as the main summer residence for the List of rulers of Bavaria, ...
. He also ordered the decoration of some rooms of the
New Schleissheim Palace in rococo style.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
was received by Maximilian III Joseph, who was like his sister
Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria
Maria Antonia, Princess of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (18 July 1724 – 23 April 1780) was a German princess, composer, singer, harpsichordist and patron of the arts, known particularly for her operas: ''Il trionfo della fedeltà'' (“The tr ...
skilled in music and composed, but due to a need for strict frugality no post could be offered. In 1775 ''
La finta giardiniera
' ("The Pretend Garden-Girl"), Köchel catalogue, K. 196, is an Italian-language opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart wrote it in Munich in January 1775 when he was 18 years old and it received its first performance on 13 January at the in M ...
'', an Italian opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, received its first performance at the Salvatortheater in Munich.
In 1770 Maximilian III Joseph established the precursor of the
Academy of Fine Arts, Munich
The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany.
In the second half of the 19th centur ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maximilian 03 Joseph Of Bavaria, Elector
1727 births
1777 deaths
Nobility from Munich
People from the Electorate of Bavaria
House of Wittelsbach
18th-century prince-electors of Bavaria
German Roman Catholics
Imperial vicars
18th-century German composers
18th-century male musicians
Sons of emperors
Children of Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Sons of kings
Age of Enlightenment
German military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession
People of the War of the Bavarian Succession
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain
Deaths from smallpox
Burials at the Theatine Church, Munich