1 LEWIS THE SEVERE. LEWIS, sirnamed the Severe, Duke of Bavaria, Prince Elector Palatine of the Rhine, was born the fifteenth of April 1229. The second year after his father's decease he divided the inheritance with his brother, and had for his part the Palatinate of the Rhine, and Upper Bavaria (whereof the chief towns be Munchen, Wasserburg, and Ingolstadt) together with the government of Regensburg, to wit, Riettenburg, Stephaning, Lengenfield, Rengstauff, and Kalmunt. He was a very virtuous and religious prince, and a great justiciar; he was of a good wit, and adorned with many singular virtues, both of body and mind. He caused to behead his wife Anne, the Duke of Brabant's sister, for suspicion of adultery. He built Furstenfield, to bury her in honourably. About some five years after, he warred against the Marshals of Pappenheim; took, burnt, and razed Wissenburg, a town in Nordge. After other five years, he built the town Fridberg for a defence against the citizens of Augsburg. After the Emperor Lewis's death, the empire having continued without a head, during the space of eighteen years, which was the cause of much sedition, and divers great troubles, both in Italy and Germany, with the consent and approbation of all the princes, had full power and authority given him to choose another emperor in his place. Whereupon he elected Rudolph, Earl of Hasburg, and afterwards married his daughter, and was a constant friend to him all his life time. In the end, being come to Heidelberg, to make peace between Albert and Adolph, both Cæsars at one time; and being taken with a disease, which had swelled his privy members, and, for shame he had thereof, having neglected the remedies too long, he died in the same chamber where he was born, the first of February, in anno 1294, of his age the sixty-fifth, having ruled forty years, and was buried in Furstenfield. He had three wives, the first, Mary, daughter of the Duke of Brabant, and had no children by her. By his second wife, Anne, daughter of Conrade, King of Poland, he had Lewis, a frugal and virtuous prince, who died at Norenberg, through the stroke of a lance, that he received of Crato, Earl of Hohenloe, while they were runnning together. By Mechtildis, the Emperor's daughter, his last wife, he had Rudolph, Prince Elector Palatine of the Rhine, of whom all RUDOLPH THE FIRST. RUDOLPH the First, Prince Elector Palatine of the Rhine, in the beginning, laboured to make peace and agreement between his uncle Albert, of Austria, Emperor, and the Emperor Adolph, his father-inlaw. But afterwards began to adhere more closely to Adolph, and succoured him in his unfortunate wars against Albert (both of them contending for the empire) being kindled with an indignation against his uncle, because he had besieged Alze, a town within his dominions; and, Adolph being slain in the battle, he had much ado to escape with a small number, and save himself in Worms. Having, through the intercession of his mother, obtained free pardon and remission from his victorious uncle, for his former offence; notwithstanding, having, within a short while after, become unmindful of the receipt of so great a benefit, was, among others, one that conspired and plotted against him. Wherefore, being besieged again by his uncle, he was forced to demand pardon of him, and withal paid a sum of money to have his towns rendered to him again. Finally, having conceived some hatred and malice against his brother Lewis, for that he was advanced to the Imperial dignity, he was chaced out of his country by him, and fled into England. Where he died, in anno 1319, of his age the forty-fourth. By Mechtild, daughter of the Emperor, Adolph, Earl of Wassaw, he had Adolph, Rudolph the Second, and Rupert the First, Pala tine Electors of the Rhine. ADOLPH THE SIMPLE. ADOLPH, sirnamed the Simple, after his father's decease, was, with the rest of his brethren, received in favour by the Emperor Lewis, their uncle; and had the Electoral Palatinate rendered to him, toge ther with eertain towns of Bavaria, and Nordge, or Upper Palatinate. He was a prince void of all ambition, and more given to his private ease and rest, than to take any pains in ordering and ruling the republick. Whereupon he resigned over the electorate to his brother Rudolph, about the year 1327. Nevertheless, John, Duke of the Lower Bavaria, being deceased without issue, he went about, among others, to obtain this vacant estate, but was excluded from the same, by the Emperor Lewis, who was a degree nearer to the defunct than he; he died, in anno 1327, and was buried in Shoenau. He married Irmengard, daughter of Lewis, Earl of Oentingen, of whom he begot Rupert the Second, Palatine Elector, and a daughter that RUDOLPH THE SECOND. RUDOLPH the Second, sirnamed Blind, born at Wolffratzhasen, succeeded his brother, Adolph, in the Electoral Palatinate; but died not long after, about the year 1353. He had by his wife, Anne, daughter of Otho, Duke of Carinthia, one child only, to wit, Agnes, married to the Emperor, Charles the Fourth, and was crowned with him in Rome. RUPERT THE FIRST. RUPERT the First, sirnamed Rufus, was Prince Palatine Elector of the Rhine, after his brother's decease; he founded and erected the University of Heidelberg, in anno 1346. Having joined his forces with Lewis, the Elector of Brandenburg, he fought against a certain cousening miller, that had given himself out for Waldemar, Marquis of Brandenburg; he was by him vanquished and taken prisoner, and was released by the Emperor Charles with much difficulty. He had two wives, the first, Elisabeth of Namur, the second, Beatrix of Bergen, and had no issue by them; he died, in anno 1390, and was buried in Heustat. RUPERT THE SECOND. RUPERT the Second, sirnamed Durus, son to Adolph the Simple, succeeded his uncle Rupert in the Palatine Electorate of the Rhine. After the death of the Emperor, Charles the Fourth, having joined his forces with the other dukes of the house of Bavaria, he made war against the Emperor Vinceslaus, for that he detained certain towns and castles of North Bavaria, which his father had taken in pawn for his wife's portion; wherefore, at the commandment of the Emperor, he was pursued in open warfare, by those of Ragensburg, Augsburg, and divers other towns, lying on the Rhine, and, having fought against his enemies near unto Spires, he slew two hundred, took three hundred of them, and compelled the rest to fly into the same city. His country having been spoiled and burnt by some wicked and damnable persons, and having apprehended them, he caused to throw them into an hot furnace, being some forty in number; in the end he gave himself to peace and quietness, and renewed and increased the University of Heidelberg, so far, that it may seem that he was (as it were) the first founder thereof. He was a famous and renowned prince, both in peace and war; he died, in anno 1398, and was buried in Shonau; he married Beatrix, daughter of Frederick, King of Sicily, of whom he begot Rupert, the Emperor. Anne, married to the Duke of Juliers and Bergen. RUPERT THE THIRD. RUPERT the Third, Prince Elector of Palatine of the Rhine, and Duke of Bavaria, was by the princes elected emperor at Bopart, in anno 1406, and sacred by the archbishop at Cologne, after that, Vinceslaus had been deposed from his government. Being very earnestly requested by the pope to make war against John Galeace, Duke of Milan, whose greatness he feared, he went into Italy; where, having fought in the country of Brescia, against the Duke, who was assisted by such as had not as yet made defection from Vinceslaus, he received an overthrow at his hands, and retired back again, not re garding the earnest suit of the Florentines, that intreated for his help and assistance, taking ship at Venice, and returned into Germany, where he spent the rest of his days in beautifying and adorning of the same. He was severe, of an high spirit and great courage, was ex pert in warfare, and a great justiciar; being withal much addicted to the advancement of the republick, and conserving of the same in her full integrity and glory. Thus, after he had ruled the empire very commendably nine years and (almost) nine months, he died at Oppenheim, the seventeenth of May, in anno 1410, and was buried at Heidelberg, together with his wife Elisabeth, daughter of Frederick, Burgrave of Noremberg, he had six children by her, Rupert, sirnamed Pepin. Lewis, Prince Elector Palat. of the Rhine. John, Duke of Neuburg. Frederick of Amburg. Otho, Duke of Neumarckt, in Bavaria, and Mospach on the Neckar. Stephen, Duke of Zweibrugken and Obrinca. LEWIS THE FOURTH. LEWIS the Fourth, sirnamed Barbatus and Pius, succeeding his father in the electorate, a prince that was famous both in peace and, in war. He was president or moderator of the council of Constance, in anno 1415, warred in the Holy Land, and assisted the order of Teutons, in Prussia, with some troops of soldiers which he brought of Lorrain, by sending unto him a selected company of experimented warriors, who died all in the battle; the Frenchmen, that were on their side, having first begun to fly, and (as it were) betrayed them, in anno 1431. He learned the Greek tongue in his old age; because he had understood that the Emperor Sigismond had found great fault with the barbarous education of unlearned princes. Being very aged, and having waxed blind, he died in anno 1436, and was buried at Heidelberg. He had two wives, the first Blanch, daughter of Henry the Fourth, King of England; the second Mechtild, daughter of Lewis Earl of Piedmont and Savoy, and had by her three sons: Lewis, Prince Elector Palat. of the Rhine. Frederick, tutor and administrator of the Palatine Electorate, LEWIS THE FIFTH. LEWIS the fifth, called the Younger and Virtuous, Prince Elector Palatine of the Rhine, and Duke of Bavaria, being a religious and peaceable prince, a lover of justice, and very mild and affable withal, was much beloved for his singular virtues. He died in anno 1449, and was buried at Heidelberg: he married Margaret, daughter of Amadeus Duke of Savoy, and widow of Lewis, Duke of Anjou, married after his decease to Ulrick, Duke of Wirtemberg, and had, by her, Mechtild, married to Lewis, Duke of Wirtemberg. Philip, Prince Elector Palatine. FREDERICK THE FIRST. FREDERICK the first, sirnamed Victorious, born the first of Au gust, in anno 1425, was at first tutor and administrator to the young Prince Philip, his nephew, and afterwards, by adopting of him to his son, became Prince Elector Palatine; he was a most valiant and courageous prince, most constant and invincible at arms, and fought many dangerous combates; he secured his country from all foreign invasion, and purged the highways of robbers; he was a stout defender of the Imperial dignity and Majesty, against all the subtle and treacherous plots of the popes. He forced Ulrick, Duke of Wirtemberg, "to leave off the unlawful suing for his wife's dowry, from Philip, his pupil, which he sought by arms; and afterwards being again invaded by the same prince, that was assisted by Charles, Marquis of Baden and one of his brethren, he vanquished them all in one battle, near unto Heidelberg, and took thom prisoners, on the first of July, 1462; whom, after a little while, he set at liberty, for a great sum of money, being content with the honour of so famous a victory. He was never married; he died in anno 1476, of his age the fifty-first. |