Louis I, Duke of Bavaria facts for kids

Louis I (born 23 December 1173 – died 15 September 1231) was a very important ruler in medieval Germany. He was known as Louis the Kelheimer because he was born and died in Kelheim. He became the Duke of Bavaria in 1183 and the Count Palatine of the Rhine in 1214. Louis was the only son of Otto I, Duke of Bavaria, who was the first duke from the powerful House of Wittelsbach family. His mother was Agnes of Loon. Louis married Ludmilla of Bohemia, who was the daughter of Duke Frederick of Bohemia.

Life of Louis I

Growing Up and Early Challenges

Louis was still young when his father died in 1183. His uncle, Conrad of Wittelsbach, who was the Archbishop of Mainz, and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa became his guardians. His mother, Agnes of Loon, was a strong and smart leader. She made sure Louis would inherit Bavaria.

When Louis turned 16 in 1189, he faced a big problem. Two powerful families, the Burgrave of Regensburg and the Count of Sulzbach, had no more heirs. This allowed Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to take their lands for himself, which meant Louis lost out. When the Emperor died during a Crusade, his son, Henry VI, became the new Emperor.

Soon, Henry VI faced opposition from other powerful leaders. These included Ottokar I of Bohemia and his brother-in-law, Count Albert III of Bogen. They wanted to change the Emperor's land policies. Count Albert even tried to take the Sulzbach lands from the Emperor. Louis tried to help settle the argument by calling a meeting in Laufen. Many important people came, but Louis could not stop Count Albert from taking the Sulzbach land. When Louis tried to fight back, a war began. Louis's army was pushed back by the combined forces of Count Albert and Duke Ottokar. Louis vowed to get the Sulzbach land back.

In 1192, Louis was knighted in Worms. This was a special ceremony where he received his sword and belt, showing he was a true knight. Emperor Henry VI and many other princes were there. By 1193, Emperor Henry VI got involved in the Sulzbach problem himself. He took Sulzbach back and planned to banish Albert and take away Ottokar's duchy. Because of Louis's help, he stayed loyal to the Emperor for the next 15 years. Louis showed his support by attending important meetings and traveling with the Emperor to Apulia and Sicily. There, he helped the Emperor secure his claim to southern Italy.

Louis remained a loyal supporter of Emperor Henry VI. He went with him to Italy in 1194 to conquer the kingdom of Sicily. This kingdom was Henry's wife Constance's rightful inheritance. When Henry VI died in 1197, Louis continued to support the Hohenstaufen family. He backed Philip of Swabia in the fight for the throne. Louis's loyalty paid off. When the Landgrave of Stefling died without an heir in 1196, Emperor Henry gave the region to Louis instead of keeping it for himself. This made Louis even more powerful.

In 1197, Louis went with the Emperor to Sicily to prepare for a new Crusade. But Emperor Henry died suddenly from an illness, possibly malaria. This meant the journey was canceled. Henry's death led to a very difficult time in German history.

Becoming More Powerful

After Emperor Henry's death, there was a big disagreement over who should be the next emperor. Princes in northern and western Germany chose Otto of Brunswick. This was mainly because Pope Celestine III encouraged them. But princes in southern and eastern Germany stayed loyal to the Hohenstaufen family. Emperor Henry's young son, Frederick II, had been elected king when he was only two years old. However, he was too young to rule. So, Henry's brother Philip stepped up to be king. This led to two emperors being chosen in 1198. In the same year, Louis's old enemy, Albert III of Bogen, died. This was good news for Louis, as it removed a problem and opened up new chances.

In 1204, Louis married Ludmilla of Bohemia. She was a widow, and her uncle was King Ottokar I of Bohemia. This marriage helped Louis gain an important ally. It also gave him a claim to the lands of Albert III of Bogen. In the same year, the region of Vohburg also became Louis's.

An old story tells how Louis met Ludmilla. Ludmilla was worried Louis was not serious about marrying her. She hid three trusted people behind a curtain and gave them pictures to hold up. She then asked Louis to promise to marry her in front of witnesses. Louis hesitated, and she pointed to the pictures, saying, "Those people will be witnesses to your promises." Louis thought the pictures could not testify against him, so he made all the promises she wanted. Then, she pulled back the curtains, revealing the three living witnesses! Louis was so impressed by her cleverness that he solemnly married her.

In 1204, the margraves of Cham died without heirs. King Philip gave large areas of this land to Louis. With this new wealth of land, Louis founded the city of Landshut and began building Trausnitz Castle there in the same year.

Otto IV's charter giving Bavaria to Louis on 15 November 1208

In June 1208, many lords gathered with King Philip in Bamberg. They were there to celebrate the wedding of Philip's niece, Beatrice II, Countess of Burgundy, to Otto I, Duke of Merania. After the wedding, King Philip was murdered by Otto VIII, Count Palatine of Bavaria, who was Louis's cousin. The killer escaped. The lords immediately held a meeting and blamed the House of Andechs for the murder. Louis suspected Henry II of Istria the most. All members of the Andechs family were banned from their lands, except for Otto I of Merania and his bride Beatrice, who were considered innocent. This meant an old ally of Bavaria suddenly became an enemy. Louis left Bamberg right away, gathered his army, and took over the March of Istria.

After King Philip's murder, Louis did not immediately support the new King, Otto IV, who was from the House of Welf family. Instead, Louis influenced a new election for king in Bavaria. In the end, Louis made deals with King Otto IV to protect his family's power. These deals gave him the lands of the Andechs family, made sure he would inherit the Palatinate of the Rhine, and confirmed that the Wittelsbach family would rule Bavaria forever.

However, in 1211, Louis joined the Hohenstaufen party again. King Frederick II rewarded him by giving him the Palatinate of the Rhine in 1214. Louis's son, Otto II, married Agnes of the Palatinate. She was a granddaughter of Duke Henry the Lion. Through this marriage, the Wittelsbach family gained the Palatinate. They kept it as their possession until 1918. Since that time, the lion has been a symbol in the coat of arms for both Bavaria and the Palatinate.

Crusade and Later Years

On 23 July 1215, Louis was in Aachen to see Frederick II crowned again as King of the Romans. While there, both Louis and Frederick promised to go on a Crusade.

Louis founded the city of Straubing in 1218. The Emperor gave Louis 2,000 marks of silver to help pay for his Crusade.

In May 1221, Louis sailed with his Bavarian army. Other important nobles and church leaders joined him. Their fleet arrived in Damietta, Egypt. Louis suggested they attack the sultan's camp before the river flooded. They made a plan and set up tents. On 6 July, a church leader ordered a three-day fast. The next day, King John arrived with a large army to help. On 17 July, they met the enemy at the village of Fariskur. In the Battle of Fariskur, they fought well and had no losses.

On 19 July, the Saracens sent a large cavalry force against the Crusaders. The Muslims surrounded the Christians and shot arrows, avoiding close fighting. The Crusaders fought back, and the Muslims retreated. The next day, 20 July, the enemy attacked even harder, but few Crusaders were injured or killed. By 21 July, the Muslims retreated again. As they left, they burned many of their villages to stop the Crusaders from getting food and resources. But this failed, as the Crusaders still found food in many deserted villages. This allowed the Crusaders to pass peacefully through Saramsah, which the Sultan had destroyed.

Louis was taken as a hostage in Egypt by Al-Kamil but was later released. In 1225, Louis became the guardian for the young King Henry. However, Louis's relationship with both Henry and the Emperor got worse. He disagreed with the Emperor about church policies. In 1229, he even fought against Henry with his army, but Louis was defeated. He also worked with the Pope against the Emperor during the War of the Keys in Italy. Because of this pressure, he moved back to Kelheim Castle in 1230.

He founded the city of Landau an der Isar in 1224.

Louis's Death

Louis was murdered in 1231 on a bridge in Kelheim. The crime was never fully solved because the killer, who was said to be an Assassin, was immediately killed by a mob. Many people suspected Emperor Frederick II was behind the murder. After Louis's death, the city of Kelheim lost its special status as a ducal home. Louis's son and successor, Otto the Illustrious, had the bridge torn down the next year and changed its gate into a chapel. Louis was buried in the crypt of Scheyern Abbey.

See also

In Spanish: Luis I de Baviera (duque) para niños