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Duke Wilhelm in Bavaria

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Wilhelm
Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen
Duke in Bavaria
Born(1752-11-10)10 November 1752
Gelnhausen, Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen, Holy Roman Empire
Died8 January 1837(1837-01-08) (aged 84)
Landshut or Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria
Burial
SpouseCountess Palatine Maria Anna of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
IssueMaria Elisabeth, Princess of Neûchatel
Duke Pius August
HouseHouse of Wittelsbach
FatherJohn, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen
MotherWildgravine and Rhinegravine Sophie Charlotte of Salm-Dhaun

Duke Wilhelm in Bavaria (full German name: Wilhelm, Herzog in Bayern; 10 November 1752 – 8 January 1837) was a German prince of the House of Wittelsbach.[1][2]

Born into a non-ruling cadet branch of the widely branched House of Wittelsbach, Wilhelm was Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen between 1789 and 1799 and first Duke in Bavaria from 16 February 1799 until his death in 1837. He never ruled over his own principality, but from 17 December 1803 to 20 March 1806 he was titled Duke of Berg.

Early life

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Wilhelm was born on 10 November 1752 in Gelnhausen in the Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen. He was the second son and the fourth of eight children born to John, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen and his wife Wild- and Rhinegravine Sophie Charlotte of Salm-Dhaun.[1][2]

Wilhelm converted to Catholicism on 15 August 1769. In 1778, he became an honorary member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.[1]

Marriage and issue

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Wilhelm married Countess Palatine Maria Anna of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, sister of the first King of Bavaria Maximilian I, daughter of Frederick Michael, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken and his wife Countess Palatine Maria Franziska of Sulzbach, on 30 January 1780 in Mannheim.[2] Wilhelm and Maria Anna had two children:[2]

Duke in Bavaria

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Duke Wilhelm in his old age, c. 1820

On 16 February 1799, the head of the House of Wittelsbach Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria died. At the time there were two surviving branches of the Wittelsbach family: Zweibrücken (headed by Duke Maximilian Joseph) and Birkenfeld (headed by Count Palatine Wilhelm). Maximilian Joseph inherited Charles Theodor's title of Elector of Bavaria, while Wilhelm was compensated with the title of Duke in Bavaria. The form Duke in Bavaria was selected because in 1506 primogeniture had been established in the House of Wittelsbach resulting in there being only one Duke of Bavaria at any given time.

Death

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Duke Wilhelm died on 8 January 1837 in Landshut or Bamberg in the Kingdom of Bavaria.[1][2] He was interred at the family burial crypt of the Dukes in Bavaria at Tegernsee Abbey.

Ancestry

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. "Ehrenmitglieder" [Honorary members]. Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Archived from the original on 2009-07-11. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Geneall. "Wilhelm, Herzog in Bayern". Geneall. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  3. ^ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 95.

Bibliography

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  • von Witzleben, Hermann; von Vignau, Ilka (1976). Die Herzöge in Bayern. Von der Pfalz zum Tegernsee [The dukes in Bavaria. From the Palatinate to Tegernsee] (in German). Munich. ISBN 3-7913-0394-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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Duke Wilhelm in Bavaria
Cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach
Born: 10 November 1752 Died: 8 January 1837
German nobility
Preceded by Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen
31 March 1789 – 16 February 1799
Succeeded by
None