Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria
The Bavarian duke whose shrewd marriage and strict inheritance law finally unified a fractured duchy, shaping Germany's most powerful Catholic state.
1447–1508 (age 61)·Duke of Bavaria from 1503 to 1508·Birthday: December 15
Biography
Albert IV of Bavaria issued the 1506 Primogeniture Decree, mandating the duchy pass undivided to the eldest son. Inheriting only Bavaria-Munich in 1467, he operated within a web of rival Wittelsbach branches. His 1485 marriage to Kunigunde of Austria, daughter of Emperor Frederick III, elevated his dynasty's prestige. When the last duke of Bavaria-Landshut died in 1503, Albert used his decree and military force to press his claim. He overcame a rival inheritance bid in the brief War of the Succession of Landshut. By 1505, he had reunited Bavaria for the first time in over two centuries. His brief reign made Munich the permanent capital.
#1 When Albert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1447
Albert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1447Born
1452Started school
1460Became a teenager
1463Could drive
1465Could vote
1468Turned 21
1477Turned 30
1487Turned 40
1497Turned 50
1507Turned 60
1508Died at 61
Key Achievements
- Issued the Decree of Primogeniture in 1506, ensuring the future territorial unity of Bavaria by forbidding its division among heirs.
- Successfully reunited the separate duchies of Bavaria-Munich and Bavaria-Landshut after the War of the Succession of Landshut (1503–1505).
- Established Munich as the sole, permanent capital of the unified Duchy of Bavaria.
- Strengthened dynastic ties to the Habsburgs through his marriage to Kunigunde of Austria.
Did You Know?
He founded the Old Academy in Ingolstadt in 1498, which later evolved into the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
He was a major patron of the arts, commissioning the magnificent late-Gothic hall choir in Munich's Frauenkirche.
His nickname was 'Albert the Wise.'
His reunification of Bavaria was confirmed by Emperor Maximilian I in the 1505 Peace of Cologne.
“Munich shall be the heart of a single, indivisible Bavaria.”
