Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
A defiant Bavarian king who clawed his way to the imperial throne, sparking a decades-long political crisis that reshaped the power of the medieval papacy.
1282–1347 (age 65)·Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 to 1347·Birthday: April 1
Biography
Louis IV, known as 'the Bavarian,' was a Holy Roman Emperor forged in conflict. His reign began not with coronation, but with a disputed election in 1314 that plunged Germany into an eight-year civil war against his Habsburg rival, Frederick the Fair. Louis emerged victorious, but his troubles were just beginning. His interventions in Italy and his support for spiritual movements critical of papal wealth brought him into direct confrontation with Pope John XXII. The pope excommunicated him and declared his title invalid, leading to a profound constitutional crisis. In response, Louis marched to Rome, had himself crowned emperor by a representative of the Roman people, and then deposed the pope, appointing an antipope in his place. This bold, scandalous move was the apex of a long struggle between imperial and papal authority. While he could not sustain his position in Italy, his defiance in Germany led to declarations that the imperial office derived its power from God and the princes, not from papal approval, significantly weakening the pope's political influence north of the Alps for centuries to come.
#1 When Louis Was Born
The biggest hits of 1282
Louis's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1282Born
1287Started school
1295Became a teenager
1298Could drive
1300Could vote
1303Turned 21
1312Turned 30
1322Turned 40
1332Turned 50
1342Turned 60
1347Died at 65
Key Achievements
- Was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome in 1328 after a dramatic march into Italy, defying a papal ban.
- Issued the decree *Licet iuris* in 1338, asserting that the emperor's authority came directly from God and the prince-electors, not the pope.
- Successfully defended his title during the long War of the Bavarian Succession against his Habsburg rival, Frederick the Fair.
- His conflict with Pope John XXII became the last great medieval showdown between imperial and papal supremacy.
Did You Know?
He was the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned in Rome itself until Charles V in 1530.
He granted the title of Elector to the Duke of Pomerania in an attempt to gain support, though this was later overturned.
He supported the Franciscan Spirituals, a radical faction that preached absolute poverty, against the wishes of the Avignon Papacy.
His first wife, Beatrice of Silesia, was a descendant of King Béla IV of Hungary, and his second, Margaret of Holland, brought the County of Holland into the Wittelsbach domains.
“I will live and die by the sword, not by the Pope's decree.”
