Primogeniture law
The so-called Primogeniturgesetz of July 8th, 1506 ended the age of Bavarian divisions , which began in 1255 . Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria issued the house law on the indivisibility of the Bavarian duchy, which was sworn by the estates, and introduced the first-born order .
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After the War of the Landshut Succession, the Primogeniture Act united the Duchy of Bavaria , which had been severely fragmented in various lines of the Wittelsbach family, in the hands of Duke Albrecht IV and ensured that it was indivisible by ensuring that from now on only the first-born son was to be the Duke of the entire Duchy.
Albrecht's brother Wolfgang renounced a co-government for himself and his heirs. In future only the first-born should rule, while the younger sons should be granted the title and rank of count and an annual pension of 4,000 guilders. This mode persisted despite the contradiction of his son Ludwig and after the Landshut War of Succession in 1503/05 led to the reunification of Upper and Lower Bavaria, which from then on remained undivided.
The estates were assured that in future each duke would confirm the old, traditional freedoms when paying homage to them. Only the duke should have the right to wage war, but he needed the approval of the estates.
Effects
Six weeks after the law was passed, King Maximilian I gave his approval. After the death of Duke Albrecht IV on March 18, 1508, his eldest son Wilhelm took over government. He only ruled under the tutelage of his uncle Wolfgang , and from 1511 independently with Leonhard von Eck as his leading advisor. William's younger brother Louis X was opposed, however, agreed on 14 October 1514 Rattenberg with him, Wilhelm should of Munich from the districts of Rent offices in Munich and Burghausen reign, Ludwig von Landshut from the Rent offices Landshut and Straubing and about a third of the Duchy. This division of power actually worked; there were only insignificant differences of opinion in the future. Ludwig died in 1545 without a male heir. Upper and Lower Bavaria remained undivided from then on.
In the will of Wilhelm's son Duke Albrecht V (he ruled 1550–1579) of April 11, 1578, the Primogeniture Act was reaffirmed. Only the provision on the demotion of the descendants to counts was in fact canceled by non-compliance.
literature
- Barbara Gebert: The Bavarian Primogeniture Ordinance of 1506 (= source texts for Bavarian history . Volume 2 ). Institute for Bavarian History, Munich 2002, DNB 966594037 .