Maximilian Joseph, Duke in Bavaria

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Maximilian Joseph, Duke in Bavaria (4 December 1808 – 15 November 1888) was a member of the House of Wittelsbach and a promoter of Bavarian folk-music. He is most famous today as the father of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

1 Early life
2 Middle East trip
3 Folk-music
4 Marriage and family
5 Children:
6 Notes
7 Bibliography
8 External links

[edit] Early life

Maximilian Joseph was born at Bamberg, the only son of Duke Pius August in Bavaria (1786–1837) and of his wife, Princess Amélie Louise of Arenberg. In 1834 he purchased Possenhofen Castle on Lake Starnberg; this was his major residence for the rest of his life.

[edit] Middle East trip

In 1838 Maximilian Joseph travelled to Egypt and Palestine.^[1] He published an account of this trip: Wanderung nach dem Orient im Jahre 1838 (München: Georg Franz, 1839; reprinted Pfaffenhofen: Ludwig, 1978). While climbing the Great Pyramid he arranged for his servants to yodel as if he were climbing in the Alps. He collected a number of antiquities which he brought back to Bavaria and displayed in his father's home, Banz Abbey; they can still be seen there today. Among the items are the mummy of a young woman, three mummies' heads, several animal mummies, shawabtis, and several stones from tombs or temples including one from the Temple of Dendur. He also bought some children in the Cairo slave market and later freed them. When Maximilian Joseph was in Jerusalem, he paid for the restoration of the Chapel of the Flagellation on the Via Dolorosa.

[edit] Folk-music

Maximilian Joseph was one of the most prominent promoters of Bavarian folk-music in the 19th century. Under his influence the zither started to be used in court circles and eventually became identified as the national musical instrument of Bavaria. Because of his interest he received the nickname Zither-Maxl. He himself played the zither and also composed music for it.

During a visit by his cousin Ludwig II of Bavaria, Ludwig saw some sheet music on Maximilian Joseph's piano by the composer Richard Wagner, which led on to Ludwig's financial support for Wagner from 1863.

Maximilian Joseph's musical compostions have been collected in the work: Die im Druck erschienenen Kompositionen von Herzog Maximilian in Bayern: Ländler, Walzer, Polka, Schottisch, Mazurka, Quadrillen und Märsche für Pianoforte, Zither, Gitarre oder Streichinstrumente (München: Musikverlag Emil Katzbichler, 1992).

[edit] Marriage and family

On September 9, 1828, at Tegernsee, Maximilian Joseph married Princess Ludovika of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. They had ten children:

[edit] Children:

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
Ludwig Wilhelm, Duke in Bavaria ("Louis")	June 21, 1831	November 6, 1920	married Henriette, Frein of Wallsee (morganatly), had issue.
Wilhelm Karl, Duke in Bavaria	December 24, 1832	February 13, 1833	died in childhood, no issue.
Helene Caroline Therese, Duchess in Bavaria ("Nene")	April 4, 1834	May 16, 1890	married Maximilian Anton Lamoral Hereditary Prince of Thurn and Taxis, had issue.
Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie, Duchess in Bavaria	December 24, 1837	September 10, 1898	married Franz Josef of Austria and became the empress of Austria and queen of Hungary, had issue.
Karl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria "Gackl"	August 9, 1839	November 30, 1909	married twice. First to his cousin Sophie of Saxony (1845-1867) in 1865 and secondly to Maria Josepha de Bragança of Portugal in 1874, had issue from both marriages.
Marie Sophie Amalie, Duchess in Bavaria	October 4, 1841	January 19 1925	married Francis II of the Two Sicilies, had issue (a stillborn daughter).
Mathilde Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria	September 30, 1843	June 18, 1925	married Lodovico, Count of Trani, son of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, the half-brother from Francis II of the Two Scilies, had issue.
Maximilian, Duke in Bavaria	December 8, 1845	December 8, 1845	stillborn.
Sophie Charlotte Augustine, Duchess in Bavaria	February 23, 1847	May 4, 1897	married Ferdinand Philippe Marie, duc d'Alençon (1844-1910), son of Louis Charles Philippe Raphael, duc de Nemours, had issue.
Maximilian Emanuel, Duke in Bavaria "Mapperl"	December 7, 1849	June 12, 1893	married Amalie, Princess of Coburg, had issue.