Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria

Duke Louis VII of Bavaria (20 December 1365 – 1 May 1447, Burghausen) (German: Ludwig VII der Bärtige, Herzog von Bayern), was from 1413 Duke of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. He was a son of Stephen III.

Biography

As brother of Isabeau of Bavaria he spent several years in France, when he succeeded his father in 1413 he ordered to build the New Castle of Ingolstadt, which was strongly influenced by French Gothic. In 1408 on the field of Othée Louis, William II, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing and John the Fearless defeated the citizens of Liege who revolted against William's brother John of Bavaria, the bishop of Liège. Very hot-tempered Louis was not only in conflict with his former ally John of Burgundy but fought also several times against his cousin Henry XVI of Bavaria-Landshut who had united his enemies in the Parakeet Society of 1414 and the League of Constance of 1415. The death of John of Bavaria in 1425 caused a new conflict between Louis and his cousins Henry, Ernest, Duke of Bavaria-Munich and William III, Duke of Bavaria-Munich. As a result John's duchy Bavaria-Straubing then was partitioned between the four dukes in 1429. Finally, Louis was imprisoned in 1443 by his own son, Louis VIII, who had allied with Henry XVI. Louis died in 1447 as Henry’s prisoner. Since Louis VIII had died already two years before, the duchy of Bavaria-Ingolstadt passed to Henry.