Louis VI the Roman

Louis VI the Roman (German: Ludwig VI der Römer; May 7, 1328 – May 17, 1365) was the first son of Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian from his second wife Margaret of Holland and a member of the House of Wittelsbach. Louis VI was Duke of Bavaria (1347-1365) and Margrave of Brandenburg (1351-1365). He also served as Prince-elector of Brandenburg since 1356.

Biography

Louis was born at Rome when his parents travelled there for his father's coronation. When his father died in 1347, Louis succeeded him as Duke of Bavaria and Count of Holland and Hainaut together with his five brothers. Louis released Holland and Hainaut for his brothers William I and Albert I in 1349 since he expected the Polish crown by his marriage with Cunigunde of Poland, a daughter of Casimir III with Aldona Ona of Lithuania. Later claims against Albert were not successful. In December of 1351 Louis VI received Brandenburg from his older half-brother Louis V in exchange for the sole rule in Upper Bavaria. Less experienced than Louis V, also he was challenged by the "False Waldemar", an impostor who claimed Brandenburg and got support from several cities and Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor until the Wittelsbach came to terms with Charles. With the Golden Bull of 1356 Louis was invested with the electoral dignity. After Cunigunde's death in 1357 Louis married Ingeborg of Mecklenburg. She was a daughter of Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg and Euphemia of Sweden. Louis had no children with her either. Therefore his younger brother Otto V succeeded him in Brandenburg. The childless dukes Louis and Otto had already promised Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor the succession in Brandenburg in 1364, as revenge for a conflict with their brother Stephen II over the Bavarian succession after the death of their nephew Meinhard, the son of Louis V. Louis VI died in Berlin.