31 October 1636 Birth of Ferdinand Maria, Elector (Kurfürst) of Bavaria

On October 31st. 1636 the eldest son of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria and
his second wife, Maria Anna of Austria was born.
He received the name: Ferdinand Maria.

Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria - Source picture: Wikipedia

Through his mother, Ferdinand Maria was a first cousin of:

Queen Mariana of Spain;

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.

With such a an ancestry it wasn't difficult to find an appropriate wife.

On December 8th. 1650 Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria married 

Henriette Adelaide of Savoy. 

She was the daughter of Victor Amadeus I of Savoy and Princess 

Christine of France (daughter of Henry IV and Marie de' Medici).

Ferdinand Maria and Henriette - Source picture: Wikipedia

Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy had 7 children,

2 of them would have progeny.

In 1651 Ferdinand Maria succeeded his father as elector of Bavaria,

but he still was a minor. His mother and his uncle Albert VI of Bavaria

served as regents for 3 years.

Finally on October 31rd. 1654 Ferdinand Maria was crowned as elector

of Bavaria. His absolutistic style of leadership became a model for the

rest of Germany. 

Ferdinand Maria modernized the Bavarian army and introduced the first

Bavarian local government code. He encouraged not only agriculture and

industry but also building or restoring numerous churches and monasteries.

The elector died on May 26th. 1679 in the Schleissheim Palace. He was

buried in imperial crypt of the Theatine Church in Munich.

 own picture of the Beautiful Theatine Church in Munich

 

Trivia

Did you know that Ferdinand Maria was the great grandfather of the

French monarch Louis XV?

So you can see that family ties between the European Royal Houses
really are close!