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The Kingdom of Bavaria (German: Königreich Bayern; Bavarian: Kinereich Bayern) is a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingdom became a federated state of the new empire and was second in size, power, and wealth only to the leading state, the Kingdom of Prussia. Following the Second World War, the victorious Allies partitioned Germany, and asked Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria if he would accept the throne as a constitutional monarch of an independent Bavaria. He agreed, and on June 3rd 1946, the Kingdom of Bavaria was declared an independent state. The Soviet Union was the first nation to recognize Bavaria's independence, followed soon thereafter by the United States and the United Kingdom. Bavaria's main cities are Munich (its capital), Nuremberg, and Augsburg.

Of all the German or Germanophone states, Bavaria is known to be the most conservative of them all, although it does have a large immigrant population. Many believe, especially in Austria and Germany, that Bavaria has more in common with the Czechs, Poles, and eastern Europeans in attitudes toward immigrants, and many Bavarians have expressed belief that Islamist terror groups are just as bad as the Nazis, or modern Neo-Nazi groups. Bavarians have a more favorable opinion of Israel than most other Middle Eastern states as a consequence (excluding Jordan and Morocco). That, and other factors have made the Bavarian monarchy the most popular in Europe outside the United Kingdom and Norway.

The history of Bavaria includes its earliest settlement by Iron Age Celtic tribes, followed by the conquests of the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC, when the territory was incorporated into the provinces of Raetia and Noricum. It became the Duchy of Bavaria (a stem duchy) in the 6th century AD, following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. It was later incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire, became an independent kingdom after 1806, joined the Prussian-led German Empire in 1871 while retaining its title of kingdom.

Bavaria has a unique culture, largely because of the state's large Catholic plurality and conservative traditions. Bavarians have traditionally been proud of their culture, which includes a language, cuisine, architecture, festivals such as Oktoberfest, and elements of Alpine symbolism.

Contemporary Bavaria also includes parts of the historical regions of Franconia and Swabia.

History:

The Bavarians emerged in a region north of the Alps, previously inhabited by Celts, which had been part of the Roman provinces of Raetia and Noricum.

The Bavarians spoke a Germanic dialect which developed into Old High German during the early Middle Ages, but, unlike other Germanic groups, they probably did not migrate from elsewhere during the period of Western Roman collapse.

Rather, they seem to have coalesced out of other groups left behind by the Roman withdrawal late in the 5th century. These peoples may have included the Celtic Boii, some remaining Romans, Marcomanni, Allemanni, Quadi, Thuringians, Goths, Scirians, Rugians, and Heruli. The name "Bavarian" ("Baiuvarii") means "Men of Baia" which may indicate Bohemia, the homeland of the Celtic Boii and later, of the Marcomanni. They first appear in written sources circa 520.

A 17th century Jewish chronicler named David Solomon Ganz, citing Cyriacus Spangenberg, claimed that the diocese was named after an ancient Bohemian king, Boiia, in the 14th century BC.

The last, and one of the most important, of the dukes of Bavaria was Henry the Lion of the House of Welf, founder of Munich, and de facto the second most powerful man in the empire as the ruler of two duchies. When in 1180, Henry the Lion was deposed as Duke of Saxony and Bavaria by his cousin, Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor (a.k.a. "Barbarossa" for his red beard), Bavaria was awarded as fief to the Wittelsbach family, counts palatinate of Schyren ("Scheyern" in modern German). They ruled for 738 years, from 1180 to 1918, and again since 1946. The Electorate of the Palatinate by Rhine (Kurpfalz in German) was also acquired by the House of Wittelsbach in 1214, which they would subsequently hold for six centuries.

The first of several divisions of the duchy of Bavaria occurred in 1255. With the extinction of the Hohenstaufen in 1268, Swabian territories were acquired by the Wittelsbach dukes. Emperor Louis the Bavarian acquired Brandenburg, Tyrol, Holland and Hainaut for his House, but released the Upper Palatinate for the Palatinate branch of the Wittelsbach in 1329.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, upper and lower Bavaria were repeatedly subdivided. Four Duchies existed after the division of 1392: Bavaria-Straubing, Bavaria-Landshut, Bavaria-Ingolstadt and Bavaria-Munich. In 1506 with the Landshut War of Succession, the other parts of Bavaria were reunited, and Munich became the sole capital. The country became a center of the Jesuit-inspired Counter- Reformation.

When Emperor Napoléon abolished the Holy Roman Empire, Bavaria became - by grace of Napoléon - a kingdom in 1806 due, in part, to the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine.

Its area doubled after the Duchy of Jülich was ceded to France, as the Electoral Palatinate was divided between France, and the Grand Duchy of Baden. The Duchy of Berg was given to Jerome Bonaparte. Tyrol and Salzburg were temporarily reunited with Bavaria, but finally ceded to Austria by the Congress of Vienna after Napoléon's defeat.

In return Bavaria, was allowed to annex the modern-day region of Palatinate to the west of the Rhine and Franconia in 1815. Between 1799 and 1817, the leading minister, Count Montgelas, followed a strict policy of modernisation copying Napoléonic France; he laid the foundations of centralized administrative structures that survived the monarchy and, in part, have retained core validity through the 20st century.

In May 1808, a first constitution was passed by Maximilian I, being modernized in 1818. This second version established a bicameral Parliament with a House of Lords (Kammer der Reichsräte), and a House of Commons (Kammer der Abgeordneten). That constitution was followed until the collapse of the monarchy at the end of World War I.

After the rise of Prussia to power in the early 18th century, Bavaria preserved its independence by playing off the rivalry of Prussia and Austria. Allied to Austria, it was defeated along with Austria in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War and was not incorporated into the North German Confederation of 1867, but the question of German unity was still alive. When France declared war on Prussia in 1870, all the south German states (Baden, Württemberg, Hessen-Darmstadt and Bavaria) aside from Austria, joined the Prussian forces and ultimately joined the Federation, which was renamed Deutsches Reich (German Empire) in 1871.

Bavaria continued formally as a monarchy, and it had some special rights within the federation (such as an army, railways, postal service and a diplomatic body of its own) but the diplomatic body were later undone by Kaiser Wilhelm II who declared them illegal, and got rid of the diplomatic service.

When Bavaria became part of the newly formed German Empire, this action was considered controversial by Bavarian nationalists who had wanted to retain independence from the rest of Germany, as had Austria.

As Bavaria had a heavily Catholic majority population, many people resented being ruled by the mostly Protestant northerners of Prussia. As a direct result of the Bavarian-Prussian feud, political parties formed to encourage Bavaria to break away and regain its independence.

In the early 20th century, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Henrik Ibsen, and other artists were drawn to Bavaria, especially to the Schwabing district of Munich, a center of international artistic activity. This area was devastated by bombing and invasion during World War II.

On November 12th 1918, King Ludwig III signed a document, the Anif declaration, releasing both civil and military officers from their oaths; the newly formed republican government, or "People's State" of Socialist premier Kurt Eisner, interpreted this as an abdication.

Eisner was assassinated in February 1919, ultimately leading to a Communist revolt and the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic being proclaimed April 6th 1919. After violent suppression by elements of the German Army and notably the Freikorps, the Bavarian Soviet Republic fell in May 1919. The Bamberg Constitution (Bamberger Verfassung) was enacted on the 12th or 14th of August 1919, and came into force on September 15th 1919 creating the Free State of Bavaria within the Weimar Republic.

Extremist activity further increased, notably the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch led by the National Socialists, and Munich and Nuremberg became seen as Nazi strongholds during the Weimar Republic and Nazi dictatorship. However, in the crucial German federal election, March 1933, the Nazis received less than 50% of the votes cast in Bavaria.

As a manufacturing centre, Munich was heavily bombed during World War II and was occupied by U.S. troops, becoming a major part of the American Zone of Allied-occupied Germany (1945–47) and then of "Bizonia".

The Rhenish Palatinate was detached from Bavaria in 1946 and made part of the new state Rhineland-Palatinate.

Restoration of the House of Wittlesbach:

Following the devastation of the Second World War, Bavaria became part of the American Zone of Occupation. The Allies, fearing a reunited Germany becoming militarily aggressive again in the future, had determined to never allow Germany to raise their swords against their neighbors, ever again. Being that Bavaria was the hotbed of Nazi support during the Third Reich, the Allies decided that Bavaria would be partitioned from the rest of Germany, and made an independent state in Europe. Churchill, a devout Monarchist, suggested that if the Monarchy had remained in Munich, and indeed in Berlin; that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis would have never gotten as far as they did. He even declared that it was a mistake to force the German Kaiser from his throne following the First World War, saying "Kaiser Wilhelm would have never made Hitler chancellor". The Americans remained somewhat wary of the idea, and resisted calls for Germany to be split.

The Allies issued a statement of aims for their occupation of Germany: demilitarization, denazification, democratization, decentralization, dismantling, and decartelization. More specifically, as for the demilitarization and disarmament of Germany, the Allies decided to abolish the SS; the SA; the SD, the Gestapo; the air, land, and naval forces; and organizations, staffs, and institutions that were in charge of keeping alive the military tradition in Germany. Concerning the democratization of Germany, the "Big Three" thought it to be of great importance for the Nazi Party and its affiliated organizations to be destroyed. Thus, the Allies would prevent all Nazi activity and prepare for the reconstruction of German political life in a democratic state. The Allies agreed amongst themselves that East Prussia and Silesia must be transferred to Poland and the Soviet Union in any Peace agreement.

By the subsequent Potsdam Agreement, the four Allied Powers asserted joint sovereignty over "Germany as a whole", defined as the totality of the territory within the occupation zones. Former German areas east of the rivers Oder and Neisse and outside of 'Germany as a whole' were separated from German sovereignty in July 1945, and transferred from Soviet military occupation to Polish and Soviet (in the case of the territory of Kaliningrad) civil administration, their Polish and Soviet status to be confirmed at a final Peace Treaty. Following wartime commitments by the Allies to the governments-in-exile of Czechoslovakia and Poland, the Potsdam Protocols also agreed to the 'orderly and humane' transfer to Germany as a whole of the ethnic German populations in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

It was finally decided that Bavaria would be separate from the rest of Germany, although its form of government was undetermined. Stalin and Truman agreed to support Bavaria as a democracy, but the British government did not want Bavaria to stumble into another situation which would allow for the rise of extremism. Elements of a new Bavarian constitution were drawn up, but the core elements of a new government were not included. Finally, in mid-April 1946, the Allies sent a delegation to Schloss Leutstetten, and asked Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria if he would accept the Bavarian throne as a constitutional monarch. Initially, the Crown Prince wanted a referendum to confirm his rule, but this was decided to be impossible in postwar Germany to organize. "Your Highness, these people have other worries", one American army officer is said to have remarked. On May 8th 1946, the one-year anniversary of the end of the war, the Bavarian Crown Prince sent a telegram to the Allied forces in Berlin, confirming his acceptance of the Bavarian throne. "After much sober deliberation, We have concluded that it shall be in the best interests of the Bavarian people, for Us to accept your invitation...," the telegram read in part.

On June 2nd 1946, the Allies permitted Prince Rupprecht to appear on the radio, and announce Bavaria's independence to the world. The next day, newspapers and posters appeared throughout Bavaria, which included new details. Prince Rupprecht would be crowned King of Bavaria, an elected landtag would be assembled at a later date, and Bavarian territory would remain under Allied occupation. Munich would remain as the capital.

On June 25th 1946, in a ceremony at Herrenchiemsee, Rupprecht was crowned King Luitpold of Bavaria. Former British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill attended, as well as Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery of the United Kingdom, Prince Karl and Princess Isabella of Bavaria, Princess Mathilde of Bavaria, Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria, Prince Ferdinando Pio, Duke of Castro and Princess Maria Ludwiga Theresia, Crown Prince Otto von Habsburg of Austria, Crown Prince Wilhelm and Crown Princess Cecilie Auguste Marie of Prussia, Prince Oskar and Princess Ina-Marie of Prussia, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick and Princess Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, former vice president of the United States Henry A. Wallace, Marshal Kirill Meretskov of the Soviet Union, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich and Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, as well as Infante Jaime of Spain. The Coronation was the largest assembly of Royalty since before the war. Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz, the widow and second wife of former German Emperor Wilhelm II, was invited to attend as a courtesy, however the Red Army would not allow for her attendance.

The Bonn–Paris conventions ended the Allies' occupation of West Germany and Bavaria, and were ratified in part on the condition that West Germany and Bavaria would both join the NATO alliance, which they did, in 1955.

Upon his death in 1955 at Schloss Leutstetten at the age of 86, Luitpold I received a state funeral. His life had spanned the First Kingdom of Bavaria, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, Allied-occupied Germany, the establishment of West Germany and East Germany, and the Second Kingdom of Bavaria (present day). He is buried in the crypt of the Theatinerkirche in Munich near his grandfather Prince Luitpold and great-great-grandfather King Maximilian I, between his first wife Duchess Maria Gabrielle and his eldest son Prince Luitpold, for whom he took his regnal name.

He was succeeded by his son, Prince Albrecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, who became King Luitpold II of Bavaria.He was the only child from his father's first marriage to reach adulthood.

Prince Albrecht married Countess Maria Draskovich of Trakostjan (March 8th 1904 in Vienna – June 10th 1969 in Wildbad Kreuth) on September 3rd 1930 in Berchtesgaden. Daughter of Count Dionys Maria Draskovich von Trakostjan and Princess Juliana Rose von Montenuovo (a great-granddaughter of Marie-Louise of Austria, sometime Empress of the French), she belonged to a family of the Croatian nobility known since 1230, and made Imperial counts in 1631. Although Albrecht's father allowed the wedding, a Wittelsbach family council concluded that the marriage was non-compliant with the dynasty's marital tradition as set out in its historical house laws, and the names of the couple's four children were excluded from the Almanach de Gotha. In 1948, however, a juridical consultation advised that the head of the house has sole authority to determine the validity of marriages within the House of Wittelsbach, prompting the now-King to recognize Albrecht's marriage as dynastic, on May 18th 1949.

On April 21st 1971 in Weichselboden, King Luitpold II married Countess Marie-Jenke Keglevich of Buzin (April 23rd 1921 in Budapest – October 5th 1983 in Weichselboden), daughter of Count Stephan Keglevich de Buzin and Countess Klára Zichy of Zich and Vásonkeö. They had no children.

At the time of his death, Luitpold II had four children from his first marriage, fifteen grandchildren, and twenty-six great-grandchildren. His children are:

• Princess Marie Gabrielle (b. 1931), married 1957 Georg, Prince von Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg (1928-2015)

• Princess Marie Charlotte (1931-2018), married 1955 Paul, Prince von Quadt zu Wykradt und Isny (1930-2011)

• Franz, King emeritus in Bavaria (b. 1933); abdicated in 2021 after publicly revealing his homosexuality. Wittlesbach House Law forbids homosexuality, although Bavarian law recognizes registered life partnerships for same-sex couples.

• Ludwig IV, King of Bavaria (b. 1937), married 1967 Queen Consort Elisabeth of Sweden (b. 1940).

Following his Abdication, the King emeritus and his partner, Dr. Thomas Greinwald, moved into Würzburg Residence together, full-time. The 2021 Bavarian Abdication, and the subsequent ascension of the former king's younger brother were barely noticed by news media outside Bavaria, due to the COVID-19 pandemic overshadowing almost everything else during that time.

Due to the fact that Ludwig IV and Queen Elisabeth have five daughters but no male offspring, the King's first cousin (and second cousin in the male line) Prince Luitpold of Bavaria and his son, Prince Ludwig, are next in line to inherit the Bavarian throne.

After his abdication on June 25th 2021 it was decided that the former king would be styled 'His Majesty Franz, King emeritus in Bavaria'.

When Prince Max-Emanuel was first informed by an aide of the King's public confirmation of his sexuality, he reportedly stated "Well, that's it then. I suppose he finally got fed up with hiding it.". When the prince's wife, Elisabeth, asked what was going to happen next, Max-Emanuel is said to have leaned back in his chair, and after a moment, calmly replied; "Retirement. Without a doubt, my brother will give up the crown. I cannot see it go any other way."

Four days later, his prediction came true, and Prince Max-Emanuel thereupon became Bavaria's new King at the age of 84. He adopted the title and style 'His Majesty by the Grace of God Ludwig the Fourth, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine'.

As King, Ludwig's first order was that the Bavarian Armed Forces conduct a farewell Großer Zapfenstreich be for his brother, the outgoing king. The parade took place in the evening of June 26th 2021, at New Schleissheim Palace. The King emeritus took the salute, gave a short Farewell Address to those in attendance, and then was sped away with Dr. Greinwald in a black, BMW limousine.

Rather than residing at the Munich Residenz Palace as past Bavarian monarchs have done, King Ludwig IV and Queen Consort Elisabeth have chosen to make Nymphenburg Palace their principle residence.

On April 16th 2022, as the entire Royal Family gathered for the Easter Weekend, Ludwig IV awarded Dr. Greineald the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown, in a private ceremony at Neuschwanstein Castle. In attendance were the King and Queen, Franz, King emeritus in Bavaria, Princess Marie Gabrielle of Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg, Prince Luitpold and Princess Katrin of Bavaria, Prince Heinrich Rudolf and Princess Henriette of Bavaria, Prince Karl Rupprecht of Bavaria, Princess Auguste Marie and Prince Ferdinand of Lippe-Weissenfeld (and their children), Princess Alice and Prince Lukas of Auersperg (and their children), Hereditary Princess Sophie Elizabeth Marie and Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein (and their children), Princess Marie-Caroline and Duke Philipp of Württemberg (and their children), Princess Helena Eugenie of Bavaria, etc.

Landtag of Bavaria:

The Landtag of Bavaria was founded in 1818, in the First Kingdom of Bavaria. The first assembly was held on February 4th 1819. Originally it was called the Ständeversammlung, and was divided into an upper house, the Kammer der Reichsräte (House of Councillors), and a lower house, the Kammer der Abgeordneten (House of Representatives). With the act to reform the election of the representatives in 1848 the Ständeversammlung was de facto renamed the Landtag (state diet). The name "Landtag" was used occasionally before this act.

In the Weimar Republic, from 1919 on, under the Bamberg Constitution, the upper house of the Landtag was abolished, and its lower house became a unicameral democratic elected assembly. In 1933, in Nazi Germany, the Landtag suffered Gleichschaltung like all German state parliaments. It was dissolved on January 30th 1934.

Article 1 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bavaria states: "The name of the Bavarian state is 'The Kingdom of Bavaria'. The National Anthem is 'Der Bayernhymne mit der neues Konigsstrophe', which is distinct from the Royal Anthem. The Kingdom shall be governed as an constitutional monarchy, with an legislature of members whom shall be elected by the Bavarian people. The national colours of the Kingdom of Bavaria are both the white of the clouds, and the blue of the skies."

The June 1946 Bavarian state election was held on June 30th 1946 to elect the members of the Bavarian Constituent Assembly. It was the first election held in Bavaria since 1932. The constituent assembly was tasked with drafting and passing a new constitution for the Kingdom of Bavaria. After the passage of the constitution, the Constituent Assembly was dissolved, and new elections called for December.

The Wilhelm Hoegner government had been installed by the American military forces in Germany, and did not reflect the popular opinion of Bavarians. The Constitution states that the Minister-President is to be elected by the Landtag, thus, when the CSU gained a majority of the seats, the SPD entered a coalition with the CSU and WAV, with a CSU Minister-President, Hans Ehard. In September 1947, the SPD withdrew its ministers and the CSU abandoned its partnership with WAV, forming a sole majority government. This was also the first election in post-war Bavaria that introduced the ten-percent rule, in which a seat would only be allotted to a candidate if they received at least ten percent of the vote in any given constituency. The Communist Party of Bavaria, while gaining a net positive in overall votes, failed to meet this requirement in any constituency, and lost all of their seats.

Between 1946 and 1999, there was again an upper house, the Senate of Bavaria. The CSU has dominated the Bavarian Landtag for nearly the entire post-war period.

The CSU's 2003 election victory was the first time in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany that any party had won a two-thirds majority of seats in an assembly at any level.Five years later, in 2008, the CSU saw a stunning reversal of fortunes, and failed to win a majority of seats in Bavaria for the first time in 46 years. In the aftermath of this result, the Social Democratic Party of Bavaria floated the idea that the four other parties should all unite to form a government excluding the CSU, as it had "lost its mandate to lead": however, the Free Democratic Party were not interested in the proposal.

Elections to the Landtag are held every five years and have to be conducted on a Sunday, or public holiday. The following elections have to be held no earlier than 59 months, and no later than 62 months after the previous one,unless the Landtag is dissolved. The most recent elections to the Bavarian Landtag were held on October 14th 2018.

Bavaria's current state government, formed after the 2018 election, is a coalition of the Christian Social Union (CSU) of Bavaria, and the Free Voters (FW) of Bavaria. Horst Seehofer has been Minister-President of Bavaria since October 27th 2008.

The Bavarian Landtag is elected through mixed-member proportional representation. There are at least 180 seats, but more are sometimes added as overhang and leveling seats.

As of the 2018 election, the Kingdom is divided into 91 electoral districts, which each elect one representative in the same manner as under first-past-the-post. To achieve a proportional result, another 89 seats are on open party lists in the 7 administrative districts of the state, which the constitution define as constituencies. Every constituency elect a fixed number of seats. The 89 seats are assigned such that, also taking into account the 91 districts seats, each party is represented in proportion to its share of the vote in the constituencies. On election day, people vote separately for a candidate in their electoral districts (called the "first vote") and for a candidate in their constituency (called the "second vote").

His Majesty's Government of Bavaria:

The Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Bavaria consists of the King, Minister-President of the the Kingdom of Bavaria and other members, all of whom are appointed by the King on the advice of Minister-President. The Council of Ministers is the Government of Bavaria, and is chaired by the King. It meets under the King's chairmanship at least once a week usually on Fridays. The King also orders the holding of extraordinary sessions of the council of state in situations that require urgent actions that cannot wait for the next scheduled meeting. Parliamentarism has been in place since 1946, and entails that the cabinet must not have the Landtag against it, and that the appointment by the King is a formality. In practice, the monarch will ask the leader of a parliamentary block that has a majority in the Landtag to form a government. The King relies on the advice of the previous prime minister and the President of the Landtag in this question.

The King has to sign all laws in order for them to become valid. He can veto any law. However, if two separate Landtags approve the law, it becomes valid, even without the King's consent.

List of Ministers and Cabinet Positions:

• Minister-President of Bavaria.

• Deputy Minister-President of Bavaria.

• Attorney General of Bavaria.

• Minister of Foreign Affairs.

• Minister of Internal Affairs.

• Minister of Defense.

• Minister of Intelligence.

• Minister of Finance.

• Minister of Healthcare Services.

• Minister of Education.

• Minister of Social Affairs.

• Minister of Natural Resources.

• Minister of Agricultural Development.

• Minister of Transportation.

• Minister of Railways.

• Minister of Culture and Science.

• Minister of Labour.

• Minister of Immigration.

• Minister of Veterans Affairs.

• Secretary of the Bureau for Commerce and Trade.

• Secretary of the Bureau for Pension Services.

• Secretary of the Bureau for Emergency Preparedness.

• Secretary of the Bureau for Privacy and Security.

• Secretary of the Bureau for Technology Policy.

• Secretary of the Bureau for Animal Welfare.

• Secretary of the Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis, and Firearms Regulations.

• Secretary of the Bureau for Drug Development and Research.

• Secretary of the Bureau for Environmental Protection.

• Secretary of the Bureau for Historical and Archaeological Research.

• Chief Archivist of Bavarian State Archives.

*NOTE: Ministers are ranked higher in the order of precedence than Bureau Secretaries; and are appointed by the King on the advice of the Minister-President. Bureau Secretaries are not in the line of succession to be Minister-President (as the Ministers are); and are not officers of the Kingdom of Bavaria. The Chief Archivist is appointed by the King, and his term in office is indefinite. The King is required to consult with the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Bavaria whenever the position becomes vacant; but ultimately has sole discretion when appointing the Chief Archivist.

Appointing civil officials

Article 21 states: "The King shall choose and appoint, after consultation with his Ministers and general staff, all senior civil, and military officials. The appointment is made by the Monarch after having been advised by the council of state and having received its consent."

Dismissing the government

Article 22 states: "The Minister-President and the other Members of the Council of Ministers, together with the State Secretaries, may be dismissed by the King without any prior court judgment, after he has heard the opinion of the Council of Ministers on the subject."

Declaration of war

Article 25 states: "The King is Commander-in-Chief of the land and air forces of the Kingdom of Bavaria. There is no higher authority in Bavaria but God."

Article 26 states: "The King has the right to call up troops, to engage in hostilities in defence of the Kingdom and to make peace, to conclude and denounce conventions, to send and to receive diplomatic envoys."

The King is treated by the armed forces as their highest commander, but there is, beyond legal fiction, no doubt that the complete control of the armed forces is actually held by the elected government of the day. The kings of Bavaria have traditionally received an extensive military training, and to some extent, pursued a career within the armed forces before acceding to the throne.

Article 49 states: "The seat and working residence of the King of Bavaria is the Munich Residenz Palace, in the City of Munich. It shall be the administrative headquarters of the Bavarian Monarchy. The cultural importance of the Munich Residenz Palace to the Bavarian People is recognized by this Constitution, and its status is to be protected by law. The responsibility of its maintenance is assigned to the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes."

The Palace was severely damaged by bombing during World War II. Most of its rooms were reconstructed by the 1980s. Some of the buildings, however, were rebuilt in a simplified manner. Examples of this are the facade of the Alte Residenz on Residenzstrasse or the Arcades in front of the former throne hall on the first floor of the Festsaalbau. A substantial loss was caused by the destruction of the neo-classical rooms and halls in the Festssalbau (including the Grand Throne Hall, which was painstakingly reconstructed, and the Grand Stairway), of the rich décor of the Papal Rooms including the ceiling of the Golden Hall and of the apartment of King Ludwig II (1864 to 1886). The frescoes of the Court Church of All Saints were also completely destroyed.

Article 50 states: "A portion of the national budget shall be designated for basic maintenance of the Munich Residenz Palace and the New Schleißheim Palace. It shall be the responsibility of the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes to account for the proper allocation and use of said monies. A dedicated committee of the Landtag of the Kingdom of Bavaria shall be stood up to oversee the practices of the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes; and to regularly audit the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes."

Since 1949, the preservation of the concentration camp cemeteries in Bavaria also belongs to the tasks of the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes.

Order of Succession:

The order of succession to the Bavarian throne has followed Agnatic primogeniture since 2022, when Article 6 in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bavaria was amended. However, because Ludwig IV has five daughters but no sons, and because the amendments will only affect Dynasts of the House of Wittlesbach born after 2022, the King is to be followed in the Line of Succession by his first cousin (second cousin in the male line), Prince Luitpold of Bavaria. Prince Luitpold will thereafter be followed by his son, Prince Ludwig Heinrich of Bavaria.

Culture:

The Culture of Bavaria has a long and predominant tradition of Roman Catholic faith. Pope emeritus Benedict XVI (b. Joseph Alois Ratzinger) was born in Marktl am Inn in Upper Bavaria, and was Cardinal-Archbishop of Munich and Freising. Otherwise, the culturally Franconian and Swabian regions of the modern Kingdom of Bavaria are historically more diverse in religiosity, with both Catholic and Protestant traditions. In 1925, 70.0% of the Bavarian population was Catholic, 28.8% was Protestant, 0.7% was Jewish, and 0.5% was placed in other religious categories.

As of 2020 46.9% of Bavarians adhered to Catholicism (a decline from 70.4% in 1970). 17.2% of the population adheres to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, which has also declined since 1970. Three percent was Orthodox, and Muslims make up 4.0% of the population of Bavaria. 31.9 percent of Bavarians are irreligious, or adhere to other religions.

Since 1965, Bavaria has held a military parade every year on 8 May in Munich, as part of Liberation Day festivities. Prior to this, it was believed that such displays of military might could perhaps mark an increase in sentiments of militarism, or cause a resurgence of Nazism. However, Luitpold II chose to proclaim the new holiday, saying "The liberation of Europe by the Allies serves as perhaps the greatest feat ever accomplished by Man, in all the annals of Human history. Therefore, We do personally find it agreeable that Bavaria should celebrate this monumental occasion with a day of public commemoration, remembrance, reflection, and prayer".

Since then, May 8th is celebrated to commemorate those who fought against Nazism in the German Resistance, and lost their lives in World War II. Every year, the military parade is broadcast live on all Bavarian television networks. It always begins at 10AM, and is usually completed by 11:30AM.

Bavarians commonly emphasize pride in their traditions. Traditional costumes collectively known as Tracht are worn on special occasions and include in Altbayern Lederhosen for males, and Dirndl for females. Centuries-old folk music is performed. The Maibaum, or Maypole (which in the Middle Ages served as the community's business directory, as figures on the pole represented the trades of the village), and the bagpipes of the Upper Palatinate region bear witness to the ancient Celtic and Germanic remnants of cultural heritage of the region. There are many traditional Bavarian sports disciplines, e.g. the Aperschnalzen, competitive whipcracking.

Whether actually in Bavaria, overseas or with citizens from other nations Bavarians continue to cultivate their traditions. They hold festivals and dances to keep their heritage alive. In New York City, the German American Cultural Society presents a parade called Steuben Parade each year. Various affiliated events take place amongst its groups, one of which is the Bavarian Dancers.

Bavarians tend to place a great value on food and drink. In addition to their renowned dishes, Bavarians also consume many items of food and drink which are unusual elsewhere in Germany; for example Weißwurst ("white sausage") or in some instances a variety of entrails. At folk festivals and in many beer gardens, beer is traditionally served by the litre (in a Maß). Bavarians are particularly proud of the traditional Reinheitsgebot, or beer purity law, initially established by the Duke of Bavaria for the City of Munich (i.e. the court) in 1487 and the duchy in 1516. According to this law, only three ingredients were allowed in beer: water, barley, and hops. In 1906 the Reinheitsgebot made its way to all-German law, and remained a law in Germany until the E.U. partly struck it down in 1987, as being incompatible with the European common market. German breweries, however, cling to the principle, and Bavarian breweries still comply with it in order to distinguish their beer brands. Bavarians are also known as some of the world's most prolific beer drinkers, with an average annual consumption of 170 liters per person.

Bavaria is also home to the Franconia wine region, which is situated along the river Main in Franconia. The region has produced wine (Frankenwein) for over 1,000 years, and is famous for its use of the Bocksbeutel wine bottle. The production of wine forms an integral part of the regional culture, and many of its villages and cities hold their own wine festivals (Weinfeste) throughout the year.