List of rulers of Bavaria

Dukes of Bavaria
1180–1183	Otto I
1183–1231	Louis I
1231–1253	Otto II
On Otto II's death, Bavaria was divided between his sons. Henry became Duke of Lower Bavaria, and Louis of Upper Bavaria. From his point until the beginning of the 16th century, the territories were frequently divided between brothers, making the Dukes difficult to list.
Dukes of Lower Bavaria					Dukes of Upper Bavaria
1253–1290	Henry XIII				1253–1294	Louis II
1290–1312	Otto III, King of Hungary, 1305-1307				1294–1317	Rudolf I
1290–1296	Louis III				1294–1347	Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, as Louis IV 1314–1347
1290–1309	Stephen I				Following the death of the last Duke of Lower Bavaria, Bavaria was reunited under Emperor Louis IV (Louis IV of Bavaria).
1309–1334	Otto IV
1309–1339	Henry XIV the Elder
1312–1333	Henry XV the Natterberger
1339–1340	John I the Child
Dukes of Bavaria
1340–1347	Louis IV
1347–1349	jointly held by Louis V the Brandenburger, Stephen II, Louis VI the Roman, William I, Albert I, Otto V
In 1349, the six sons of Louis IV again partitioned Bavaria into Upper and Lower Bavaria.
Dukes of Lower Bavaria					Dukes of Upper Bavaria
1349–1353	jointly held by Stephen II, William I, and Albert I				1349–1351	jointly held by Louis V the Brandenburger, Louis VI the Roman, and Otto V
In 1353, Lower Bavaria was partitioned into Bavaria-Landshut and Bavaria-Straubing.					1351–1361	Louis V the Brandenburger
					1361–1363	Meinhard
					On the death of Meinhard, Upper Bavaria was divided between Bavaria-Straubing and Bavaria-Landshut. In 1392 Bavaria-Landshut itself was divided between a reduced Bavaria-Landshut, Bavaria-Ingolstadt and Bavaria-Munich.
Dukes of Bavaria-Straubing			Dukes of Bavaria-Landshut		Dukes of Bavaria-Ingolstadt			Dukes of Bavaria-Munich
1347–1388	jointly held by William I and Albert I		1353–1375	Stephen II	1392–1413	Stephen III		1392–1397	John II
1388–1404	Albert I		1375–1379	jointly held by Otto V, Stephen III, Frederick, and John II	1413–1443 (d. 1447)	Louis VII the Bearded		1397–1438	Ernest
1389–1397	Albert II, jointly held with Albert I		1379–1392	jointly held by Stephen III, Frederick, and John II	1443–1445	Louis VIII the Younger		1397–1435	William III, jointly held with Ernest
1404–1417	William II		In 1392 Bavaria-Ingolstadt and Bavaria-Munich were created from Bavaria-Landshut		In 1447 Bavaria-Ingolstadt was united with Bavaria-Landshut			1438–1460	Albert III
1418–1425	John III, disputed with		1392–1393	Frederick				1460–1463	jointly held by John IV and Sigismund
1417–1432	1393–1450	Henry XVI the Rich				1463–1467	jointly held by Albert IV the Wise and Sigismund
After the succession struggle between Jacqueline and her uncle John, Bavaria-Straubing was divided between Bavaria-Ingolstadt, Bavaria-Landshut, and Bavaria-Munich.			1450–1479	Louis IX the Rich				1467–1508	Albert IV
			1479–1503	George the Rich				In 1467, Bavaria-Dachau was created from Bavaria-Munich for Duke Sigismund. After his death in 1501, it reverted to Bavaria-Munich. In 1503, all the Bavarian lands were reunited under Albert IV
			In 1503, Bavaria-Landshut was united with Bavaria-Munich.
Dukes of Bavaria
1503–1508	Albert IV
1508–1550	William IV
1516–1545	Louis X jointly held with William IV
1550–1579	Albert V
1579-1597	William V
1597-1623	Maximilian I

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Electors of Bavaria, 1623-1805

In 1623, Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria was raised to Electoral Status, gaining the seat of the Elector Palatine, who had been put under the ban of the Empire.