Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria
Stephan with the gorgeous (* 1319, † May 1375 in Landshut and Munich ) was since 1347 Duke of Bavaria. He was the second son of Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria, from his first marriage to Beatrix of Silesia - Glogau.
Government beginning
Under his father was Stephan owner of the Empire bailiwick in Swabia and Alsace. During the Italian expedition of the Emperor Louis Stephan had on June 27, 1328 Elizabeth of Sicily married to strengthen a daughter of King Frederick II of Sicily around the collar of his father with Sicily.
1347 Stephan followed his late father with his five brothers as Duke of Bavaria since December 1340 reunited after. In addition, the brothers kept the Margraviate of Brandenburg, the county of Tyrol and the Dutch Counties Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut.
Two years after the death of Louis of Bavaria Wittelsbach countries were then divided in Landsberger contract among his sons. Stephen II at first ruled from 1349 to 1353 along with his two half-brothers, William I and Albert I in Straubing -Holland and Lower Bavaria -Landshut, Regensburg contract since 1353 only in Lower Bavaria -Landshut.
After the temporary reconciliation with the Emperor Charles IV, who had the Wittelsbach confirmed all fiefs, Stephan took part in the 1354 Italian expedition of Charles, fell out with him, but again, as in 1356 with the Golden Bull of Bavaria rights have been transferred to the cure. The Golden Bull ignored the house rules of the Wittelsbach family to participate in the election of a king. The Count Palatine of the Rhine from the Palatinate line of the Wittelsbach gained the electoral vote and the Office of Erztruchsess also because its territory in the old Frankish settlement area lay. In addition, Stephen was younger half-brother Louis VI. the Brandenburg Electorate. Stephen II and his older brother Louis V. were against the Nuremberg court days absent in which to advise the Golden Bull and was announced. 1362 Stephan was released as the last of the sons of Louis of Bavaria from the excommunication.
Struggle to Tirol
When in 1363 his nephew Meinhard died, his brother's son Louis V, followed by Stephan in Upper Bavaria, allied himself with his brother Albrecht of Bavaria- Holland and Milan City Bernabo Visconti and men marched in Tyrol. Meinhard's mother Margaret of Tyrol Tyrol, however, rendered the Habsburg Rudolf IV of Austria, the brother of her daughter. The Habsburgs were in league with Salzburg and led in the course of the war several raids by the Inn Valley. In the area Altöttings took place on November 23, 1363 for another battle between the Bavarians and Austrians, while 70 noble Austrians were captured without leading to a decision.
Rudolf IV was invested on February 10, 1364 in Brno despite the hereditary rights of the Wittelsbach dynasty, by the Emperor Charles IV with Tyrol. But in May of 1364 the fighting began again. Stephan gave Tyrol until 1369 at the Peace of Schärding the Habsburgs against a high compensation award. The courts Kufstein, Kitzbühel and mountain rats, the Louis V. had once ceded the occasion of his marriage to Margaret of Tyrol, but now fell back to Bavaria.
Later years of reign
The dispute with his half-brother Louis VI. to the Bavarian heritage of Meinhard, the Stephan had opposed the Landsberger contract usurped, ultimately led to the loss of Mark Brandenburg for the Wittelsbach in 1373, as Louis VI. thereupon disinherited his brothers and joined a Erbverbrüderung with Charles IV. However, Stephan later realized to the homecoming of Brandenburg brother Otto V as co-regent in Bavaria. Otto was in possession of the electoral dignity until his death, and had been with nordgauischen possessions by Karl compensated IV, this he now brought into the common government with a.
1368 regulated the Stephan important for Bayern salt being in Reichenhall. To secure on the roads and in the country issued Stefan II in 1374 the Great Fire letter and ordered it knights and cities, which he feuded several times.
His sons Stephen III. and Frederick and his grandson Ernst married with daughters of Mr. Bernabo Visconti of Milan city, with which Stephan had already allied fighting over Tyrol. In the course of the subsequent reconciliation between the House of Luxembourg and Wittelsbach Charles IV appointed the two older sons Stephen, Stephen III. and Frederick had occupied in 1374 to Reichslandvögten in Upper Swabia and Alsace, the Reich Office that her father in his youth.
After Stephen's death in 1375 his three sons reigned first together, but later divided the dominion of Stephen into the lines of Bayern Munich, Bavaria -Landshut and Bavaria -Ingolstadt. Her later attempts to regain Tyrol for the Wittelsbach failed.
Stephen was buried in the Frauenkirche in Munich.
Marriage and issue
Duke Stephen II married on June 27, 1328 in Munich Elisabeth of Sicily ( 1309-1349 ), a daughter of King Frederick II of Sicily. The marriage produced four children:
- Stephen III. (1337-1413, line Bavaria -Ingolstadt ) ∞ 1367 Taddea Visconti ( 1350-1381 ), daughter of Bernabo Visconti
- ∞ 1401 in Cologne Elisabeth of Cleves, widow of Reinold of Valkenburg
- Agnes (* 1338 ) ∞ 1356 King James I of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia ( 1334-1398 )
- Friedrich (1339-1393, line Bavaria -Landshut ) ∞ 1360 Reichenhall Countess Anna of Neuffen ( 1327-1380 )
- ∞ 1381 in Landshut Maddalena Visconti ( 1366-1404 ), daughter of Bernabo Visconti
- John II (1341-1397, line Bayern Munich) ∞ 1372 in Treviso Princess Catherine of Gorizia and Tyrol
His second wife he married on February 14, 1359 in Landshut Castle Countess Margarete ( 1333-1377 ), daughter of Viscount John II of Nuremberg. The marriage remained childless.