Editing House of Wittelsbach (section)

===Palatinate branch===

[[File:Map of the Electoral Palatinate (1505)-DE.svg|thumb|350px|center|The [[Electorate of the Palatinate]] (red) which lost the yellow territories in 1505, after the [[War of the Succession of Landshut]]]]

The Palatinate branch kept the Palatinate until 1918, having succeeded also to Bavaria in 1777. With the [[Golden Bull of 1356]] the Counts Palatine were invested with the [[Prince-elector|electoral]] dignity, their county became the [[Electorate of the Palatinate]]. Princes of the Palatinate branch served as bishops of the Empire and also as [[Electorate of Mainz|Elector-Archbishop-Electors of Mainz]] and [[Electorate of Trier|Archbishop-Electors of Trier]].

After the death of the Wittelsbach king [[Rupert of Germany]] in 1410 the Palatinate lands began to split under numerous branches of the family such as ''[[House of Palatinate-Neumarkt|Neumarkt]]'', ''[[House of Palatinate-Simmern|Simmern]]'', ''[[House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken|Zweibrücken]]'', ''[[House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld|Birkenfeld]]'', ''[[Palatinate-Neuburg|Neuburg]]'' and ''[[Palatinate-Sulzbach|Sulzbach]]''. When the senior branch of the Palatinate branch died out in 1559, the electorate passed to [[Frederick III, Elector Palatine|Frederick III]] of ''Simmern'', a staunch [[Calvinist]], and the Palatinate became one of the major centers of Calvinism in Europe, supporting Calvinist rebellions in both the [[Dutch Revolt|Netherlands]] and [[French Wars of Religion|France]].

The ''Neuburg'' cadet branch of the Palatinate branch also held the [[Duchy of Jülich]] and [[Duchy of Berg|Berg]] from 1614 onwards: When the last duke of [[United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg|Jülich-Cleves-Berg]] died without direct heirs in 1609, the [[War of the Jülich succession]] broke out, ended by the 1614 [[Treaty of Xanten]], which divided the separate duchies between ''[[Palatinate-Neuburg]]'' and the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]]. Jülich and Berg fell to the Wittelsbach Count Palatine [[Wolfgang William, Count Palatine of Neuburg|Wolfgang William of Neuburg]].

In 1619, the Protestant [[Frederick V, Elector Palatine]] became King of [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]] but was defeated by the Catholic [[Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria]], a member of the Bavarian branch. As a result, the [[Upper Palatinate]] had to be ceded to the Bavarian branch in 1623, along with the Imperial office of Arch-Steward.  When the [[Thirty Years' War]] concluded with the Treaty of Münster (also called the [[Peace of Westphalia]]) in 1648, a new additional electorate was created for the Count Palatine of the Rhine, along with the new office of Imperial Arch-Treasurer. During their exile Frederick's sons, especially [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine]], gained fame in England.

[[File:Hd schloss.jpg|thumb|center|300px|[[Heidelberg Castle]], the seat of the Electors of Palatinate until destroyed by the French in March 1689.]]

The house of ''[[House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken|Palatinate of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg]]'' as heir to the Swedish throne ruled simultaneously the Duchy of [[Bremen-Verden]] (1654–1719).

In 1685, the ''Simmern'' line died out, and the Catholic [[Philip William, Elector Palatine|Philip William]], Count Palatine of ''[[Palatinate-Neuburg|Neuburg]]'' inherited the Palatinate (and also Duke of [[Duchy of Jülich|Jülich]] and [[Duchy of Berg|Berg]]). During the reign of [[Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine|Johann Wilhelm]] (1690–1716) the Electoral residence moved to [[Düsseldorf]] in Berg. His brother and successor [[Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine]] moved the Palatinate's capital back to [[Heidelberg]] in 1718 and then to [[Mannheim]] in 1720.  To strengthen the union of all lines of the Wittelsbach dynasty Charles Philip organized a wedding on 17 January 1742 when his granddaughters were married to [[Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria|Charles Theodore of Palatinate-Sulzbach]] and to the Bavarian prince [[Clement, Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine|Clement]]. In the [[1742 imperial election|imperial election]] a few days later Charles III Philip voted for his Bavarian cousin Prince-Elector [[Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles Albert]]. After extinction of the ''Neuburg'' branch in 1742, the Palatinate was inherited by Duke Charles Theodore of the branch ''Palatinate-Sulzbach''.

After the extinction of the Bavarian branch in 1777, a succession dispute and the brief [[War of the Bavarian Succession]], the Palatinate-Sulzbach branch under Elector Charles Theodore succeeded also in Bavaria.

With the death of Charles Theodore in 1799 all Wittelsbach land in Bavaria and the Palatinate was reunited under [[Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria|Maximilian IV Joseph]], a member of the branch ''[[House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld|Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld]]''. At the time there were two surviving branches of the Wittelsbach family: ''Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld'' (headed by Maximilian Joseph) and ''Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen'' (headed by Count Palatine [[Duke Wilhelm in Bavaria|William]]).  Maximilian Joseph inherited Charles Thedore's title of Elector of Bavaria, while William was compensated with the title of Duke ''in'' Bavaria. The form [[Duke in Bavaria]] was selected because in 1506 [[primogeniture]] had been established in the House of Wittelsbach resulting in there being only one reigning Duke of Bavaria at any given time. Maximillian Joseph assumed the title of [[King of Bavaria|king]] as [[Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria|Maximilian I Joseph]] on 1 January 1806. The new king still served as a [[Prince-elector]] until the [[Kingdom of Bavaria]] left the Holy Roman Empire (1 August 1806).