Charles Vii, Holy Roman Emperor

Emperor Charles VII Albert ( Brussels August 6 , 1697 – January 20 , 1745 in Munich ), a member of the Wittelsbach family, was Holy Roman Emperor from January 24 , 1742 until his death in 1745.

He was the son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector Of Bavaria and Teresa Kunegunda Sobieska , and the grandson of Polish King John III Sobieski . His wife Marie Amalie was the granddaughter of Emperor Leopold I and the daughter of Emperor Joseph I . His family was split during the War Of The Spanish Succession and was for many years under house arrest in Austria. Only in 1715 did the family become re-united.

In 1726 Charles Albert became Elector of Bavaria . During his reign the Amalienburg, a splendid Rococo pavillon in the park of Nymphenburg Palace was built.

As son in law of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor Charles Albert rejected the Pragmatic Sanction Of 1713 and claimed the German crown after the death of Charles VI in 1740 . He invaded Upper Austria and Bohemia with allied French troops in 1741 and was crowned King of Bohemia (9 December 1741). His brother Klemens August Of Bavaria , archbishop and elector ('' Kurfürst '') of Cologne , who mostly sided with the Austria Habsburg-Lorraine side during the Habsburg successions, cast his vote for him and personally crowned him emperor at Frankfurt in 24 January 1742. Short after this election most of Charles Albert's territories were overrun by the Austrians and Bavaria was occupied by the troops of Maria Theresa . In October 1744 a new alliance forced Austria to leave Bavaria and Charles VII reobtained Munich. He returned only to die three months later. His brother Klemens August then again leaned toward Austria and also his son and successor Maximilian III Joseph made peace with Austria.

SEE ALSO

War Of The Austrian Succession

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Charles Vii, Holy Roman Emperor