n.
born April 17, 1573, Munich
died Sept. 27, 1651, Ingolstadt, Bavaria
Duke of Bavaria (15971651) and elector from 1623.
Succeeding his father as duke, he restored the duchy to solvency, revised the law code, and built an effective army. Opposed to the Protestant cause, he established the Catholic League (1610). In the Thirty Years' War he gave military aid to Austria against the Palatine elector Frederick V and, with military victories by count von Tilly , obtained both territory and the electorship of Bavaria (1623). Threatened by an independent army under Albrecht W.E. von Wallenstein , he forced the general's dismissal in 1630. Maximilian later fought unsuccessfully against France and Sweden and made a separate peace to retain the electorship.