Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria

Born 27 May 1756 into the House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Zweibrücken, a branch of the Wittelsbach dynasty, Maximilian I Joseph became Duke of Zweibrücken in 1795. Four years later, in 1799, he ascended as prince-elector of Bavaria under the title Maximilian IV Joseph. The Napoleonic reshuffling of Europe handed him his final elevation: in 1806 he became King of Bavaria, the first to hold that title, and ruled until his death on 13 October 1825. His reign spanned three distinct statuses, each a step up the ladder of German sovereignty.