Wittelsbach-Hapsburg aristocrat Ernest of Bavaria (17 December 1554 – 17 February 1612) was Prince-Elector-Archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne and, as such, Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire and Duke of Westphalia, from 1583 to 1612 as successor of the expelled Archbishop Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg. He was also simultaneously Prince-Bishop of Münster, Hildesheim, Freising, and Liège, Count of Loon, and Prince-Abbot of Savelot.

Life

Ernest was born in Munich, the son of Albert V, Duke of Bavaria, and Anna of Austria. Duke Albert had destined his third son, Ernest, for the clerical vocation. He was educated and trained by the Jesuits at Ingolstadt.

Ancestry