Johann Theodor of Bavaria
John Theodore of Bavaria (3 September 1703 – 27 January 1763), a son of Elector Maximilian II Emanuel of Bavaria and Teresa Kunegunda Sobieska, and a grandson of King John III Sobieski of Poland. In 1743, John Theodore was a cardinal, prince-bishop of Liège from 1744 until 1763, and also prince-bishop of Freising and Regensburg.
Early life
Theodore was educated at the University of Ingolstadt in Bavaria and the University of Siena.[1] He was elected bishop of Regensburg on 29 July 1721, at age 17.[1] A little more than four months later, he was elected bishop of Freising, on 5 November 1723.[1]
Even though Theodore was already a bishop-elect, he wasn't ordained as a priest until 9 April 1730.[1]
Cardinalate
Theodore was created a cardinal on 9 September 1743 by Pope Benedict XIV. He did not participate in the conclave of 1758 following the death of Benedict. He was the last representative of the Wittelsbach family to occupy the bishopric of Liège. In March 1761, shortly after the death of his elder brother Clemens August, Pope Clement XIII rejected his succession as Archbishop and Prince-Elector of Cologne because the pope entertained some doubt as to Theodore's moral conduct.
Theodore was known as a great hunter, patron of music (he played the violincello) and theatre, and held a splendid court at Liège. He was said to have had affairs with several women despite his clerical status and was liked by the inhabitants of the bishopric. Asthmatic and tubercular, he gave into the advice of his doctor, a physician named Steppler (a German from Munich), who pretended that his sickness originated from coal vapours. He thus went for regular stays in Germany, though this did not improve his health.
Death
Theodore died on 27 January 1763, in Liège, Belgium. He was buried in Saint-Lambert Cathedral in Liège while his heart was buried in Grace Chapel, Altötting.[1]
References
Sources
- A. De Bryun, Anciennes houillères de la région liégeoises, Dricot, Liège, 1988. (ISBN 2-87095-056-X)
