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The History Of MunichPart OneThis is why today the city's coat of arms features the Munchner Kindl, an image that depicts a child in a monk's habit. The Salt Trade If we fast forward a few hundred years to the twelfth century that small community had grown to become a large and prosperous city on the River Isar. Munich's good fortune was due to its prominent position in the salt trade. Used as a toll gathering station for the passage of salt from nearby Salzburg by Henry the Lion (Heinrich der Lowe - the Duke of Saxony and Bavaria) the city had become a very lucrative source of income by the time it passed into the hands of the House Of Wittelsbach who ruled Bavaria for over seven hundred years. Wittelsbachs, Black Death and Politics The Wittelsbach dynasty played a huge role in the history of Munich and they ruled the Kingdom of Bavaria from 1180 - 1918 and bought international politics to the city when Duke Ludwig lV was made emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 1328. Just 20 years later though Munich was plunged into crisis. In 1348 the Black Death swept through Munich causing horrific casualties amongst the populace. One of the victims of the plague was the English philosopher William of Occam who was one of the closest advisors to Duke Ludwig lV. William died in 1349. The aftermath of the devastation caused by the black death plunged Munich into a troubled period in which social unrest was rife. One of the most infamous events in the history of Munich was a massacre of Jewish citizens of the city. Munich entered a period of massive economic decline and with poverty rife the imposition of high taxes and by 1385 there was revolt in the air which flared into open rebellion at the end of the fourteenth century. The Wittelsbachs crushed the rebellion with their military power though not before they built the massive Residenz, now a museum, to protect them from the outraged citizenry. Recovery and Religion The fifteenth century was a prosperous time in the history of Munich. Increased trade in salt, spices,wine and cloth led to an economic boom that was to last right into the sixteenth century. The Reformation bought conflict to Munich which was brought to a head in 1527 when 29 Munich Baptists were executed. The religious conflict was fought out side by side with struggles about social reform between the city's bourgeoisie and aristocrats. Once again the city was in the grip of economic decline and lavish spending by the aristocrats only exacerbated the problems. By the start of the seventeenth century Munich and indeed the state of Bavaria was more or less bankrupt. Wars But Not Much Peace The almost perpetual state of war that existed in Europe between the seventeenth and early nineteenth century made its mark on the history of Munich. The city was bombarded during the Thirty Years War and was invaded by Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and in 1634 the black death returned killing a third of the city's population. Munich was again occupied by a foreign power when Maximilian ll allied himself with the losing cause in the Spanish War of Succession. Austria occupied the city from 1704 to 1714. There was further trouble for Munich when Hungarian Hussars invaded the city in retaliation for Bavaria's opposition to Austro-Hungarian in 1742. The Bavarian line of the Wittelsbachs died with Maximilian lll Joseph in 1777 though the families Mannheim branch took over the reigns through Karl Theodor who, unfortunately, hated Munich! With the ordinary Munich citizens starving and poor the indifference from Karl Theodor sparked more social unrest which was ruthlessly suppressed by the military. However, some good did come out of the situation when Benjamin Thompson, later known as Count Rumford, arrived in Munich as Karl Theodor's emissary and immediately set about building schools and feeding the populace. It was Thompson who set the military to work on building the English Garden Munich with the Englischer Garten becoming a symbol of the city's renaissance.
Napoleon had made Maximilian lV Joseph King of Bavaria and the new king introduced some much needed reform to Munich by emancipating the Protestants of the city and introducing social reform to make conditions better for the common people. Royalty, Republicans And Signs Of Things To Come Bavaria had a genuinely mad king in the form of King Ludwig ii whose mission was to make Munich the music capital of the world and enjoyed a special relationship with Richard Wagner. In his spare time Ludwig ll built a number of fairytale castles including the fantastic Neuschwanstein Castle and the fantasy style Herrenchiemsee Castle.
The Wittelsbachs dynasty came to an end during the last days of World War 1 when Kurt Eisner declared a Soviet style republic whilst the last Wittelsbachs King, Ludwig lll fled in panic. Just three months after the revolution Eisner was assassinated in the midst of vicious fighting between right and left wing groups before the republic of Bavaria was crushed. The short period of the republic saw discrimination and violence in the city and the right wing ideals were to shortly come sharply into focus. To read about the history of Munich from the end of the republic to the present day including its role as the capital of the Nazi movement click here. Related Articles
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