The common ancestor of the Kings/Dukes of Bavaria and Dukes in Bavaria was a certain Count Christian 1 of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler (1598-1654).
Count Christian II (1637-1717) of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler (a son of Christian 1 above) is a direct ancestor of the Kings/Dukes of Bavaria.
Johann Karl (1638-1704) of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen (another son of Christian 1 above) is a direct ancestor of the Dukes in Bavaria.
Christian II’s great grandson Count Maximilian of Birkenfeld-Zweibruken (1756-1825) later Duke of Zweibruken became the first King of Bavaria in 1805 (as Maximilan I).
Johann Karl’s grandson Duke Wilhelm of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen (1752 - 1837) married Countess Marie Anne of Birkenfeld-Zweibruken (1753 - 1824) who was a sister of King Maximilian I of Bavaria
Maximilian I conferred the title Duke in Bavaria on his brother-in-law Wilhelm.
I am fascinating by the line of the Counts Palatine of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen, because Gelnhausen seems like such an idyllic place on the edge of the Spessart in the little-known Kinzig Valley. I was going to say off the beaten path, but remembered that it was on the old Via Regia from Mainz to Leipzig (ref.: nearby Steinau an der
Straße) and I have myself passed it on the autobahn, but it's all in all not a well-known residence of royalty. As I understand it the Imperial City of Gelnhausen had been mortgaged by the Emperors in the Middle Ages and the exact territorial jurisdiction was disputed by the two eventual mortgagees the Counts of Hanau and their heirs the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel, and the Electors Palatine.
How much actual land in and around Gelnhausen did this leave the Gelnhausen Wittelsbachs? And since I see that a few of them (including Wilhelm, Duke in Bavaria) were born there, exactly where in Gelnhausen did they reside? The only possible place I can see is the old medieval imperial
Pfalz (palace). If so, how appropriate, since they were
Pfalzgrafen, Counts Palatine!
Gelnhausen (nowadays in Hesse - the Hesse-Kassels won the territorial fight):
