
Louis I of Bavaria (23 December 1173-15 September 1231) was Duke of Bavaria from 1183 to 1231, succeeding Otto I of Bavaria and preceding Otto IV of Bavaria.
Biography[]
Louis was born on 23 December 1173, the son of Otto III of Bavaria and Agnes of Loon. Louis succeeded his father as duke of Bavaria in 1183, and Frederick Barbarossa served as his regent during his early years. In 1192, Louis was knighted at Worms, and he allied with Ottokar I of Bohemia by marrying his niece Ludmilla of Bohemia; he switched sides between the Welfs and Hohenstaufens during the power struggles in Germany before embarking on the Fifth Crusade in 1221. He was given as a hostage to al-Kamil before being released, and he returned to Kelheim Castle in 1230. He died a year later, and Otto IV of Bavaria succeeded him.