Making Max Emanuel

How did Elector Maximilian II. Emanuel of Bavaria become the legend he is today? This question is at the centre of the special exhibition "Making Max Emanuel", which the Bavarian Army Museum is showing to mark the 300th anniversary of his death.
Max Emanuel is regarded as one of Bavaria's most important rulers. With him, the state experienced an immense upswing: when he was born, the country was still scarred by the Thirty Years' War. Under the ambitious elector and talented general Max Emanuel, Bavaria became a power factor in Europe. The Bavarian Wittelsbach dynasty had a chance of joining the league of European royal houses, even if military armaments and extravagant court behaviour were a massive burden on the state coffers. However, his ambitions failed: Following military defeats, Max Emanuel even lost his electoral dignity and was forced into exile in France for almost ten years. Only the balance of power policy of the major European powers brought him back his land and rank. Max Emanuel did not give up, he staged himself as the saviour of Bavaria, as a successful general and baroque prince modelled on the French Sun King, Louis XIV.
Ultimately, this was successful, his risky policies and their disastrous consequences were almost forgotten - the image of the victorious "conqueror of the Turks", the founder of the Bavarian army and the art-loving ruler and builder of magnificent palaces outshines everything to this day.
Supplemented by high-calibre loans, known and unknown items from the Bavarian Army Museum will be on display, painting a multifaceted picture of the "legend" Max Emanuel, his self-portrayal, his ambitions, but also of courtly life.
Project management: Dr Priscilla Pfannmüller
in collaboration with Daniel Hohrath M.A. and Messalina Mayer M.A.

Last edited on 22.01.2026