Rudolf II, Duke of Bavaria

Who was Rudolf II, Duke of Bavaria?

Rudolf II "the blind" was Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1329 to 1353.

He was the son of Rudolf I, Duke of Bavaria and Matilde of Nassau, daughter of King Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg. His uncle was Emperor Louis IV.

During his childhood, his father and his uncle fought over their inheritance. After the death of his father, his family was placed under the guardianship of Duke Johann von Nassau, who was a partisan of the Austrian cause.

His uncle, Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor had taken the Palatinate by force of arms. In August 1322, the war finally came to an end, but only after Mechthild's death in June 1323, were the three nephews finally able to make peace with their uncle. His sons inherited Bavaria and Rudolf I's sons inherited the Upper Palatinate and the Palatinate in line with the Treaty of Pavia.

He was blind only in the last years of his life.