Decorative Bavarian map of the southern part near Bad Aibling, Rosenheim, Ostermünchen, Feldkirchen etc.

 

From the "Topographischen Atlas vom Königreich Baiern"

 

The History of Bavaria stretches from its earliest settlement and formation as a duchy in the 6th century through the Holy Roman Empire to becoming an independent kingdom and finally a state of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Duchy of Bavaria dates back to the year 555. In the 17th century, the Duke of Bavaria became a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. The Kingdom of Bavaria existed from 1806 to 1918, when Bavaria became a republic. In 1946, the Free State of Bavaria re-organised itself on democratic lines.

Modern Bavaria also includes parts of the historical regions of Franconia, Upper Palatinate and Swabia.