The third son of
Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and his wife,
Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, Joseph Clemens was designated by his parents for a life in the church. He became
Archbishop of Cologne on 19 July 1688 after the death of
Maximilian Henry of Bavaria, and
his appointment to that post by
Pope Innocent XI was one cause of the
Nine Years' War. He later also served as
Prince-Bishop of Liège, of
Regensburg, of
Freising and of
Hildesheim. Joseph Clemens was the younger brother of
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria. As did his brother, Maximillian II, Joseph Clemens allied with
Kingdom of France during the
War of the Spanish Succession and was forced to flee his residence
Bonn in 1702 and found refuge at the French court. Joseph Clemens was put under the
Imperial ban and deprived of his lands in 1706. The war between France and the
Holy Roman Empire was finally ended in 1714 with the
Treaty of Baden, which restored Joseph Clemens. He died in Bonn and was buried at the
Cologne Cathedral. Joseph Clemens was succeeded by his nephew
Clemens August of Bavaria. == Notes and references ==