Louis III was the third son of King
Rupert of Germany and his wife
Elisabeth of Nuremberg. During his father's campaign in Italy 1401-1402 Louis served as imperial vicar. He succeeded his father in 1410 as Elector of the Palatinate but did not run for the German crown. The Palatinate was divided among the four of Rupert's surviving sons. As oldest surviving son and new
Prince-Elector Louis III received the main part,
John received
Palatinate-Neumarkt,
Stephen received
Palatinate-Simmern and
Otto received
Palatinate-Mosbach. Louis III was a member of the
Parakeet Society and of the
League of Constance. Highly cultured and religious he was a patron of the
Heidelberg University. Louis III acted as vicar for
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor and was his bearer during the
Council of Constance. As such Louis later also executed the sentences against
Jan Hus and
Jerome of Prague. He also arrested
Antipope John XXIII in 1415. Louis III returned very sick from a pilgrimage in 1427 into the
Holy Land which he had organized after the death of his son Ruprecht. From 1430 onwards he was almost blind and in 1435 deprived of power by his wife and her advisors. In the following year he died, in
Heidelberg, and was succeeded by his son
Louis IV. ==Family and children==