Government, Revenue, etc.—B. is a constitutional monarchy, the throne hereditary in the male line. Its constitution dates no further back than 1818, when it was declared a part of confederated Germany. The king is the executive, The legislature consists of a chamber of senators, and one of deputies. The senators are hereditary, the king, however, having the power, within certain limits, to nominate members for life. The chamber of deputies consists of fire different classes—one eighth of the whole members being chosen from landed proprietors, who exercise judicial powers in right of their property, and have no seat in the upper house; another eighth from ecclesiastics of the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches; a fourth from the inhabitants of cities and market towns; and a half from landed proprietors who neither possess judicial rights, nor a seat in the other chamber. There are. besides, three members front the universi ties—one from each. There is one member in the chamber of deputies for every 7000 families, or 85,000 inhabitants. In the event of there not being a dissolution, the cham ber lasts for six years. The usual length of the annual session is two months. The chambers, in ordinary circumstances, meet once a year for the dispatch of business, and it is compulsory on the king to summon them once in three years. No deliberation can take place unless two thirdwof the deputies are present. All matters relating to public burdens, etc., come first under the consideration of the chamber of deputies; with refer ence to other questions, the king exercises his own discretion as to which chamber shall first diseussthem. No alteration in taxation, and no new law, can be promulgated with out the consent of the legislature; but the royal prerogative is loosely defined.
cabinet consists of seven members, chiefs of the departments of foreign affairs, justice, home affairs, public worship and instruction, finance, commerce, and public works and war. They are not necessarily members of the chambers, though they are privileged to be present at the deliberations. The privy council is composed of the king, certain royal princes, the ministers of state, and six councilors nominated by the king.
The rerenee of B. for 1876-77 amounted to 258.680,781 marks (£12,984,324), of which marks were to be raised by direct taxation, 39.062,210 marks by indirect tax Mum, the rest chiefly from domains and state monopolies. The expenditure for the same year was estimated et the same figure. The interest on the national debt swallows up about lo per cent of the whole expenditure; the army, 18 per cent; and worship and education about 11 per cent. In 1870, the public debt amounted to 1.108,954,854 marks (£55,447,742), 898,31:5,143 marks being contracted for railways. In 1953 the public debt was 122,839,495 florins, and the debt on railways was 88,643,834 flOrins—total, £17,428,(129.
'The raising of the army of B. was in 1871 adapted to the of con scription. Every Bavarian is liable to service for seven years, and no substitution is allowed. The period of active service is four years, the remaining three being spent in
the army of reserve; and the soldier, after quitting the reserve, is bound to serve other five years in the landwehr. When B., in Nov.. 1870, became one of the kingdoms of the German empire, her army, on the established conditions of its formation,was formed into two of the imperial army, each consisting of two divisions, under the com mand of the king of B. in times of peace, but controlled by the emperor of Germany in war. On the peace-footing, the infantry consists of 16 regiments, 48 battalions, 26,638 men in all; besides which there are 10 bxttalions of chasseurs, 5510 strong, and 32 bat talions of landwehr. There are 10 regiments of cavalry, of 7192 men; 5544 artillery, 1214 engineers, and 1126 of the military train—in all, 47,224 men, without including the landwehr. In time of war the total force is 149,892, rather more than trebled.
JEstory.—The Boil, a race of Celtic origin, were the first inhabitants of B. of whom tradition furnishes any account. From them, its German name, Baiern, as well as its old Latin name, Boiaria, is said to have been derived. They appear to have conquered the country about 600 n.e., and they retained it until shortly before the Christian era, when they were subjugated by the Romans; the country being made an integral part of the Roman empire, under the names of Vindelicia and Noricum. After the decay of the Roman power, the Ostrogoths and Franks successively held possession of it, until Charlemagne conquered it.. After his death, it was governed by lieutenants of the Frank and German kings, until 1070, when it passed into possession of Ilia Guelph family; and it was transferred by imperial grant, in 1180, to Otho, count of Wirelsbach, whose descendant now occupies t he throne. The Rhenish Palatinate was con ferrad on this family by the emperor Frederick III. in 1216. Now followed quarrels between relatives, and divisions of territory, until the dukedom of B. was severed from the Rhenish andupper Palatinates (see PALATINATE); of the latter, however, it repossessed itself in 162I—the peace of Westphalia, in 1648, confirming the title of its princes to that possession, as well as its right to the electoral dignity to which it had been raised in 1624. In the war of the Spanish succession, B. supported France, and suffered considerably in conse quence; but in 1777, on the extinction of the younger Wittelsbach line, it received the accession of the Rhine Palatinate. In 1805, 13. was erected into a kingdom by Napoleon I. The king assisted Napoleon in his wars, and in consideration of his aid received lr.rge additions of territory. In 1813, however, the Bavarian king opportunely con trived to change sides, and thus managed to have confirmed to him, by the treaties of 1814-15, an extent of territory nearly as valuable as the possessions which the treaties of Presburg and Vienna had given him, and which he had now to restore to Austria.