He was the son of Rudolf I, Duke of Bavaria and Mechtild of Nassau, the daughter of Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg, King of Germany. With the death of his brother, Rudolf II, on 4 October 1353, he inherited his domains and became sole Count for the territory, whereas they had previously shared that privilege.
The Golden Bull of 1356 guaranteed the Palatinate the right of participating in the election of the Holy Roman Emperor. Previous Counts Palatine had participated in other Imperial elections.