Ferdinand of Bavaria was a son of Duke William V of Bavaria. His parents decided early that he would have church life, and they sent him to the Jesuit school at Ingolstadt for education in early 1587. He quickly became a canon in: Mainz, Cologne, Würzburg, Trier, Salzburg, and Passau. In 1595 he became the Provost of Berchtesgaden and the coadjutor of his uncle Ernest of Bavaria. His uncle retired from most duties associated with his office leaving Ferdinand to run the many lands he ruled. When Ernest died in 1612, Ferdinand was elected the Archbishop of Cologne and the Bishops of Liège, Hildesheim, Münster, and from 1618 Paderborn. Ferdinand never received priest or bishop consecration in his lifetime though.