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Ludwig II of Bavaria

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Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II of Bavaria

Ludwig (Louis) II, King of Bavaria, Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm; sometimes known in English as "Mad King Ludwig" (August 25, 1845 - June 13, 1886) was king of Bavaria from 1864 until his death.

Life

His Youth

Born in Nymphenburg (today part of Munich), he was the son of Maximilian II of Bavaria and Princess Marie of Prussia. Ludwig was continually reminded of his royal power as a child, and his education swayed between being extremely spoiled on some occasions to being severely controlled by his protectors on others. This no doubt played a role in what later accounts describe as strange behavior. Ludwig's apologists explain that much of his 'unusual' behaviour was caused by the stress of growing up in a royal family, comparing it to the problems that modern royals like those in the House of Windsor have experienced.

Ludwig's youth did have many, often overlooked, happy experiences, as well. An early friendship with the handsome aristocrat and actor Paul Maximilian Lamoral von Thurn und Taxis was pastoral in tone with the two men riding together, reading poetry aloud, and staging scenes from the Romantic operas of Richard Wagner, whom they both adored. The relationship broke off when Paul of Thurn and Taxis became more interested in young women. During his youth, Ludwig also initiated a lifelong friendship with his cousin Elisabeth of Bavaria called Sisi. They both loved nature and poetry, and nicknamed each other the Eagle (Ludwig) and the Seagull (Elisabeth).

His Reign

Ludwig ascended to the Bavarian throne at age 18 following his father's death. His youth and brooding good looks made him wildly popular in Bavaria and abroad. One of his first acts was official patronage of his idol, Wagner. For much of Ludwig's rule he promoted reconciliation amongst the German states.

The greatest stresses of Ludwig's early reign were the expectation to produce an heir, and relations with militant Prussia. Both issues came to the forefront in 1867. Ludwig was engaged to Princess Sophie of Bavaria who was his cousin and sister of Elisabeth of Austria ("the Seagull"). Their engagement was publicized on January 22, 1867, but after having repeatedly postponed the wedding date, he finally cancelled it in October. Sophie later married Ferdinand Philippe Marie, duc d'Alençon (1844-1910), son of Louis Charles Philippe Raphael, duc de Nemours. Though Ludwig had sided with Austria against Prussia in the Seven Weeks' War, he quickly allied with Prussia in 1867 after being defeated in the war. Ludwig refused to break ranks with Prussia by making an alliance with France, and joined with Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War. In 1869, Ludwig began keeping a diary in which he recorded his struggles with his sexual desires while trying to remain true to his Catholic beliefs. On the request of Bismarck, Ludwig solicited a letter in December 1870 calling for the creation of a German Empire. He received some concessions in return for his country becoming part of said empire, but not the territorial expansion he sought.

Matrimonial and territorial defeats added to Ludwig's natural melancholy. As Ludwig's rule progressed, he became increasingly withdrawn. In the 1880s, Ludwig spent much of his time in seclusion in the Alps. There he built several expensive fairytale palaces with the stage designer Christian Jank, and imagined a dream world with himself as an absolute monarch descended from Louis Bourbon XIV of France.


His Buildings

  • Neuschwanstein – or "New Swan Stone", a dramatic Romanesque fortress with Byzantine and Gothic interiors, which was built next to his father's castle: Hohenschwangau. Numerous wall paintings depict scenes from Wagner's operas. Christian glory and chaste love figure predominantly in the iconography, and were possibly hoped to help Ludwig live up to his Catholic ideals. The castle was not finished at Ludwig's death. It is by far the best known (to non-Germans) landmark in Germany today. Neuschwanstein would become the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland.
  • Linderhof – an ornate palace in neo-Rococo style, with handsome formal gardens. The grounds contain a grotto where opera singers performed on an underground lake lit with electricity, a novelty at that time, and a Romantic woodsman's hut built inside an artificial tree. Inside the palace, iconography reflects Ludwig's fascination with the absolutist government of Ancien Régime France. Ludwig saw himself as the "Moon King", a Romantic shadow of the earlier "Sun King", Louis XIV of France. From Linderhof, Ludwig enjoyed moonlit sleigh rides in an elaborate 18th century sleigh, complete with footmen in 18th century livery. He was known to stop and visit with rural peasants while on rides, adding to his legend and popularity.
  • Herrenchiemsee – a replica of the palace at Versailles, France, which was meant to outdo its predecessor in scale and opulence. It is located on an island in the middle of a large lake. Most of the palace was never completed, and Ludwig only stayed there once.
  • Ludwig also outfitted Schachen king's house with an overwhelmingly decorative Arabian style interior, including a replica of the famous Peacock Throne. There are stories of luxurious parties with the king sometimes reclining in the role of Turkish sultan while the most handsome soldiers and stable boys served him as scantily clad dancers. These stories may or may not be true.
  • Falkenstein – a planned, but never executed "robber baron's castle". A painting by Christian Jank shows the proposed building as an even more fairytale version of Neuschwanstein, perched on a rocky cliff.

His Death

On June 10, 1886, Ludwig was officially declared insane by the government and incapable of executing his governmental powers, and Prince Luitpold was declared regent. Professor Bernhard von Gudden despite never having examined Ludwig, declared him to be insane, chiefly because of stories disseminated by Ludwig´s enemies. Some historians believe that Ludwig was sane, but victim of an intrigue. Empress Elizabeth held that, "The King was not mad; he was just an eccentric living in a world of dreams. They might have treated him more gently, and thus perhaps spared him so terrible an end."

Taking the popular head of state into custody was done in secret, and the event proved as unusual as the rest of Ludwig's life. An eccentric but loyal baroness arrived at the gate of the rural castle to wave her umbrella menacingly and to harangue the men who came to imprison Ludwig. The king himself ordered — it is said — all kinds of nonsensical punishments against the "treasonous" ministers. A huge force of peasants swarmed to Hohenschwangau to protect the King. They were willing to escort Ludwig under guard across the border and save him. But Ludwig refused. The battalion of soldiers at nearby Kempten had been summoned to Neuschwanstein, but it was retained by the government. King Ludwig tried to publish the following call to the population: The prince Luitpold intends to rise up without my will to the regent of my country. My past Ministry deceived untrue data over state of my health and prepares high-traitorous actions forwards against my loved people ... I request each faithful Bavaria man to help. Crowds forward around my faithful ones and prevents the planned betrayal to the king and the native country. (Bamberger newspaper on June 11, 1886, briefly before seizing). But most of his telegrams to the newspapers and friends were intercepted by the secret service. Bismarck offered him the advice to go to Munich and show himself to the people, but Ludwig refused. On the morning of the 12th, a second Commission reached Neuschwanstein. The King was placed under arrest at 4:00 am and taken to Castle Berg.

Mystery surrounds his death on Lake Starnberg in Berg, south of Munich. On June 13, at 6:30 pm, Ludwig expressed the desire to walk with Dr. Gudden. Gudden agreed, and told the guards not to follow them. The two men never returned from their walk. King Ludwig and Professor Gudden were found dead at 11:30 pm, in the water near the bank of Lake Starnberg. A little chapel was later built overlooking the site. A remembrance ceremony is held there each year on the anniversary of his death.

It was first alleged in 1887 by his enemies in the government that Ludwig was a homosexual and that he developed mental problems after repeatedly trying to suppress his desires unsuccessfully.

His Legacy

Ludwig is remembered as one of the most unusual rulers of Germany. He was quite popular among his subjects, probably for three reasons: First, he avoided engaging in war, giving Bavaria a time of peace. Whether this was due to pacifism or his lack of interest in political power is debated. Second, he funded the construction of his famous fairy-tale castles from his own private property, not from the state budget. This gave many people employment and brought a considerable flow of money to the regions involved. Third, his public eccentricties were quite engaging. Though he hated crowds, he enjoyed travelling "incognito" among his people, and he rewarded those who were "unknowingly" hospitable to him later with lavish (to them) gifts. Hence, he is still remembered in Bavaria as "unser Kini" ("our darling king" in the Bavarian dialect), which is meant quite cordially (although now often also jocular).

Of course, his spending of the family's wealth on art and architecture likely upset his relatives, and it was hence often suspected, that his death was not an accident. This was never proven, but the fact that he was known to be a good swimmer, as well as that the lake was less than waist-deep at the area where he drowned, seems to support the suspicion. Ironically, despite nearly bankrupting Bavaria's royal family with his construction projects, the palaces have now turned into profitable tourist attractions for the State.

Ludwig and the arts

Ludwig was a major patron of composer Richard Wagner, and he funded the construction of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.

Ludwig left behind a large collection of plans and designs for other castles that were never built, as well as plans for further rooms in his completed buildings. Many of these designs are housed today in the King Ludwig II Museum at Herrenchiemsee. These buildings date from the later part of the King's reign, beginning around 1883. As money was starting to run out, the designs became more extravagant, and numerous.

Ludwig in fiction

The 1972 movie Ludwig, directed by Luchino Visconti was based on his life. The computer game Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within features several Ludwig II-related locations and includes extensive discussion of his life, although numerous fictional elements (including werewolves and a lost Wagner opera entitled Der Fluch Des Engelhart ("The Curse of Engelhart")) are added to fit in with the supernatural mystery plot of the game. There is also a three-volume manga published by Kadokawa Shoten called Ludwig II (ルートヴィヒⅡ世, Ruutovihi II sei) by the artist Higuri You (氷栗優), a highly fictionalized account of Ludwig's love life. The new Busch Gardens ride DarKastle features him as a king whose parents "mysteriously" disappeared, and whose party guests also "mysteriously" disappeared, and who now haunts his old castle. Like Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within, werewolves figure heavily into the ride.

Preceded by King of Bavaria
1864-1886 		Succeeded by

References

The following citations are for English-language biographies of Ludwig II.

Blunt, Wilfred and Michael Petzet. The Dream King: Ludwig II of Bavaria. 1970. ISBN 0241112931, ISBN 0140036067.

Chapman-Huston, Desmond. Bavarian Fantasy: The Story of Ludwig II. 1955.

King, Greg. The Mad King: The Life and Times of Ludwig II of Bavaria. 1996. ISBN 1559723629

McIntosh, Christopher. The Swan King: Ludwig II of Bavaria. 1982. ISBN 1860648924

Notes

  1. ^ McIntosh, pp 155-158


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