| Ludwig Ii Of Bavaria |
Article Index for Ludwig |
Website Links For Ludwig |
Information About ™Ludwig Ii Of Bavaria |
|
Ludwig (Louis) II, King of Bavaria, Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm; sometimes known in English as '''"Mad King Ludwig"''' and as the "Märchenkönig" (Fairy-tale King) in German. ( 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 as a child he was extremely spoiled on some occasions but severely controlled by his instructors and subjected to a strict regimen of study and exercise on others. Ludwig Apologist s 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 happy times, such as visits to Hohenschwangau and Lake Starnberg with his family. Teenaged Ludwig became best friends with his Aide De Camp , the handsome Aristocrat and Actor Paul Maximilian Lamoral Von Thurn Und Taxis of Bavaria's wealthy Thurn Und Taxis family. The two young men rode together, read poetry aloud, and staged scenes from the Romantic operas of Richard Wagner . The relationship broke off when Paul became more interested in young women. During his youth, Ludwig also initiated a lifelong friendship with his cousin Elisabeth , Empress of Austria . 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, Richard 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 , his cousin and Empress Elisabeth's younger sister. Their engagement was publicized on January 22 , 1867 , but after repeatedly postponing the wedding date Ludwig finally cancelled the engagement in October . Sophie later married Ferdinand Philippe Marie, duc d'Alençon (1844-1910), son of Louis Charles Philippe Raphael, duc de Nemours. Ludwig never married. Though Ludwig had sided with Austria against Prussia in the Seven Weeks' War , he accepted a mutual defense treaty with Prussia in 1867 after being defeated in the war. Under the terms of this treaty Bavaria joined with Prussia against France in the Franco-Prussian War. 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 support, but the era of Bavarian independence was over. Throughout his reign Ludwig had a succession of infatuations with handsome men, including his chief equerry Richard Hornig, Hungarian theatre star Josef Kainz, and courtier Alfons Weber. In 1869, he began keeping a diary in which he recorded his private thoughts and discussed his attempts to suppress his sexual desires and remain true to his Catholic beliefs. Ludwig's original diaries were lost during World War II , and all that remains today are copies of entries made prior to the war. These copied diary entries, along with private letters and other surviving personal documents, suggest that Ludwig struggled with Homosexuality . 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 |
|
|