"Ludwig II" redirects here. For other uses, see Ludwig II (disambiguation).
Ludwig II
Ludwig, c. 1874
King of Bavaria
Reign
10 March 1864 – 13 June 1886
Predecessor
Maximilian II
Successor
Otto
Prime Ministers
See list
Baron Karl Schrenck von Notzing
Max Ritter von Neumayr
Baron Karl Ludwig von der Pfordten
Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
Count Otto von Bray-Steinburg
Baron Friedrich von Hegnenberg-Dux
Adolph von Pfretzschner
Johann von Lutz
Born
(1845-08-25)25 August 1845 Nymphenburg Palace, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Died
13 June 1886(1886-06-13) (aged 40) Lake Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany
Burial
St. Michael's Church, Munich
Names
Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm
House
Wittelsbach
Father
Maximilian II of Bavaria
Mother
Marie of Prussia
Religion
Roman Catholic
Signature
Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886),[1] also called the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King (der Märchenkönig), was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia, and Duke in Swabia.[2] Outside Germany, he is at times called "the Mad King" or "Mad King Ludwig".[3]
Ludwig ascended to the throne in 1864 at the age of 18 but increasingly withdrew from day-to-day affairs of state in favour of extravagant artistic and architectural projects. He commissioned the construction of lavish palaces: Neuschwanstein Castle, Linderhof Palace, and Herrenchiemsee. He was also a devoted patron of the composer Richard Wagner. Ludwig spent all his own private royal revenues (although not state funds as is commonly thought) on these projects, borrowed extensively, and defied all attempts by his ministers to restrain him. This extravagance was used against him to declare him insane, an accusation that has since come under scrutiny.[3]
Ludwig was taken into custody and effectively deposed on 12 June 1886, and he and his doctor were found dead on the following day. His death was ruled to be a suicide, a decision that has since been disputed.[4] Today, his architectural and artistic legacy includes many of Bavaria's most important tourist attractions.
^At 00.28 hours: J.G. Wolf 1922, p. 16. Compare Ludwig's remark to Anton Niggl on 11/12 June 1886 about being born and going to die at 12.30 (Hacker 1966, p. 363 quoting Gerold 1914, pp. 91–93)
^Adreßbuch für München (in German). Bayerische Staatsbibliothek: Ackermann. 1876.
^ abThadeusz, Frank (31 January 2014). "Mad King Ludwig? Study claims Bavarian monarch was sane". Der Spiegel. Hamburg. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
^Cite error: The named reference spiegel-07 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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residence of the Kings of Württemberg Castle Solitude, Stuttgart, residence of the Kings of Württemberg Herrenchiemsee, palace built by LudwigIIofBavaria Linderhof...
and second daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika ofBavaria, the half-sister of King Ludwig I ofBavaria. Maximilian was considered...
formerly the site of an Augustinian monastery, was purchased by King LudwigIIofBavaria in 1873. The king had the premises converted into a residence, known...
King Maximilian IIofBavaria, and was the childhood residence of his son, King LudwigIIofBavaria. It is located in the German village of Hohenschwangau...
the title King Maximilian I ofBavaria on 1 January 1806. The well-known so called Märchenkönig (Fairy tale king) LudwigII constructed Neuschwanstein...
battery at Kissingen and Rossbrunn. In 1870, King LudwigIIofBavaria sent Leopold to the battlefields of France, where the Bavarian Army was fighting alongside...
cousin LudwigIIofBavaria, Ludwig saw some sheet music on Maximilian Joseph's piano by the composer Richard Wagner, which led on to Ludwig's financial...
Germany, in southwest Bavaria near the village of Ettal. It is the smallest of the three palaces built by King LudwigIIofBavaria and the only one which...
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