Ludwig II ruled Bavaria in 1864-1886. During this period, the kingdom became part of a single German empire. The monarch himself was little engaged in political affairs, and devoted much more time to the art and construction of castles. In recent years, he has become unsociable and was eventually declared insane and lost power. A few days after losing the title, Ludwig drowned in the lake under mysterious circumstances.
Childhood
On August 25, 1845, the future king Ludwig 2 of Bavaria was born. Parents and childhood of the boy were associated with Munich. His father was Crown Prince Maximilian of the Wittelsbach Dynasty, who later became King Maximilian II. Mother Maria Frederic was the granddaughter of the Prussian monarch Frederick William II.
In 1848, a series of revolutions took place throughout Germany. The child’s grandfather Ludwig I had to make concessions and renounce. Power was inherited by Maximilian, and his son became crown prince. The boy was transferred to the secluded Hohenschwangau Castle, where he grew up. What did the future Ludwig 2 of Bavaria enjoy? The monarch’s childhood passed among books and music. He became interested in art, and especially opera. He was a man of refined taste, who could exist only in the 19th century, when German culture experienced its bright flowering.
In childhood, the monarch received mainly a liberal education. Eight hours a day, he studied Latin, Greek and French, as well as literature and history. The last two subjects were of particular interest to the child; he paid them the most attention. The heir read a lot and most of all loved medieval legends and French literature. A good memory made him one of the most erudite people of his time. The Crown Prince loved the nature of his native Bavaria. At 12, he made his first big trip to the mountains. These secluded voyages had a great influence on his character.
Patron of the arts
In 1864, Maximilian II died. Power took 18-year-old Ludwig 2 of Bavaria. Accession to the throne occurred immediately after the funeral ceremony on the occasion of the death of his father. The young monarch was little interested in government affairs, foreign policy and intrigue. By the age of 18, he simply did not have time to prepare to receive the throne. Therefore, instead of government affairs, Ludwig devoted himself to the development of Bavarian art.
The king met Richard Wagner and provided him with significant financial support. The composer, receiving large subsidies from the treasury, survived the period of his greatest creative activity. The premieres of his operas The Rhine Gold, Valkyrie, Tristan and Isolda and The Nuremberg Mastersingers took place at the Munich National Theater, where the king himself was present. Ludwig’s high costs for the maintenance of Wagner made the latter extremely unpopular among residents of the capital. In 1865, the monarch had to meet the public and send the composer outside of Bavaria. However, this did not prevent them from maintaining friendship.
When Ludwig gained power, it turned out that he was completely unprepared for his new role. He did not have a mentor who could explain to him how to solve state problems. Therefore, the king had his own ideas about what is good and what is bad for his country. The image of the monarch at Ludwig merged with the images of medieval heroes, knights and characters of the Schiller drama. All this was imprinted with a dreamy and impressionable nature.
Ally of Austria
In 1866, a new war began in Germany. The country, consisting of many kingdoms and principalities, was divided into two irreconcilable camps. In those years, it was decided around which state all of Germany would be united. The main opponents in this conflict were Prussia and Austria.
Ludwig II decided to side with the Habsburg empire. He himself was never interested in military affairs and therefore delegated authority to manage the army to his many ministers and advisers, leaving for Switzerland. Prussia needed only three months to win. According to the humiliating conditions of the peace treaty, Bavaria was to pay large reparations to Berlin and transfer the cities of Bad Orb and Gersefeld.
Failed wedding
After a lost war with Prussia, the king only once toured his country, visiting its northern regions. Soon, he lost interest in politics and began to lead the state through officials. Meanwhile, the monarch became the object of universal criticism because of his unwillingness to marry and have an heir.
Why was Ludwig 2 of Bavaria so hesitant? Parents in the years of his youth tried to arrange an engagement, but to no avail. Finally, in 1867, the ruler announced that he would soon marry his cousin Sofia. The marriage of such close relatives could be prohibited by the Catholic Church, but the pope, contrary to expectations, gave his permission for the wedding.
Preparations for the festivities began. An extra-expensive carriage was created by state order, and a portrait of Queen Sofia appeared on postage stamps. But at the last moment, the wedding was canceled by Ludwig 2 of Bavaria himself. Photos from the long-awaited celebrations never appeared in the newspapers, and the monarch remained a bachelor until the end of his days.
Bavaria - part of the German Empire
In 1870, the Prussian king announced the creation of the German Empire. Bavaria joined it after Ludwig was persuaded by Otto von Bismarck. The Prime Minister promised the monarch big cash dividends. In addition, Bavaria sent 55 thousand soldiers to help Prussia during the Franco-Prussian war, after which an empire was created.
Ludwig understood that if his country accepted neutrality, then in the future it would cost her independence. Prussia, in any case, was the largest German force and would sooner or later swallow its neighbors. For Bismarck, the support of Bavaria was extremely important, since only allied Munich could calm down hostile political factions in Berlin itself.
Ludwig had many friends in Vienna, but in the end decided to go in the wake of Berlin politics. He managed to agree with Bismarck favorable conditions for Munich. It was thanks to Ludwig that the kingdom retained significant political autonomy and for many years was the most independent part of the empire. Even today, the population of this region rightly considers itself not just Germans, but primarily natives of their native Bavaria. January 18, 1871 in the Palace of Versailles, in occupied Paris, the Prussian king William was crowned as emperor. Ludwig was not present at that ceremony.
King of builder
During his reign, Ludwig initiated the construction of a dozen castles. All of them were used as monarch residences. The most famous of them (Neuschwanstein) was built in 1884. Materials for him were brought from all over Germany. Ludwig 2 of Bavaria, whose castles were built according to individual designs, decided to use images inspired by scenes from Richard Wagner's operas to decorate this residence. The monarch discussed with the composer sketches and ideas for the halls.
Much later, Neuschwanstein became a center of tourism. Today, Bavaria makes huge profits by attracting guests from all over the world who want to visit this amazing place. Even Peter Tchaikovsky was fascinated by the atmosphere and the beauties of the castle. They inspired the composer to compose the ballet Swan Lake. In modern mass culture, Neuschwanstein is best known for the fact that its layout was reproduced at Disneyland. The logo of the famous cartoon studio also includes a castle silhouette. Other residences that Ludwig 2 of Bavaria built are also popular. The king’s personal life was secluded, so he erected a castle behind the castle (Linderhof, the estate on Schahen, Herrenkimze), where he was hiding from others. Today, all these places are tourist centers. There you can not only visit any of the royal halls, but also purchase a souvenir badge, a Ludwig 2 Bavarian medal and other souvenirs.
The closeness of the monarch
In the last years of his life, Ludwig 2 of Bavaria began to lead an unsociable lifestyle. He retired to Neuschwanstein, his most famous castle. Because of this, ministers and other statesmen of the country, in order to get the monarch's signature in the documents, had to travel far to the mountains to the king. Of course, many were unhappy with these new orders.
The isolated Ludwig 2 of Bavaria cut off many of his personal contacts. Friends began to move away from him. The last close person of the king was his cousin and Empress of Austria Elizabeth. She, just like her brother, faced with rejection in her country and lived detached from others, periodically visiting her native Bavaria. Ludwig lived at night, and slept only in daylight. Because of this habit, he became known as the "moon king."
The last time the monarch officially appeared in public in 1876. He attended the opening of the new Byroth Festival, organized by Richard Wagner. In the future, Ludwig 2 of Bavaria began to behave rather ambiguously. He began to act irresponsibly, because of which the treasury was empty, and its debts continued to grow. Due to a shortage of funds, the king temporarily suspended the construction of his new castles.
Rumors of illness
Ludwig's tragic and fatal mistake was his decision to remove from himself the last two trusted associates - the personal secretaries of Schneider and Zingler. The monarch began to transmit his instructions through valets, and not in writing, but verbally, which became fertile ground for slander, lies and slander of the king’s encirclement in the future.
The longer the king lived detached in his residence, the more there were all kinds of rumors about his mental illness. Perhaps Ludwig 2 of Bavaria behaved unnaturally due to the effects of drugs on the body. For example, he used chloroform to muffle frequent toothaches.
Several representatives of the Wittelsbach dynasty had mental problems and may have been hereditary. Ludwig's brother and his successor, Otto I, had similar symptoms, which is why decisions were made by the regents during his reign. Relatives differently evaluated rumors about the craziness of the owner of Neuschwanstein. Cousin Elizabeth considered Ludwig an eccentric person who lived in his own world of dreams. However, the empress did not doubt his sane mind.
Conflict with government
Ministers thought otherwise. King Ludwig 2 of Bavaria became a serious problem for them. Due to its detachment, the state system on its upper floor was paralyzed. In June 1886, a consultation of doctors was convened. Specialists declared the monarch insane. However, they used only the testimonies of witnesses, but did not examine the patient himself.
But Ludwig’s personal physician, Franz Karl Gershter, refused to sign this paper and declare him crazy. In 1886, after the death of the monarch, he released a book of memoirs, in which he questioned the verdict of the commission and mental illness. Because of this publication, Gershter had to endure persecution by the authorities, and as a result he moved to Leipzig.
On June 9, the government officially deprived Ludwig of legal capacity. According to the laws in this case, the throne had to go to the regent. At night, the state commission arrived in Neuschwanstein, where Ludwig 2 of Bavaria was located. The last years of his life, he did not leave this castle. The commission was to send the monarch for treatment. However, its members were not allowed into the residence. They had to return to Munich.
Power deprivation
The king, realizing the danger of the situation, decided to fight the ministers with the help of the media. He wrote an open letter, which he sent to all the newspapers in the capital. All of them, except one, were intercepted along the road. Only one newspaper printed the appeal, but on the eve of the issue, the printing house was sealed and the number was seized. The government had foreseen in advance how to cut off the monarch from supporters.
In addition to newspapers, King Ludwig 2 of Bavaria wrote to other German politicians. His telegram only reached Prime Minister Bismarck. He advised the monarch to go to Munich and speak to the people with a statement on the treason of ministers. Ludwig did not have time to follow this advice.
A day later, a new commission arrived in Neuschwanstein. This time, the doctors managed to get into the castle. The footman helped him penetrate, betraying the king. Ludwig was announced about compulsory treatment in a psychiatric clinic. In addition, a government representative read out specific ministerial claims. They accused the monarch of misuse of funds (primarily money went to the construction of castles), non-participation in the life of Bavaria and homosexual relations. Ludwig was not married, had no children, but he had many favorites (for example, actor from Vienna Joseph Kaynz).
Death
In fact, the arrested Ludwig was sent to Berg Castle, located on the shore of Lake Starnberg. On June 13, 1886, accompanied by the psychiatrist Bernhard von Goodden, he went for a walk in the park. They also had two orderlies, but the professor sent them back to the castle. After this episode, no one saw von Goodden and the deposed king alive. When after a few hours they did not return to Berg, the commandant began to look for them.
Soon, two bodies were discovered in Starnberg Lake - these were Professor and Ludwig 2 of Bavaria. The biography of the monarch was ambiguous, and the conclusion about his mental illness gave rise to the government to suggest that the king committed suicide. Von Goodden drowned with him, trying to save a desperate patient. This version has become official. The doctors who last saw Wittelsbach stated that he showed no signs of insanity and behaved appropriately. The society has become widespread version that everything that happened was a political murder. The government thus got rid of the inconvenient monarch. None of these theories have solid evidence, so the mystery of the last minutes of Ludwig’s life remains unsolved today.
The king was buried in Munich, in the church of St. Michael. His successor was the younger brother of Otto I.