Ludwig II (Louis II;Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; German: [ˈluːtvɪç ˈɔto ˈfʁiː.dʁɪç ˈvɪlˌhɛlm]; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886), 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. Outside Germany, he is at times called "the Mad King" or Mad King Ludwig.
Ludwig ascended to the throne in 1864 at the age of 18. Two years later, Bavaria and its allies were defeated in the Austro-Prussian War. Despite his desire to preserve Bavaria's independence, the kingdom came under Prussian hegemony and joined the German Empire upon the unification of Germany in 1871. Ludwig 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, a determination that is now questioned.
Ludwig was taken into custody and effectively deposed on 12 June 1886; he and his doctor were found dead the following day. His death was ruled to be a suicide, a conclusion that is also now questioned. Today, his architectural and artistic legacy includes many of Bavaria's most important tourist attractions.
Born at Nymphenburg Palace, which is located in what is today part of central Munich, he was the elder son of Maximilian II of Bavaria and Marie of Prussia, Crown Prince and Princess of Bavaria, who became King and Queen in 1848 after the abdication of the former's father, Ludwig I, during the German revolution of 1848–1849.
His parents intended to name him Otto, but his grandfather insisted that his grandson be named after him, since their common birthday, 25 August, is the feast day of Saint Louis IX of France, patron saint of Bavaria (with Ludwig being the German form of Louis). In the early years, the family lived in the Wittelsbacher Palais in Munich, but after the father's accession to the throne in 1848, they moved to the Munich Residence.
Like many young heirs in an age when kings governed most of Europe, Ludwig was continually reminded of his royal status. King Maximilian II wanted to instruct both of his sons in the burdens of royal duty from an early age. Ludwig was both extremely indulged and severely controlled by his tutors and subjected to a strict regimen of study and exercise. Some point to the stresses of growing up in a royal family as cause for much of his odd behaviour as an adult.
Ludwig was not close to either of his parents. King Maximilian envisioned a strict upbringing that also included punishment and chastisement. When his advisers suggested that on his daily walks the King might like, at times, to be accompanied by his future successor, the King replied, "But what am I to say to him? After all, my son takes no interest in what other people tell him." The frosty father-son relationship was mutual; Ludwig later wrote, as a 30-year-old, to Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary: "My father always treated me de haut en bas [from above], at most deigning to offer some gracious cold words en passant."
Marie, a Prussian princess by birth, unlike Ludwig, later welcomed the Proclamation of the German Empire in 1871, which was to be ruled by her cousin Emperor Wilhelm I in 1871. Her aversion to Richard Wagner had already alienated her from her son. She also found his friendship with the actress Lilla von Bulyovsky inappropriate. Unlike Ludwig, however, Marie was very sociable, and her lively chatter displeased him. After his accession to the throne, he increasingly avoided her and even referred to her as "my predecessor's consort." He was far closer to his grandfather, the deposed and notorious King Ludwig I.
Nevertheless, Ludwig's childhood years did have happy moments. The family spent their vacations and many public holidays at Hohenschwangau Castle, a late medieval building near the Alpsee (Alp Lake), which his father had transformed into a historicist fantasy castle. It was decorated in the Gothic Revival style with many frescoes depicting heroic German sagas, most notably images of Lohengrin, the Knight of the Swans. There, the mother and her sons undertook extensive mountain hikes while his father went hunting, something Ludwig never showed any interest in. The family also visited Lake Starnberg (then called Lake Würm) where they owned Berg Palace, a comparatively small hunting lodge from the Renaissance period, which - also remodeled in a historicist style - became one of Ludwig's favorite summer residences (and later the place of his death). When he was 16 years old, he attended the 1862 Fairytale Maskenfest, a costume ball themed around German fairytales.
As an adolescent, Ludwig began a friendship with his aide de camp, Prince Paul of Thurn and Taxis, a member of the wealthy Bavarian Thurn und Taxis family. The two young men rode together, read poetry aloud, and staged scenes from the Romantic operas of Richard Wagner. The friendship ended when Paul became engaged to a commoner in 1868. During his youth, Ludwig also initiated a lifelong friendship with his similarly eccentric cousin Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, the later empress of Austria and queen of Hungary.
Crown Prince Ludwig was in his 19th year when his father died after a three-day illness, and he ascended the Bavarian throne. The new king was seen in public for the first time at Maximilian's funeral on March 14. At 6 ft 3.98 in (192.99 cm), Ludwig was exceptionally tall, especially for the time. Although he was not prepared for high office, his youth and brooding good looks made him popular in Bavaria and elsewhere. He continued the state policies of his father and retained his ministers. His real interests were in art, music, and architecture. One of the first acts of his reign, a few months after his accession, was to summon the composer Richard Wagner to his court. Also in 1864, he laid the foundation stone of a new Court Theatre, now the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz (Gärtnerplatz-Theater).
Ludwig's personality was at odds with serving as a head of state. He disliked large public functions and avoided formal social events whenever possible, preferring a life of seclusion that he pursued with various creative projects. After making regular public appearances and traveling the country for official visits in his early years, he later increasingly withdrew to his castles in the countryside, which, however, did not lessen his popularity among the populace. He last inspected a military parade on 22 August 1875 and last gave a court banquet on 10 February 1876.
His mother had foreseen difficulties for Ludwig when she recorded her concern for her introverted and creative son. He rarely visited his mother at Nymphenburg Palace anymore and only travelled to Hohenschwangau Castle when she was absent. He also increasingly avoided contact with other relatives, such as his first cousin Ludwig (the future King Ludwig III), who was half a year older, as he felt their boisterous manner within the family was not subservient or respectful enough. However, he retained a loving and caring affection for his younger brother Otto, who was suffering from increasing mental illness. But even after his withdrawal from public appearances, the king enjoyed traveling in the Bavarian countryside and chatting with farmers and labourers he met along the way. He also delighted in rewarding those who were hospitable to him during his travels with lavish gifts. He is still remembered in Bavaria as Unser Kini ("Our Cherished King" in the Bavarian dialect).
Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian Wars