Ludwig 2 Bavarian: biography and photos

Ludwig II reigned in Bavaria in 1864-1886. During this period, the kingdom became part of a single German Empire. The monarch himself had little to do with political affairs, but devoted much more time to the art and construction of castles. In recent years, he became unsociable and eventually was recognized as mentally ill and lost his power. A few days after the loss of the title Ludwig drowned in mysterious circumstances in the lake.

Childhood

On August 25, 1845, the future King Ludwig 2 of Bavaria was born. The boy's parents and childhood were connected with Munich. His father was Crown Prince Maximilian of the Wittelsbach dynasty, who later became King Maximilian II. Mother Maria Frederika was a granddaughter of the Prussian monarch Friedrich Wilhelm II.

In 1848, throughout Germany, a series of revolutions took place. The grandfather of the child Ludwig I had to make concessions and renounce. The power inherited to Maximilian, and his son became the Crown Prince. The boy was taken to a secluded castle of Hohenschwangau, where he grew up. What was fond of the future Ludwig 2 of Bavaria? The monarch's childhood passed among books and music. He became interested in art, and especially in opera. He was a man of exquisite taste, which could exist only in the XIX century, when German culture was experiencing a bright flowering.

As a child, the monarch received mainly a liberal arts education. For 8 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 most attention to them. The heir read a lot and most of all he loved medieval legends and French literature. A good memory made him one of the most erudite people of his time. Kronprinz loved the nature of his native Bavaria. At the age of 12 he made his first major hike into the mountains. These solitary voyages had a great influence on his character.

Patron of Arts

In 1864 Maximilian II died. The power was accepted by 18-year-old Ludwig 2 of Bavaria. The accession to the throne took place immediately after the mourning ceremony for the death of his father. The young monarch was not very interested in state affairs, foreign policy and intrigues. By the age of 18, he simply did not have time to prepare for the throne. Therefore, instead of state affairs, Ludwig immediately devoted himself to the development of Bavarian art.

The king met Richard Wagner and gave him considerable financial support. The composer, receiving large grants from the treasury, experienced a period of his greatest creative activity. The premieres of his operas "The Rhine Gold", "Valkyrie", "Tristan and Isolde" and "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg" were held at the Munich National Theater, where the King himself was present. Ludwig's heavy expenses for Wagner's maintenance made the latter extremely unpopular among the residents of the capital. In 1865, the monarch had to go to meet the public and send the composer outside of Bavaria. However, this did not stop them from keeping their friendship.

When Ludwig got 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 Schiller's dramas. 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 the whole of Germany would be united. The main opponents in this conflict were Prussia and Austria.

Ludwig II decided to take the side of the Habsburg empire. He himself was never interested in military affairs and therefore delegated the authority to manage the army to his numerous ministers and advisers, having left for Switzerland. Prussia took only three months to win. Under the humiliating terms of the peace treaty, Bavaria was to pay Berlin large reparations and transfer the cities of Bad Orb and Hersefeld.

Failure wedding

After the lost war with Prussia, the king only once conducted a tour of 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 general criticism because of his unwillingness to marry and have an heir.

Why did Ludwig 2 of Bavaria so hesitate? Parents in the years of his youth tried to arrange an engagement, but without success. Finally, in 1867, the ruler announced that he would soon marry his cousin Sophia. The marriage of such close relatives could be banned by the Catholic Church, but the Pope, contrary to expectations, gave his permission for the wedding.

Preparation for celebrations has begun. Under the state order, a super-expensive carriage was created, and a portrait of Queen Sofia appeared on postage stamps. But at the last moment Ludwig 2 of Bavaria canceled the wedding. Photos from the long-awaited celebrations did not appear in the newspapers, and the monarch remained a bachelor until the end of the day.

Bavaria - part of the German Empire

In 1870, the Prussian king announced the creation of the German Empire. Bavaria joined it after Ludwig convinced Otto von Bismarck. The Prime Minister promised the monarch big cash dividends. In addition, Bavaria sent to the aid of Prussia 55 thousand soldiers during the Franco-Prussian War, after which the empire was created.

Ludwig realized that if his country adopts neutrality, then in the future it will cost her independence. In any case, Prussia was the largest German force and would sooner or later devour its neighbors. For Bismarck, Bavaria's support was extremely important, since only the allied Munich could reassure the hostile political factions in Berlin itself.

Ludwig had many friends in Vienna, but in the end decided to go in the wake of Berlin's politics. He managed to agree with Bismarck favorable conditions for Munich. It was thanks to Ludwig that the kingdom retained considerable political autonomy and for many years was the most independent part of the empire. Even today, the population of this region rightfully considers themselves not just Germans, but primarily natives of their native Bavaria. January 18, 1871 in the Palace of Versailles, in busy Paris, the Prussian King William was crowned as emperor. Ludwig was not present at that solemn ceremony.

The King-Builder

During his reign Ludwig initiated the construction of a dozen castles. All of them were used as monarch's 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 erected on individual projects, decided to use the images inspired by the scenes from the operas of Richard Wagner for the decoration of this residence. The monarch discussed with the composer sketches and ideas for the halls.

Much later, Neuschwanstein became the center of tourism. Today, Bayern gets a huge profit by attracting visitors from all over the world who want to visit this amazing place. Still Peter Tchaikovsky was fascinated by the atmosphere and beauty 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 his layout was reproduced in Disneyland. The logo of the famous studio, shooting cartoons, also includes the silhouette of the castle. Other residences that Ludwig 2 of Bavaria built are also popular. The king's personal life was secluded, so he erected the castle behind the castle (Linderhof, a manor house on Shakhen, Herrenchiemse), where he was hiding from others. Today all these places are tourist centers. There you can not only visit any royal halls, but also purchase a souvenir token, a medal of Ludwig 2 of Bavaria and other goods for memory.

Closure of the monarch

In the last years of his life, Ludwig II of Bavaria began to lead an unsociable life. He retired to Neuschwanstein, his most famous castle. Because of this, the ministers and other statesmen of the country, in order to receive the monarch's signature in the documents, had to travel to the king far into the mountains. Of course, many were dissatisfied with these new orders.

Isolated Ludwig II of Bavaria broke off and many of his personal contacts. Friends began to move away from him. The last close person of the king was his cousin and the Empress of Austria Elizabeth. She, just like her brother, faced with rejection in her country and lived away 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 Bayroth Festival, organized by Richard Wagner. Later Ludwig II of Bavaria began to behave quite ambiguously. He began to be irresponsible to business, because of which the treasury was emptied, and her debts continued to grow. Due to a shortage of funds, the King temporarily suspended the construction of his new castles.

Rumors about the disease

The tragic and fatal error of Ludwig was his decision to remove from himself the last two trusted proxies-the personal secretaries of Schneider and Zinger. The monarch began to transfer his instructions through the valet, and not in writing, but orally, which became a fertile ground for slander, lies and encirclement encirclement of the king in the future.

The longer the king lived detached in his residence, the more there were all sorts of rumors about his mental illness. Perhaps Ludwig II of Bavaria behaved unnaturally because of the effects on the body of medicines. For example, he used chloroform in order to muffle frequent toothaches.

Problems with the psyche were with several representatives of the Wittelsbach dynasty and may have been hereditary. Brother Ludwig and his successor Otto I had similar symptoms, which is why during his reign, decisions were taken by regents. Close relatives differently assessed the rumors about the madness of the owner of Neuschwanstein. Cousin Elizabeth considered Ludwig an eccentric person who lived in his own world of dreams. However, in her right mind the Empress did not doubt.

Conflict with the government

Ministers considered otherwise. King Ludwig of Bavaria became a serious problem for them. Because of his detachment, the state system on its upper floor was paralyzed. In June 1886 a consultation of doctors was convened. Specialists declared the monarch insane. At the same time, they used only the testimony of witnesses, but did not examine the patient himself.

But the personal doctor of Ludwig Franz Karl Gershter refused to sign this paper and recognize him as crazy. In 1886, after the death of the monarch, he published a book of memories in which he questioned the verdict of the commission and mental illness. Because of this publication, Gerster had to survive the persecution of the authorities, and eventually 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 to the treatment. However, the residence of its members were not allowed. They had to return to Munich.

Deprivation of power

The king, realizing the danger of the situation, decided to fight ministers with the help of the mass media. He wrote an open letter, which he sent to all the capital's newspapers. All but one of them were intercepted along the way. The appeal was printed only by one newspaper, but on the eve of the issue the printing press was sealed and the number was withdrawn. The government in advance provided for how to cut off the monarch from the supporters.

In addition to newspapers, King Ludwig 2 of Bavaria wrote to other German politicians. His telegram reached only Prime Minister Bismarck. He advised the monarch to go to Munich and address the people with a statement about the change of ministers. Ludwig did not have time to follow this advice.

A new commission arrived in Neuschwanstein a day later. This time the doctors managed to get to the castle. The lackey, who betrayed the king, helped them penetrate. Ludwig was announced compulsory treatment in a psychiatric clinic. In addition, the government representative read out the concrete claims of the ministers. They accused the monarch of misappropriation of funds (primarily money was spent on building castles), non-participation in Bavaria's life and homosexual relations. Ludwig was not married, had no children, but he had many favorites (for example, an actor from Vienna, Josef Kainz).

Death

In fact, the arrested Ludwig was sent to Berg Castle, which was on the shore of Starnberg Lake. June 13, 1886, accompanied by a psychiatrist Bernhard von Gudden, 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 Hudden and the deposed king alive. When they did not return to Berg in a few hours, the commandant began to look for them.

Soon two bodies were discovered in the Lake of Starnberg - they were a professor and Ludwig 2 of Bavaria. The monarch's biography was ambiguous, and the conclusion about his mental illness gave rise to the government to suggest that the king committed suicide. Von Gudden drowned with him, trying to save the desperate patient. This version has become official. Doctors, the last to see Wittelsbach, said that he showed no signs of insanity and behaved adequately. In the public there was a widespread version that everything that happened was a political assassination. The government thus rid itself of the uncomfortable monarch. None of these theories have solid evidence, so the mystery of the last minutes of Ludwig's life remains unsolved even today.

The king was buried in Munich, in the church of St. Michael. His successor was the younger brother Otto I.