Ludwig II was born at Nymphenburg Palace in what is currently part of central Munich. He was the oldest son of Maximillian II of Bavaria and Marie of Prussia, who were the Crown Prince and Princess of Bavaria, becoming King and Queen in 1848. Growing up, Ludwig was strictly controlled by his tutors while he was also extremely indulged; some think his upbringing may have contributed to his strange behavior as an adult.
Ludwig II on the left, with his mother Maria, and his younger brother Otto. Source: (Wikipedia/colorized).
Although he was not close with his parents, his childhood did have some happy times. He spent much of his childhood at Castle Hohenschangau, which was decorated with frescoes of heroic German sagas, notably, of Lohengrin, the Knight of the Swans. He spent time with his aide de camp, Prince Paul, riding, reading poetry, and enacting scenes from Wagner’s operas.
He Ascended The Throne At 19
In 1864, when Ludwig was 19, he ascended the throne after the death of his father. His interests, however, were in art, music, and architecture, and he disliked large public functions. He avoided Munich, and he avoided participating in the government, but he did travel in the countryside, where he spent time talking to the farmers and laborers he met; he bestowed lavish gifts on those who were hospitable to him during his travels.
He Was Briefly Engaged
With his fiancee, Sophie. Source: (Wikipedia/colorized).
He was expected to produce an heir, and so he got engaged to Duchess Sophie in Bavaria. Sophie, the youngest daughter of his friend Empress Elisabeth of Austria, was his cousin, and the two shared an interest in Wagner’s works. However, he repeatedly postponed the wedding and then canceled it. Ludwig never married, and he was not known to have any mistresses. His diary and other documents seem to indicate he had strong homosexual desires, but he worked to suppress them. He maintained close friendships with men, and some of his letters reveal that the quartermaster of the royal stables procured men for him.
He Was Not Interested In Politics
By 1871, Ludwig had withdrawn even more from politics. He spent his time working on his castles, commissioning drawings for Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee, in 1868. In keeping with his obsession with Wagner, the walls of Neuschwanstein were decorated with frescoes depicting scenes from the legends Wagner used in his operas.
He Was Obsessed With Wagner
With younger brother Otto. Source: (Pinterest/colorized).
When Ludwig was 15, he saw his first Wagner opera, Lohengrin, and he was hooked. In 1864, Wagner, who was 51 at the time, had an audience with Ludwig for an hour and 45 minutes. Wagner wrote of Ludwig: “Alas, he is so handsome and wise, soulful and lovely, that I fear his life must melt away in this fleeting dream of the gods.” Ludwig became Wagner’s patron and saved his career, and it is likely that Ludwig’s patronage allowed Wagner to premiere his later work at the Munich Royal Court Theater. When Wagner presented Tristan und Isolde in Munich, the opera was well received, but Wagner’s scandalous behavior was not, and Ludwig had to ask him to leave the city in December 1865. Ludwig considered following him, but with Wagner’s persuasion, he stayed, though he did provide a residence for Wagner in Switzerland. Ludwig also loaned him money to complete his personal opera house in Bayreuth and paid for the villa Wagner and his family lived in.
He Watched Private Performances
His love of theater extended beyond Wagner, however, and one of his desires was to introduce the best European theater to Munich; in 1867, he appointed Karl von Perfall as director of Ludwig’s new court theater. He also held 209 private performances for himself alone or with a guest in the court theaters between 1872 and 1885. As he explained, he didn’t want to be a spectacle for the public, and he could get “no sense of illusion in the theatre” while people were staring at him.
His Death Is Shrouded In Mystery
To fund his projects, he paid for them himself rather than drawing on state funds. However, this did not stop the financial fallout in Bavaria as he went into debt. His ministers, looking for a reason to depose him, claimed he was unfit to rule because he was mentally ill. The ministers asked his uncle, Prince Luitpold, to rule once Ludwig was deposed. Luitpold had one condition: they needed to prove that Ludwig was helplessly insane. The ministers were able to compile a catalog of his behavior, which included his pathological shyness, his flights of fancy, and his childish table manners. Most of these complaints were obtained by Maximillian Count von Holstein, who used bribery and his position to obtain the stories about Ludwig. Based on the accusations, a panel of psychiatrists declared that Ludwig was suffering from paranoia and was not capable of ruling. He was placed in custody and taken to Berg Castle on June 12, 1886. The next day, he went missing and was found dead. Although his death was declared a suicide by drowning, his death is shrouded in mystery.
