Ludwig II King of Bavaria

Ludwig II (Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm Wittelsbach) (25 August, 1845, Munich - 13 June, 1886, Lake Starnberg) was the fourth King of Bavaria. Ludwig was a member of the House of Wittelsbach, and the eldest son of King Maximilian II of Bavaria, and Queen Marie Hohenzollern of Prussia. Ludwig is most well known for his extravagant building projects in Bavaria, the palaces of Linderhof, Neuschwanstein, and Schloss Herrenchiemsee, the cost of which was cited as part of the basis for his removal from power in 1886 on medical grounds. Shortly after he was deposed he died mysteriously in Lake Starnberg, on the outskirts of Munich.

Childhood

Ludwig was born in Schloss Nymphenburg in the early hours of the morning on 25 August 1846. Originally named Otto, his name was changed at the request of his grandfather, King Ludwig I, whose birthday he shared. Ludwig had a difficult childhood. When he was 2 years old, his grandfather, King Ludwig I abdicated as a result of the Lola Montez scandal, causing Ludwig II to become the Crown Prince of Bavaria at such an early age that it is likely he did not remember ever holding any other position in society. Ludwig and his brother Otto were segregated from other children, and raised by tutors, with an accelerated learning schedule. Ludwig was marked as an extremely shy and sensitive boy, but was noted for his generosity and his predilection for building with blocks. Discipline for the young princes was harsh, and took the form of beatings, meted out by their father, as it was inappropriate for servants to lay hands on the boys. Otherwise the relationship between father and son was cold and distant. Cabinet Secretary Pfistermeister, Maximillian's, and later Ludwig's, confidential advisor, noted:

The King only saw his two sons , Prince Ludwig and Prince Otto, one or two times a day: at midday for the second breakfast and in the evening at the dinner table. He seldom saw them in the apartments in which they grew up. On the occasions he did see them he merely offered his hand in greeting and then made a hasty retreat.

When Pfistermeister suggested to Maximillian that he spend more time with Ludwig, Maximillians response was

What could I talk to him about? We haven't any interests in common.

Of their relationship with Queen Marie, Pfistermeister said:

The Queen, too had little notion of how to form a good relationship with the Princes. She did visit them in their rooms more often (then the father), but was unable to behave with them in a way which children understand. And so no real fondness grew between them.

This lack of a close relationship with his mother is demonstrated by the way the adult Ludwig referred to her as "the widow of my predecessor", a "Prussian Princess", and "an underling".

Insanity

In January, 1886, Ludwig's cabinet assembled a medical commission, led by Dr. Bernhard von Gudden, to determine the sanity of the King. The Bavarian Constitution allowed for the removal of a King if he was "prevented from exercising government by some cause which persists in its effects for a period of more than one year". After being approached several times by the cabinet, Ludwig's uncle, Prince Luitpold, agreed to serve as Prince Regent, if it was determined that Ludwig was incapable of ruling. Evidence against the king included his family history of insanity, his lack of interest in his role in government, his mounting debts, heavy drinking, and interviews with former members of Ludwig's personal staff, most of whom had fallen out of favor with Ludwig, or were secretly in the employ of the cabinet. Ludwig's secret diary was stolen by a valet who was secretly in the employ of Cabinet Secretary Lutz and contained enough information that Dr. von Gudden determined that an examination of Ludwig was not necessary. The diagnosis of the commission was that the king suffered from paranoia, a condition now known as paranoid schizophrenia. In the opinion of Dr. von Gudden, Ludwig was incurable, although other members of the commission differred in opinion. Dr. Grashley, another member of the commission voiced his opinion that the king could eventually resume his royal duties, but was told by Dr. von Gudden "We will discuss this later." That discussion never took place.

Deposed

Upon his removal from power and imprisonment at the family estate, Berg, on the shores of Lake Starnberg, Ludwig's younger brother Otto became King of Bavaria. Due to a similar mental condition, which had caused him to be incarcerated in Schloss Fürstenried since 1876, Otto was also unable to rule. Therefore, Ludwig's uncle, Luitpold, ruled as Prince Regent of Bavaria.

Death

Facts

Shortly after his arrest, on 14 June 1886, both Ludwig and Dr. von Gudden died mysteriously in Lake Starnberg, near Munich. The cause of Ludwig's death has not been determined, but the three most common theories are assassination, accidental death while trying to escape, and murder/suicide. What is known about the evening in question is that Ludwig's last meal was served at 4:30 pm. With his meal he consumed a glass of beer, 2 glasses of spiced wine, 3 glasses of Rhine wine, and 2 glasses of arrack. At 6:30 in the evening, Ludwig and von Gudden departed Schloss Berg for a walk around the palace grounds. It had been raining earlier in the day, and Ludwig carried an umbrella. Von Gudden dismissed a police escort, as the presence of a guard had bothered Ludwig earlier in the day. When the pair had not returned by 8 pm, as planned, guards were dispatched to search the grounds. At 10:30 pm, Ludwig's umbrella, hat and overcoat were found near the shore of Lake Starnberg, approximately 800 meters from the palace. Shortly thereafter the bodies of both men were discovered, drowned, in less than 3 feet (1 meter) of water. Von Gudden was fully clothed, and had scratches on his face and forehead, as well as a black eye. He was also missing the fingernail of his right middle finger. Cabinet Secretary for Prussian Affairs Philipp Count von Eulenburg was present at the scene and claimed to have seen signs of strangulation on von Gudden's neck, although these marks were not found by any of the other examining physicians. Ludwig showed no injuries with the exception of recent scrapes on his knees. Dr Müller, the examining physician at the scene, described the expression on Ludwig's face as

sinister, domineering, almost tyrannical

Ludwig's watch had stopped at 6:54 pm. Ludwig was autopsied, and was found to be in good health, although his brain showed signs of chronic inflammation, and was, at 1349 grams, underweight by 36 grams.

Accident Theory

Very similar to the Suicide Theory of Ludwig's death, the Accidental Death Theory is the most commonly accepted reckoning of the death of Ludwig. It is believed that Ludwig departed from Schloss Berg with the intentions of swimming across the lake to an awaiting coach, and thus escape into the protection of his cousin Elizabeth, the Empress of Austria. As in the Suicide Theory, Ludwig is believed to have been chased to the lake by Dr. von Gudden, who had the intention of stopping Ludwig's escape. Ludwig fought with, and killed, von Gudden in the shallow waters at the edge of the lake. He then attempted to swim across the lake, and drowned in the attempt. This theory is popular with supporters of King Ludwig, as it suggests that Ludwig committed neither premeditated murder, or suicide, both of which would have been mortal sins for Ludwig, who was a devout Roman Catholic.

Assassination Theory

A very popular theory of Ludwig's death is that he was removed to Berg to make it easy to assassinate him, which would firmly cement Luitpold's role as ruler of Bavaria. The common assassination theory is that Ludwig was shot in the back, and dumped in the lake, while von Gudden was eliminated as a witness by strangulation or drowning. Conflicting reports on the state of Ludwig's body claim both the existence, and the lack of bullet holes in the body. No shots were heard at the castle on the night in question, but adherents to this theory have pointed to the existence of air rifles in the late 19th century. One such air rifle from the period is located in the Hunting and Fishing Museum in Munich. In a modern investigation of the death of Ludwig, former Bavarian State Attorney Wilhelm Wöbking and Detective Helmut Bauer reconstructed the event. As part of the investigation they built an air rifle identical to the one at the Hunting and Fishing Museum, and test fired it with enough air pressure to penetrate the clothes Ludwig was known to be wearing at the time of death, and cause a fatal wound. The test firing produced a sound of 94 decibels, which could be heard at a distance of 800 meters. The lack of any reports of hearing gunshots on the night in question, combined with the meticulous nature of the original autopsy which found no bullet holes, and the lack of visible bullet wounds upon the body while Ludwig laid in state, was enough to rule out shooting as a cause of death in the minds of Wöbking and Bauer.

A second assassination theory is that Ludwig's final meal was drugged, and that von Gudden intended to drown him. The theory claims that Ludwig maintained enough lucidity in his last moments to kill Dr. von Gudden in self defence, but after the struggle collapsed in the lake and drowned.

Suicide Theory

Another common theory suggests that Ludwig's intentions on the night of 13 June were to drown himself in the waters of the Starnbergersee. It is unknown if Ludwig intended for the death of Dr. von Gudden, or if it was accidental. Adherents to this theory believe that Ludwig attempted to outrun Dr. von Gudden, who gave chase to the edge of the lake. They point to the facts that Ludwig's footprints displayed a running gait before Dr. von Gudden's, who started running after the king did. Somewhere along the route Dr. von Gudden caught up to Ludwig and caught him by the collar of his jacket. Ludwig slipped out of his jacket and again, ran for the shore. Upon reaching the lake, Ludwig waded waist deep into the lake before being caught up to by von Gudden. It is believed that at this point, Ludwig, who considered his imprisonment to be the equivalent of being buried alive, strangled Dr. von Gudden, who suggested Ludwig's intentions and wished to prevent Ludwig's suicide, before drowning himself in the lake. Versions of this theory are known as the Suicide Theory, or the Murder/Suicide Theory, depending upon Ludwig's intentions for his psychiatrist.

Disposition of Remains

Ludwig is interred at Saint Michaels Church in Munich.