Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II (German: Ludwig der Zweite von Bayern; Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886) was king of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death (Bavaria is now part of Germany, but at that time it was a separate country). He is well known for his support for the composer Richard Wagner.
| Ludwig II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ludwig, c. 1874 | |||||
| King of Bavaria | |||||
| 10 March 1864 – 13 June 1886 | |||||
| Predecessor | Maximilian II | ||||
| Successor | Otto | ||||
| Prime Ministers | See list
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| Born | 25 August 1845 Nymphenburg Palace, Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria | ||||
| Died | 13 June 1886 (aged 40) Lake Starnberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire | ||||
| Burial | |||||
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| House | Wittelsbach | ||||
| Father | Maximilian II of Bavaria | ||||
| Mother | Marie of Prussia | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||
He was the oldest grandson of Ludwig I of Bavaria.
He is often referred to as the Mad King Ludwig because his behaviour was very odd. For example, he would leave his castle by climbing out of the window instead of walking out of the door. He is sometimes referred to as the Swan King in English and der Märchenkönig (the Fairy tale King) in German. This is because he built several very expensive and fancy castles, the most famous one being Neuschwanstein.
It is not clear whether his death by drowning was suicide or whether he was murdered.
Today tourists from all over the world visit the castles that he built. They also visit the Bayreuth Festspielhaus for which he gave a lot of money towards the building.
Ludwig II Of Bavaria Media
Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (left) with his parents and his younger brother, Prince Otto, 1860
Crown Prince Ludwig (left) with his mother, Queen Marie and his younger brother Otto, c. 1863. Otto would become King of Bavaria after his older brother's death in 1886, although he would never actively rule due to his mental health problems.
Ludwig II just after his accession to the throne of Bavaria in 1864
Ludwig II's coronation portrait, 1865
Ludwig II and his fiancée Duchess Sophie Charlotte in Bavaria in 1867
Bust of Ludwig II in front of Wahnfried, Richard Wagner's villa in Bayreuth, which Ludwig had paid for
The coat of arms of King Ludwig over the entrance to Neuschwanstein Castle
An 1890s photochrom print of Neuschwanstein Castle
Schloss Linderhof
Ludwig on a night sleigh ride.
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