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Born at Nymphenburg (today part of Munich), he was the son of Maximilian II of Bavaria and Princess Marie of Prussia . Ludwig ascended to the Bavarian throne at age 18 following his father's death. For much of his rule he promoted reconcilliation among the German states. Though he sided with Austria against Prussia in the Seven Weeks' War, he quickly allied with Prussia in 1867 after being defeated in the war. Ludwig refused to break ranks with Prussia by making an alliance with France and joined with Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War. On the request of Bismarck, he solicied a letter in December 1870 calling for the creation of a German Empire. He received some concessions in return for his country becoming part of said empire, but not the territorial expansion he sought.
Ludwig was by all accounts strange to begin with, and as his rule progressed, he became even more antisocial. In the 1880s, Ludwig withdrew into seclusion in the Alps most of the time, where he built several expensive fairytale castles. The most famous, Neue Burg Hohenschwangau (now known as Neuschwanstein), was not completed until years after his death, and is now a popular tourist attraction. Ludwig's apologists explain that much of his 'unusual' behaviour was caused by the stress of growing up in a royal family, comparing it to the problems that modern royals like those in the House of WindsorThe House of Windsor previously called the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, is the Royal House of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In 1917, during World War I, anti-German feeling saw the Royal Family swap all of their German titles an have experienced.
Ludwig was engaged to Princess Sophie of BavariaSophie Charlotte Augustine Duchess in Bavaria ( February 23, 1847 May 4, 1897) was the daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria (1808-1888) and Ludovika, Royal Princess of Bavaria. She was also a sister of Elisabeth of Bavaria ("Sissi"). She was born who was his cousin and sister of Elisabeth of AustriaElisabeth Amalie Eugenie, Duchess in Bavaria and Princess of Bavaria ( December 24, 1837 September 10, 1898), of the House of Wittelsbach, was Empress-Consort of Austria and Queen consort of Hungary due to her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph. Her father ("Sissi"). Their engagement was publicized on January 22January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 343 days remaining (344 in leap years). Events 1771 Spain cedes Port Egmont in the Falkland Islands to England. 1824 Ashantis crush British forces in the Gold Coast. 1840 British, 1867Events January 8 African-American men granted the right to vote in the District of Columbia January 11 Benito Juarez becomes Mexican president again January 30 Emperor Komei of Japan dies. Crown Prince Mutsuhito is expected to become the next Emperor of J, but after having repeatedly postponed the wedding date, he finally cancelled it in October. Sophie later married Ferdinand Philippe Marie, duc d'Alençon (1844-1910), son of Louis Charles Philippe Raphael, duc de NemoursLouis Charles Philippe Raphael, duc de Nemours ( October 25, 1814 June 26, 1896) was the second son of the duke of Orleans, afterwards King Louis Philippe. At twelve years of age he was nominated colonel of the first regiment of chasseurs, and in 1830 he.
On June 10, 1886, he was officially declared insane and incapable of executing his governmental powers, and Prince Luitpold was delcared regent. Many historians, however, believe, that he was sane, but victim of an intrigue.
Mystery surrounds his death by drowning in Lake Starnberg in Berg , south of Munich. A little chapel was later built near the site of his drowning. A remembrance ceremony is held there each year on the anniversary of his death.
Ludwig is remembered as one of the most unusual rulers of Germany, and the debate about how to judge him continues even today. It seems that he was quite popular among his subjects, probably for two reasons: First, he avoided engaging in war, giving Bavaria a time of peace. (Whether this was due to him being pacifist, or simply due to his lack of interest in political power is debated). Second, he funded the construction of his famous fairy-tale castles from his own private property, not from the state budget. This gave many people employment and brought a considerable flow of money to the regions involved. Hence, he is still remembered in Bavaria as "unser Kini" (our king), which is meant quite cordially (although now often also jocular).
Of course, his spending of the family's wealth on art and architecture likely upset his relatives, and it was hence often suspected, that his death was not an accident. (This was never proven, but the fact that he was known to be a good swimmer, as well as that the lake was less than waist-deep at the area where he drowned, seems to support the suspicion.) Ironically, despite nearly bankrupting Bavaria's royal family with his construction projects, the palaces have now turned into profitable tourist attractions for the State.
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