“Mad” King Ludwig II of Bavaria (August 25, 1845-June 13, 1886) was called the Schwan Konig (Swan King) or the Marchenkonig (Fairy Tale King). He succeeded to the throne when he was 18 years old and immediately became involved in a war with Prussia which he lost.
After the Franco-Prussian War, Ludwig withdrew from all state affairs, exploring instead extravagant artistic and architectural projects. Ludwig admired how the French glorified their culture through architecture, art and music. It was his wish to do the same for Bavaria. He personally approved every detail of the architecture, decoration and furnishings of his three Märchen (fairytale) castles: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. The three castles are still tourist destinations today.
Ludwig spent all the royal revenues and his personal fortune on these projects, borrowed extensively, and disregarded all attempts of frugality proposed by his ministers. It was these confrontations by his ministers to control his self-indulgence and narcissistic behavior that were later used against him to declare him incompetent.
It is also thought that the stresses of growing up in a royal family, with strict, controlling tutors and advisors, contributed to his self-centered behavior as an adult. It was, to be sure, a dysfunctional family. His mother and father were remotely involved with his life. Ludwig would refer to his mother as “my predecessor’s consort.”
Ludwig did have some happy moments in his youth when he resided at Schloss Hohenschwangau, a fantasy castle built by his father on Schwansee near Fussen. There he initiated a lifelong friendship with his cousin, Duchess Elizabeth in Bavaria. The Dutchess Sophie Charlotte in Bavaria, the sister of Elizabeth and also a cousin of Ludwig’s, was later engaged to marry Ludwig. The marriage was to happen but Ludwig continually cancelled the arrangements and eventually she married another. Ludwig never married, nor had any known female companions; his sexuality was a continual struggle for him. It was his wish to remain true to the Roman Catholic faith, so his sexual preferences remained secret.
Ludwig was intensely interested in the operas of Richard Wagner. This interest developed during his mid-teens when he saw “Lohengrin” and “Tannhäuser.” Wagner was a political radical, a stout anti-Semitic, a well-qualified representative for the profligate life style and was continually pursued by his creditors. Ludwig saved his career. Without his zealous patron, Wagner would have remained anonymous and unknown. In his lifetime Wagner’s behavior was so scandalous and shocking to the Bavarians that Ludwig was forced to ask Wagner to leave for six months in 1865. Ludwig considered abdicating and departing with Wagner but Wagner convinced him to remain in Bavaria as their king. Ludwig then provided the composer with a residence in Switzerland where he completed “Die Meistersinger.”
Around 1870, Wagner began planning his own personal opera house in Bayreuth. Even Ludwig balked at the expense of his grandiose plans but he conceded eventually and in 1876, Ludwig attended a performance there.
In 1869, the cornerstone of Neuschwarishein was laid. The walls and ceilings of the castle are decorated with frescoes depicting scenes from Wagner’s Operas.
Linderhof Schloss was completed in 1878, an ornate palace in neo-French Rococo style. The landscaping and gardens rivaled those of the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, which was Ludwig’s intention. Linderhof included its Venus Grotto, which was a large electrically illuminated underground lake on which Ludwig paddled about in a boat shaped like a seashell. Ludwig admired the works of the “Sun King” and he anointed himself the “Moon King.”
Construction of Herrenchiensee was begun in 1878 and it too was inspired by Versailles as a tribute to the “Sun King.” Only the central portion was built before Ludwig’s death in 1886.
On June 13, 1886, Ludwig invited his physician, Dr. Gudden, to accompany him on a walk along the shore of Lake Starnberg. The two men were last seen at 6:30 P.M. Their bodies were found at 10:30 P.M. and the mystery of what occurred in those four hours has never been solved. Today there is a memorial cross at the site where Ludwig’s body was found.
Basta und damit!