Ludwig III of Bavaria
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| Ludwig III | ||
|---|---|---|
| King of Bavaria | ||
 |
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| Reign | November 5, 1913 - November 7, 1918 | |
| Born | January 7, 1845 | |
| Munich | ||
| Died | October 18, 1921 (aged 76) | |
| Sárvár, Hungary | ||
| Predecessor | Otto | |
| Consort | Maria Theresia of Austria-Este | |
| Issue | Rupprecht, Adelgunde, Maria, Karl, Franz, Mathilde, Wolfgang, Hildegarde, Notburga, Wiltrud, Helmtrud, Dietlinde, Gundelinde | |
| Royal House | Wittelsbach | |
| Father | Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria | |
| Mother | Archduchess Augusta of Austria | |
Ludwig III (Ludwig Leopold Joseph Maria Aloys Alfred), King of Bavaria, (January 7, 1845 – October 18, 1921) was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918.
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[edit] Early life
Ludwig was born in Munich, the eldest son of Prince Luitpold of Bavaria and of his wife, Archduchess Augusta of Austria (daughter of Grand Duke Leopold II of Tuscany). Ludwig was named for his grandfather King Ludwig I of Bavaria.
Ludwig spent his first years living in the Electoral Rooms of the Munich Residenz and in the Wittelsbacher Palace. When he was ten years old, the family moved to the Leuchtenberg Palace.
In 1861 at the age of sixteen Ludwig began his military career when his uncle King Maximilian II of Bavaria gave him a commission as a lieutenant in the 6th Jägerbattalion. A year later he entered the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich where he studied law and economics. When he was eighteen he automatically became a member of the Senate of the Bavarian Legislature as a prince of the royal house.
In 1866 Bavaria was allied with the Austrian Empire in the Austro-Prussian War. Ludwig held the rank of Oberleutnant; he was wounded at the Battle of Helmstedt, taking a bullet in his thigh. He received the Knight's Cross 1st Class of the Bavarian Military Order of Merit.
[edit] Marriage and children
In June 1867, Ludwig visited Vienna to attend the funeral of his cousin, Archduchess Mathilde of Austria (daughter of his father's sister Princess Hildegarde of Bavaria). While there Ludwig met Mathilde's eighteen year old step-cousin Maria Theresia, Archduchess of Austria-Este.
On February 20, 1868, in the Church of St. Augustine in Vienna, Ludwig married Maria Theresa. She was the only daughter of the late Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este (1821-1849) and of his wife Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria (1831-1903).
Until 1862 Ludwig's uncle had reigned as King Otto I of Greece. Although Otto had been deposed, Ludwig was still in line of succession to the Greek throne. Had he ever succeeded, this would have required that he renounce his Catholic faith and become Orthodox. Maria Theresa's uncle Duke Francis V of Modena was a staunch Catholic. He required that as part of the marriage agreement Ludwig renounce his rights to the throne of Greece, and so ensure that his children would be raised Catholic.
By his marriage, Ludwig became a wealthy man. Maria Teresa had inherited large properties from her father. She owned the estate of Sárvár in Hungary and the estate of Eiwanowitz in Moravia (now Ivanovice na Hané in the Czech Republic). The income from these estates enabled Ludwig to purchase an estate at Leutstetten in Bavaria. Over the years Ludwig expanded the Leutstetten estate until it became one of the largest and most profitable in Bavaria.
Although they maintained a residence in Munich at the Leuchtenberg Palace, Ludwig and Maria Theresa lived mostly at Leutstetten. They had an extremely happy and devoted marriage which resulted in thirteen children:
- Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria (1869-1955)
- Adelgunde Marie Auguste Therese, Princess of Bavaria (1870-1958). Married Prince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1864-1927).
- Maria Ludwiga Theresia, Princess of Bavaria (1872-1954). Married Ferdinando Prince of the Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria (1869-1960) and had issue.
- Karl Maria Luitpold, Prince of Bavaria (1874-1927).
- Franz Maria Luitpold, Prince of Bavaria (1875-1957). Married Isabella Princess von Croÿ (1890-1982) and had issue.
- Mathilde Marie Theresia Henriette Christine Luitpolda, Princess of Bavaria (1877-1906). Married Ludwig Gaston Klemens Maria, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
- Wolfgang Maria Leopold, Prince of Bavaria (1879-1895)
- Hildegarde Maria Christina Therese, Princess of Bavaria (1881-1948)
- Notburga Karolina Maria Theresia, Princess of Bavaria (1883, lived only a few days)
- Wiltrud Marie Alix, Princess of Bavaria (1884-1975). Married Wilhelm, Duke of Urach (1864-1928).
- Helmtrud Marie Amalie, Princess of Bavaria (1886-1977).
- Dietlinde Maria Theresia, Josepha Adelgunde Princess of Bavaria (1888-1889)
- Gundelinde Maria Josepha, Princess of Bavaria (1891-1983). Married Johann Georg Count von Preysing-Lichtenegg-Moos (1887-1924), and had issue; her grandson Count Riprand von Arco-Zinneberg married 1980 at Chartres, the elder daughter of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este.
On the death of her uncle Francis in 1875, Maria Theresa became heir to his Jacobite claim to the throne of England, and is called either Queen Mary IV and III or Queen Mary III by Jacobites.
Throughout his life Ludwig took a great interest in agriculture. From 1868 he was the Honorary President of the Central Committee of the Bavarian Agricultural Society. He was also very interested in technology, particularly water power. In 1891 at his initiation the Bavarian Canal Society was established. As a prince of the royal house he was automatically a member of the Senate of the Bavarian Legislature; there he was a great supporter of the direct right to vote.
[edit] Regent of Bavaria
On December 12, 1912, Ludwig's father Luitpold died. For the previous 25 years Luitpold had served as Prince Regent of Bavaria on account of the mental incompetence of his nephew King Otto. Ludwig immediately succeeded his father as Prince Regent.
Almost immediately there were certain elements in the press and other groups in society which called for Ludwig to be installed as King of Bavaria instead of Prince Regent. The Bavarian Legislature was not, however, currently in session, and did not meet until September 29, 1913. On November 4, 1913, the Legislature amended the constitution of Bavaria to include a clause specifying that if a regency for reasons of incapacity had lasted for ten years with no expectation that the king would ever be able to reign, the regent could proclaim the end of the regency and the demise of the crown, with such action to be ratified by the Legislature. The amendment received broad party support in the Lower Chamber where it was carried by a vote of 122 in favour, and 27 against. In the Senate there were only six votes against the amendment. The next day, November 5, 1913, Ludwig announced to the Legislature the end of the regency and the demise of the crown, and the Legislature recognised Ludwig as King of Bavaria.
[edit] King of Bavaria
Ludwig's short reign was conservative and influenced by the catholic encyclical "Rerum Novarum". He was sometimes derided as "Millibauer" (dairy farmer) due to his interest in agriculture and farming. From 1914 onwards Ludwig became increasingly unpopular during World War I since he was accused of showing blind loyality to Prussia. As World War I drew to a close, the German Revolution broke out in Bavaria. On November 7, 1918 Ludwig was forced to leave office as first German monarch and fled from Munich with his family out of fear of the Communists. On November 13 he signed a document releasing both civil and military officers from their oaths; the newly-formed republican government of Kurt Eisner interpreted this as an abdication.
[edit] In exile
In February 1919 Eisner was assassinated; fearing that he might be the victim of a counter-assassination, Ludwig fled to Austria, later moving on to Liechtenstein and Switzerland. He returned to Bavaria in April 1920 and lived at Wildenwart Castle. There he remained until September 1921 when he took a trip to Sárvár in Hungary. He died there October 18.
On November 5, 1921 Ludwig's body was returned to Munich together with that of his wife (who had died in February 1919). They were given a state funeral and were buried in the crypt of the cathedral.
[edit] External links
[edit] Bibliography
- Ludwig III. von Bayern, 1845-1921, Ein König auf der Suche nach seinem Volk, by Alfons Beckenbauer (Regensburg: Friedrich Pustet, 1987). The standard modern biography.
- Ludwig, Prinz von Bayern, Ein Lebens und Charakterbild, by Hans Reidelbach (München: Eduard Pohls, 1905). Particularly good for Ludwig's early life.
- Von der Umsturznacht bis zur Totenbahre: Die letzte Leidenszeit König Ludwigs III., by Arthur Achleitner (Dillingen: Veduka, 1922). A detailed work about the last three years of Ludwig's life.
- Ludwig III. König von Bayern: Skizzen aus seiner Lebensgeschichte, by Hubert Glaser (Prien: Verkerhrsverband Chiemsee, 1995). An illustrated catalogue of an exhibition held in Wildenwart in 1995.
| Preceded by Luitpold |
Regent of Bavaria 1912-1913 |
Succeeded by — |
| Preceded by Otto I |
King of Bavaria 1913-1918 |
Succeeded by — |
| Head of the House of Bavaria 1913-1921 |
Succeeded by Crown Prince Rupprecht |
