Ludwig Karl Heinrich Freiherr von der Pfordten (11 September 1811 in Ried (Innkreis) – 18 August 1880 in Munich) was a Saxon and Bavarian attorney and politician.
Von der Pfordten studied law at the University of Heidelberg and Erlangen. In 1833 he became a professor in Würzburg. In 1843 he moved to the University of Leipzig; from 1845 he served as its president and became a leader of the Saxon Liberal Party. In March 1848 he was appointed Saxon Interior Minister and Education Minister under Prime Minister Karl Braun. When Braun resigned in February 1849, von der Pfordten returned to Bavaria and was appointed Minister-President of Bavaria and Foreign Minister. Since his project to unite the German middle-sized powers under Bavarian leadership against Prussia and Austria (the so-called Trias) failed he resigned in 1859. He then was the Bavarian envoy for the Frankfurt Parliament.
In 1864 von der Pfordten returned to power when King Ludwig II of Bavaria restored him. He resigned again in December 1866, since his placement efforts had failed and Bavaria had lost the Austro-Prussian War as an ally of Austria.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Count Otto von Bray-Steinburg |
Minister-President of Bavaria 1849–1859 |
Succeeded by Baron Karl von Schrenck |
| Preceded by Max Ritter von Neumayr |
Minister-President of Bavaria 1864–1866 |
Succeeded by Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst |