Ludwig II, also called the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King, was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia, and Duke in Swabia. Outside Germany, he is at times called "the Mad King" or "Mad King Ludwig".
Ludwig, c. 1874
Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (left) with his parents and his younger brother, Prince Otto, in 1860
Crown Prince Ludwig (left) with his mother, Queen Marie (in the centre) and his younger brother Otto (on the right), circa 1863. Otto would become king after the death of his older brother in 1886, although he would not be able to properly rule as King of Bavaria due to his mental health problems. The photo was taken privately for a family album, as was in vogue among many nobles during the period, and was not published at the time.
Ludwig II just after his accession to the throne of Bavaria in 1864
The King of Bavaria was a title held by the hereditary Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria in the state known as the Kingdom of Bavaria from 1805 until 1918, when the kingdom was abolished. It was the second time Bavaria was a kingdom, almost a thousand years after the short-lived Carolingian kingdom of Bavaria.
Ludwig III
The Crown of Bavaria.
Image: King Max I Joseph in Coronation Robe
Image: Ludwig I of Bavaria
