Therese Charlotte Luise of Saxony-Hildburghausen was queen of Bavaria as the wife of King Ludwig I. Oktoberfest was created in honour of their wedding and is still celebrated annually on Theresienwiese in Munich. Therese was popular amongst the people of Bavaria, and was heavily involved in her husband's politics, as well as her own charity work.

Ludwig I or Louis I was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As king, he encouraged Bavaria's industrialization, initiating the Ludwig Canal between the rivers Main and the Danube. In 1835, the first German railway was constructed in his domain, between the cities of Fürth and Nuremberg, with his Bavaria joining the Zollverein economic union in 1834. After the July Revolution of 1830 in France, Ludwig's previous liberal policy became increasingly repressive; in 1844, Ludwig was confronted during the Beer riots in Bavaria. During the revolutions of 1848 the king faced increasing protests and demonstrations by students and the middle classes. On 20 March 1848, he abdicated in favour of his eldest son, Maximilian.