Ludwig I of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
Ludwig I was a German
king of Bavaria
from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states
.
, he was the son of Count Palatine Maximilian Joseph of Zweibrücken by his first wife Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. At the time of his birth, his father was an officer in the French army stationed at Strasbourg
. He was the godson and namesake
of Louis XVI of France
. On 1 April 1795 his father succeeded Ludwig's uncle, Charles II
, as duke of Zweibrücken
, and on 16 February 1799 became Elector
of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Arch-Steward of the Empire
, and Duke of Berg
on the extinction of the Sulzbach
line with the death of the elector Charles Theodore
. His father assumed the title of King of Bavaria
on 1 January 1806.
Starting in 1803 Ludwig studied in Landshut where he was taught by Johann Michael Sailer
and in Göttingen
.
In October 1810, he married Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
(1792–1854), the daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen
. The wedding was the occasion of the first ever Oktoberfest
.
Ludwig strongly rejected the alliance of his father with Napoleon I of France
but in spite of his anti-French politics the crown prince had to join the emperor's wars with allied Bavarian troops in 1806. As commander of the 1st Bavarian Division in VII Corps, he served under Marshal
François Joseph Lefebvre
in 1809. He led his division in action at the Battle of Abensberg
on 20 April. In 1817 Ludwig was involved in the fall of Prime Minister Count Max Josef von Montgelas
. He succeeded his father on the throne in 1825.
Ludwig's rule was strongly affected by his enthusiasm for the arts and women and by his overreaching royal assertiveness.
An enthusiast for the German Middle Ages, Ludwig ordered the re-erection of several monasteries in Bavaria which had been closed during the German Mediatisation
. He reorganized the administrative regions of Bavaria in 1837 and re-introduced the old names Upper Bavaria
, Lower Bavaria
, Franconia
, Swabia
, Upper Palatinate
and Palatinate. He changed his royal titles to Ludwig, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia, Duke in Swabia and Count Palatine of the Rhine. His successors kept these titles.
Ludwig's plan to reunite the eastern part of the Palatinate with Bavaria could not be realized. The Electoral Palatinate, a former dominion of the Wittelsbach, had been split up in 1815, the eastern bank of the Rhine with Mannheim
and Heidelberg
was given to Baden
, only the western bank was granted to Bavaria. Here Ludwig founded the city of Ludwigshafen as a Bavarian rival to Mannheim.
Ludwig also encouraged Bavaria's industrialization. He initiated 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
. Bavaria joined the Zollverein
in 1834.
As a philhellene Ludwig supported the Greek fight of independence
: His second son Otto
was elected king of Greece in 1832. Otto's government was initially run by a three-man regency council made up of Bavarian court officials.
After the July Revolution
in France 1830, his previous liberal policy became more and more repressive. The Hambacher Fest
in 1832 showed the discontent of the population with high taxes and censorship.
In 1837, the Roman Catholic supported clerical movement, the Ultramontanes, came to power in the Bavarian parliament and began a campaign of change to the constitution, which removed civil rights that had earlier been granted to Protestants, as well as enforcing censorship and forbidding the free discussion of internal politics. This regime was short-lived due to the demands by the Ultramontanes for the naturalization of Ludwig I's Irish-born mistress Eliza Gilbert (better known by her stage name Lola Montez
). Ludwig resented this move and the Ultramontanes were pushed out.
In 1844 Ludwig was confronted with the Beer riots in Bavaria
.
During the revolutions of 1848
the king faced increasing protests and demonstrations by the students and the middle classes. The Cabinet turned against him. Not willing to rule as a constitutional monarch
, Ludwig abdicated on 20 March 1848 in favour of his eldest son, Maximilian
.
He died at Nice, and was buried in St. Boniface's Abbey, Munich
.
As admirer of ancient Greece and the Italian renaissance Ludwig patronized the arts as principal of many neoclassical buildings, especially in Munich
, and as fanatic collector. Among others he had built were the Walhalla temple
, the Befreiungshalle
, the Ludwigstrasse, the Bavaria statue
, the Glyptothek
, the Old
and the New Pinakothek
. His architects Leo von Klenze
and Friedrich von Gärtner
also strongly influenced the cityscape of modern Athens
. The king collected Greek and Roman sculptures, Early German and Early Dutch paintings, masterpieces of the Italian renaissance, and contemporary art for his museums and galleries. He placed special emphasis on collecting Greek and Roman sculpture. One of his most famous conceptions is the celebrated "Schönheitengalerie" (Gallery of Beauties)
, in the south pavilion of his Nymphenburg Palace
in Munich. A collection of 36 portraits of the beautiful women painted between 1827 and 1850 mostly by Joseph Karl Stieler
.
After his abdication, Ludwig remained an important and lavish sponsor for the arts. This caused several conflicts with his son and successor Maximilian. Finally Ludwig financed his projects from his own resources.
He moved the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität from Landshut
to Munich
in 1826.
Because of King Ludwig's passion for everything Hellenic
, the German name for Bavaria today is spelled "Bayern", while the language spoken there has retained its original spelling "Bairisch"—note the I versus the "Hellenic" Y.
Ludwig was an eccentric and notoriously bad poet. He would write about anything, no matter how trivial, with strings of rhyming couplets. For this the king was teased by Heinrich Heine
who wrote several mockery poems in Ludwig's style. Ironically Ludwig's Walhalla temple added Heine's bust to its collection in 2009.
Ludwig had several extramarital affairs and was one of the lovers of Lady Jane Digby
, an aristocratic English
adventuress. Ludwig also became tainted with scandals associated with Lola Montez
, another of his mistresses. It seems likely that his relationship with her contributed greatly to the fall from grace of the previously popular king.
Issue by Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
( 8 July 1792 – 26 October 1854; married on 12 October 1810 in Theresienwiese
, Munich
)
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
king of Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
.
Crown prince
Born in StrasbourgStrasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, he was the son of Count Palatine Maximilian Joseph of Zweibrücken by his first wife Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. At the time of his birth, his father was an officer in the French army stationed at Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. He was the godson and namesake
Namesake
Namesake is a term used to characterize a person, place, thing, quality, action, state, or idea that has the same, or a similar, name to another....
of Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
. On 1 April 1795 his father succeeded Ludwig's uncle, Charles II
Charles II August, Duke of Zweibrücken
Charles II/III August Christian was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1775 to 1795. He was the son of Frederick Michael of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld and Maria Franziska of Sulzbach...
, as duke of Zweibrücken
Palatinate-Zweibrücken
Palatinate-Zweibrücken is a former state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Zweibrücken.-Overview:→ History before 1394 see main article County of Zweibrücken→ History before 1444 see main article County of Veldenz...
, and on 16 February 1799 became Elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Arch-Steward of the Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, and Duke of Berg
Berg (state)
Berg was a state – originally a county, later a duchy – in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.-Ascent:...
on the extinction of the Sulzbach
Palatinate-Sulzbach
Palatinate-Sulzbach was the name of two separate states of the Holy Roman Empire located in modern Amberg-Sulzbach, Bavaria, Germany.-Palatinate-Sulzbach :...
line with the death of the elector Charles Theodore
Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria
Charles Theodore, Prince-Elector, Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria reigned as Prince-Elector and Count palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as Prince-Elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777, until his death...
. His father assumed the title of King of Bavaria
King of Bavaria
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...
on 1 January 1806.
Starting in 1803 Ludwig studied in Landshut where he was taught by Johann Michael Sailer
Johann Michael Sailer
Johann Michael Sailer was a German Jesuit professor of theology and Bishop of Ratisbon.-Biography:Sailer was born at Aresing in Upper Bavaria on 17 October 1751 as the son of a poor shoemaker. Until his tenth year he attended the primary school in his native place; after this he was a pupil in the...
and in Göttingen
Georg-August University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen , known informally as Georgia Augusta, is a university in the city of Göttingen, Germany.Founded in 1734 by King George II of Great Britain and the Elector of Hanover, it opened for classes in 1737. The University of Göttingen soon grew in size and popularity...
.
In October 1810, he married Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Therese Charlotte Luise of Saxony-Hildburghausen was a queen of Bavaria.She was a daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, eldest daughter of Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.-Biography:In 1809, she was on the list of...
(1792–1854), the daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen , was duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and duke of Saxe-Altenburg .-Biography:...
. The wedding was the occasion of the first ever Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
.
Ludwig strongly rejected the alliance of his father with Napoleon I of France
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
but in spite of his anti-French politics the crown prince had to join the emperor's wars with allied Bavarian troops in 1806. As commander of the 1st Bavarian Division in VII Corps, he served under Marshal
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
François Joseph Lefebvre
François Joseph Lefebvre
François Joseph Lefebvre, First Duc de Dantzig was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon....
in 1809. He led his division in action at the Battle of Abensberg
Battle of Abensberg
The Battle of Abensberg took place on 20 April 1809, between a Franco-German force under the command of Emperor Napoleon I of France and a reinforced Austrian corps led by Feldmarschall-Leutnant Archduke Louis of Austria. As the day wore on, Feldmarschall-Leutnant Johann von Hiller arrived with...
on 20 April. In 1817 Ludwig was involved in the fall of Prime Minister Count Max Josef von Montgelas
Maximilian von Montgelas
Maximilian Josef Garnerin, Count von Montgelas was a Bavarian statesman, from a noble family in Savoy. His father John Sigmund Garnerin, Baron Montgelas, entered the military service of Maximilian III, Elector of Bavaria, and married the Countess Ursula von Trauner...
. He succeeded his father on the throne in 1825.
Reign
An enthusiast for the German Middle Ages, Ludwig ordered the re-erection of several monasteries in Bavaria which had been closed during the German Mediatisation
German Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
. He reorganized the administrative regions of Bavaria in 1837 and re-introduced the old names Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany.- Geography :Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered around the city of Munich. It is subdivided into four regions : Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland , and Südostoberbayern...
, Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state.- Geography :Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions - Landshut and Donau-Wald. Recent election results mark it as the most conservative part of Germany, generally giving huge...
, Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
, Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
, Upper Palatinate
Upper Palatinate
The Upper Palatinate is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of Bavaria.- History :The region took its name first in the early 16th century, because it was by the Treaty of Pavia one of the main portions of the territory of the Wittelsbach Elector...
and Palatinate. He changed his royal titles to Ludwig, King of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia, Duke in Swabia and Count Palatine of the Rhine. His successors kept these titles.
Ludwig's plan to reunite the eastern part of the Palatinate with Bavaria could not be realized. The Electoral Palatinate, a former dominion of the Wittelsbach, had been split up in 1815, the eastern bank of the Rhine with Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
and Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
was given to Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
, only the western bank was granted to Bavaria. Here Ludwig founded the city of Ludwigshafen as a Bavarian rival to Mannheim.
Ludwig also encouraged Bavaria's industrialization. He initiated the Ludwig Canal
Ludwig Canal
The Ludwig Canal, also known as the Ludwig-Donau-Main-Kanal or Ludwigskanal, is an abandoned canal in Germany. It linked the Danube River at Kelheim with the Main River at Bamberg, thus connecting the Danube basin with the Rhine basin...
between the rivers Main and the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. In 1835 the first German railway was constructed in his domain, between the cities of Fürth
Fürth
The city of Fürth is located in northern Bavaria, Germany in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. It is now contiguous with the larger city of Nuremberg, the centres of the two cities being only 7 km apart....
and Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. Bavaria joined the Zollverein
Zollverein
thumb|upright=1.2|The German Zollverein 1834–1919blue = Prussia in 1834 grey= Included region until 1866yellow= Excluded after 1866red = Borders of the German Union of 1828 pink= Relevant others until 1834...
in 1834.
As a philhellene Ludwig supported the Greek fight of independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
: His second son Otto
Otto of Greece
Otto, Prince of Bavaria, then Othon, King of Greece was made the first modern King of Greece in 1832 under the Convention of London, whereby Greece became a new independent kingdom under the protection of the Great Powers .The second son of the philhellene King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Otto ascended...
was elected king of Greece in 1832. Otto's government was initially run by a three-man regency council made up of Bavarian court officials.
After the July Revolution
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
in France 1830, his previous liberal policy became more and more repressive. The Hambacher Fest
Hambacher Fest
The Hambacher Fest was a German national democratic festival—disguised as a non-political county fair—that was celebrated from 27 May to 30 May 1832 at Hambach Castle near Neustadt an der Weinstraße ....
in 1832 showed the discontent of the population with high taxes and censorship.
In 1837, the Roman Catholic supported clerical movement, the Ultramontanes, came to power in the Bavarian parliament and began a campaign of change to the constitution, which removed civil rights that had earlier been granted to Protestants, as well as enforcing censorship and forbidding the free discussion of internal politics. This regime was short-lived due to the demands by the Ultramontanes for the naturalization of Ludwig I's Irish-born mistress Eliza Gilbert (better known by her stage name Lola Montez
Lola Montez
Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld , better known by the stage name Lola Montez, was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a "Spanish dancer", courtesan and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made her Countess of Landsfeld. She used her influence to institute liberal...
). Ludwig resented this move and the Ultramontanes were pushed out.
In 1844 Ludwig was confronted with the Beer riots in Bavaria
Beer riots in Bavaria
The beer riots in Bavaria happened between 1 May and 5 May 1844 began after King Ludwig I of Bavaria decreed a tax on beer. Crowds of urban workers beat up police while the Bavarian army showed reluctance to get involved. Civil order was restored only after the King decreed a ten percent reduction...
.
During the revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
the king faced increasing protests and demonstrations by the students and the middle classes. The Cabinet turned against him. Not willing to rule as a constitutional monarch
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
, Ludwig abdicated on 20 March 1848 in favour of his eldest son, Maximilian
Maximilian II of Bavaria
Maximilian II of Bavaria was king of Bavaria from 1848 until 1864. He was son of Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.-Crown Prince:...
.
He died at Nice, and was buried in St. Boniface's Abbey, Munich
St. Boniface's Abbey, Munich
St. Boniface's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It was founded in 1835 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria, as a part of his efforts to reanimate the country's spiritual life by the restoration of the monasteries destroyed during the secularisation of the early 19th century....
.
Cultural legacy
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and as fanatic collector. Among others he had built were the Walhalla temple
Walhalla temple
The Walhalla temple is a hall of fame that honors laudable and distinguished Germans, famous personalities in German history — politicians, sovereigns, scientists and artists of the German tongue". The hall is housed in a neo-classical building above the Danube River, east of Regensburg, in...
, the Befreiungshalle
Befreiungshalle
The Befreiungshalle is a historical classical monument upon Mount Michelsberg above the city of Kelheim in Bavaria, Germany. It stands upstream of Regensburg on the river Danube at the confluence of the Danube and the Altmühl, i.e...
, the Ludwigstrasse, the Bavaria statue
Bavaria statue
Bavaria is the name given to a monumental, bronze sand-cast 19th-century statue in Munich, southern Germany. It is a female personification of the Bavarian homeland, and by extension its strength and glory....
, the Glyptothek
Glyptothek
The Glyptothek is a museum in Munich, Germany, which was commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I to house his collection of Greek and Roman sculptures . It was designed by Leo von Klenze in the Neoclassical style, and built from 1816 to 1830...
, the Old
Alte Pinakothek
The Alte Pinakothek is an art museum situated in the Kunstareal in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses one of the most famous collections of Old Master paintings...
and the New Pinakothek
Neue Pinakothek
The Neue Pinakothek is an art museum in Munich, Germany. Its focus is European Art of the 18th and 19th century and is one of the most important museums of art of the nineteenth century in the world...
. His architects Leo von Klenze
Leo von Klenze
Leo von Klenze was a German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer...
and Friedrich von Gärtner
Friedrich von Gärtner
Friedrich von Gärtner was a German architect.Gärtner and Leo von Klenze are the most well known architects of Bavaria during the reign of Ludwig I. His architecture was generally in the Romanesque style and much to the king's taste...
also strongly influenced the cityscape of modern Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. The king collected Greek and Roman sculptures, Early German and Early Dutch paintings, masterpieces of the Italian renaissance, and contemporary art for his museums and galleries. He placed special emphasis on collecting Greek and Roman sculpture. One of his most famous conceptions is the celebrated "Schönheitengalerie" (Gallery of Beauties)
Gallery of Beauties
The Gallery of Beauties is a collection of 36 portraits of the most beautiful women from the nobility and middle classes of Munich, Germany, painted between 1827 and 1850 and gathered by Ludwig I of Bavaria in the south pavilion of his Nymphenburg Palace in Munich...
, in the south pavilion of his Nymphenburg Palace
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
in Munich. A collection of 36 portraits of the beautiful women painted between 1827 and 1850 mostly by Joseph Karl Stieler
Joseph Karl Stieler
Joseph Karl Stieler was a German painter. Born in Mainz to a family of engravers and die-cutters, Stieler received some artistic training from his father, August Friedrich Stieler...
.
After his abdication, Ludwig remained an important and lavish sponsor for the arts. This caused several conflicts with his son and successor Maximilian. Finally Ludwig financed his projects from his own resources.
He moved the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität from Landshut
Landshut
Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also the seat of the...
to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in 1826.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, the German name for Bavaria today is spelled "Bayern", while the language spoken there has retained its original spelling "Bairisch"—note the I versus the "Hellenic" Y.
Ludwig was an eccentric and notoriously bad poet. He would write about anything, no matter how trivial, with strings of rhyming couplets. For this the king was teased by Heinrich Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
who wrote several mockery poems in Ludwig's style. Ironically Ludwig's Walhalla temple added Heine's bust to its collection in 2009.
Private life and issue
In private life Ludwig was, in spite of his royal assertiveness, modest and companionable and was even known for his often shabby attire. Ludwig was hard of hearing and had a birthmark on his forehead which was often concealed in portraits.Ludwig had several extramarital affairs and was one of the lovers of Lady Jane Digby
Lady Jane Digby
Jane Elizabeth Digby, Lady Ellenborough was an English aristocrat who lived a scandalous life of romantic adventure, spanning decades and two continents. She had four husbands and many lovers, including King Ludwig I of Bavaria, his son King Otto of Greece, statesman Felix Schwarzenberg, and an...
, an aristocratic English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
adventuress. Ludwig also became tainted with scandals associated with Lola Montez
Lola Montez
Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld , better known by the stage name Lola Montez, was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a "Spanish dancer", courtesan and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made her Countess of Landsfeld. She used her influence to institute liberal...
, another of his mistresses. It seems likely that his relationship with her contributed greatly to the fall from grace of the previously popular king.
Issue by Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Therese Charlotte Luise of Saxony-Hildburghausen was a queen of Bavaria.She was a daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, eldest daughter of Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.-Biography:In 1809, she was on the list of...
( 8 July 1792 – 26 October 1854; married on 12 October 1810 in Theresienwiese
Theresienwiese
Theresienwiese is an open space in the Munich borough of Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt. It serves as the official ground of the Munich Oktoberfest. A space of , it is bordered in the west by the Bavaria statue, symbolizing the State of Bavaria, and in the east by Esperantoplatz, a square named for...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
)
| Name | |Death | Maximilian Joseph Maximilian II of Bavaria Maximilian II of Bavaria was king of Bavaria from 1848 until 1864. He was son of Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.-Crown Prince:... | 28 November 1811 | 10 March 1864 | succeeded as King of Bavaria married, 1842, Princess Marie of Prussia; had issue |
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| Mathilde Karoline Friederike Wilhelmine Charlotte | 30 August 1813 | 25 August 1862 | married, 1833, Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine; no issue | ||
| Otto Friedrich Ludwig Otto of Greece Otto, Prince of Bavaria, then Othon, King of Greece was made the first modern King of Greece in 1832 under the Convention of London, whereby Greece became a new independent kingdom under the protection of the Great Powers .The second son of the philhellene King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Otto ascended... |
1 June 1815 | 26 July 1867 | become the 1st King of Greece Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece was a state established in 1832 in the Convention of London by the Great Powers... married, 1836, Duchess Amalia of Oldenburg Amalia of Oldenburg Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece was the consort of King Otto of Greece . Born the daughter of Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg and Princess Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, she married King Otto on 22 December 1836, in Oldenburg... ; no issue |
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| Theodolinde Charlotte Luise | 7 October 1816 | 12 April 1817 | died in infancy | ||
| Luitpold Karl Joseph Wilhelm Ludwig Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria , was the de facto ruler of Bavaria from 1886 to 1912, due to the incapacity of his nephews, King Ludwig II and King Otto.-Early life:... |
21 March 1821 | 12 December 1912 | Regent of Bavaria married, 1844, Archduchess Augusta of Austria-Tuscany; had issue |
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| Adelgunde Auguste Charlotte Caroline Elisabeth Amalie Marie Sophie Luise Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria was a daughter of Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. She was Duchess consort of Modena by her marriage to Francis V, Duke of Modena.-Family:... |
19 March 1823 | 28 January 1914 | married, 1843, Francis V, Duke of Modena Francis V, Duke of Modena Francesco Ferdinando Geminiano von Habsburg-Lothringen, known as Francis V of Modena , Archduke of Austria-Este, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, was Duke of Modena, Reggio, and Mirandola, Duke of Guastalla , Duke of Massa and Prince of Carrara from 1846 to 1859... ; had issue |
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| Hildegard Luise Charlotte Theresia Friederike Princess Hildegard of Bavaria Princess Hildegard of Bavaria was the seventh child and fourth daughter of Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.... |
10 June 1825 | 2 April 1864 | married, 1844, Archduke Albert of Austria, Duke of Teschen Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen Archduke Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf Dominik of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian Habsburg general. Inspector General for 36 years, he was honored with the rank of Field Marshal in the armies of Austria-Hungary and Germany .-Early life:He was the eldest son of Archduke Charles of Austria,... ; had issue |
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| Alexandra Amelie Princess Alexandra of Bavaria Princess Alexandra Amalie of Bavaria was a member of the House of Wittelsbach and devoted her life to literature.-Early life:... |
26 August 1826 | 21 September 1875 | never married; no issue | ||
| Adalbert Wilhelm Georg Ludwig Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (1828-1875) Prince Adalbert of Bavaria was the ninth child and fourth son of Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.-Marriage:... |
19 July 1828 | 21 September 1875 | married, 1856, Infanta Amalia of Spain Infanta Amelia Philippina of Spain Infanta Amalia Philippina of Spain was a member of the Spanish royal house.-Childhood:She was born in Madrid as the eleventh child and sixth daughter of Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, younger brother of King Fernando VII of Spain, and wife, Princess Luisa Carlotta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies... ; had issue |
Ancestry
Sources
- Heinz GollwitzerHeinz GollwitzerHeinz Gollwitzer was a German historian. He held the chair of Modern Political and Social History at the University of Münster.- Life :...
, Ludwig I. von Bayern. Königtum im Vormärz, Munich 1986 (²1997).
External links
- The king's portrait
- George Washington's German "Cousin" (Baron Jakob von WashingtonJakob von WashingtonBaron Jakob von Washington was a Lieutenant General in the Bavarian Army and a distant relative of US President George Washington. Born in The Hague, Netherlands, he was christened James Washington, but officially named Jacobus Washington...
-an advisor to King Ludwig I)
