The Life of King Ludwig II of Bavaria
This CC image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle
Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm was born August 24, 1845 at Nymphenburg castle. His recorded birth, however, is August 25, 1845. Born only a half hour before the 25th, the family recorded his birth as August 25th to honor his grandfather, Ludwig I who was born on the same day in 1786. Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm was originally going to be named Otto, but due to the close proximity of his birthday to his grandfather’s, the family decided to name him Ludwig (Childhood).
The Birth and Naming of the Future King
This image was taken from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor
A Harsh Upbringing
Regarding Ludwig’s youth, his mother recalled, “He was particularly fond of the Frauenkirce in Munich, loved dressing up as a nun, and enjoyed acting. He was always giving away his toys and his money.” (Blunt 12). His childhood, however, was not as luxurious as those of other princes his age. His father, Maximilian II, abused Ludwig and his younger brother, Otto on several occasions. Maximilian went as far as confiscating Ludwig’s pet tortoise because he thought his son was becoming too attached to the animal. Ludwig and Otto were forced to wake up at 5:30 in the morning, work until 8:00 PM and received little food. A majority of the boys’ days were spent with tutors. When Ludwig was nine years old, his governess Fräulein sybille Meilhaus was replaced by his first tutor, Generalmajor Theodor de la Rosée. Ludwig disliked his new tutor and therefore was reluctant to learn anything from him (Blunt).
Ludwig and his brother Otoo. This Image Was Taken From: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ludwig_and_younger_brother_Otto.jpg
The Beginning of Mental Illness
At the age of fourteen, Ludwig began to experience auditory hallucinations after witnessing his tutor, Baron Wulffen fall off a mountain. Ludwig’s mother allowed her son’s mental illness to go untreated because the court doctor said that he would grow out of the hallucinations. It was believed that from that time on, Ludwig suffered from severe mental illness that would later affect his ability to reign. The remainder of Ludwig’s teenage years were spent with tutors who prepared him for his eventual kingship (Blunt).
