King Ludwig III of Bavaria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Kingdom of Bavaria: The House of Wittelsbach ruled as Dukes, Electors, and Kings of Bavaria from 1180 until 1918. Today Bavaria is a landlocked federal state of Germany, occupying its southeastern corner.  Maximilian IV Joseph, Prince-Elector of Bavaria allied his electorate with Napoleon and adopted many of the French beliefs of the Enlightenment. It was this loyal service to Napoleon through which Maximilian’s electorate was created the Kingdom of Bavaria with Maximilian at its king. He officially became the Maximilian I Joseph, the first King of Bavaria on January 1, 1806. On November 13, 1918, King Ludwig III would be the first monarch in the German Empire to be deposed at the end of World War I, bringing an end to 738 years of rule by the Wittelsbach dynasty.

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source: Wikipedia

King Ludwig III of Bavaria

King Ludwig III was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from November 1913 until November 1918. He was born Prince Ludwig Luitpold Josef Maria Aloys Alfried on January 7, 1845, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany, the eldest son of Prince Luitpold of Bavaria and Archduchess Augusta of Austria. He had three younger siblings:

Just hours after birth, he was baptized in the throne room of the Munich Residenz, where he was named after his grandfather, the reigning King Ludwig I. At the time, he was fifth in the line of succession, with little expectation of him ever taking the throne. Three years later, his grandfather abdicated, and his uncle took the throne as King Maximilian II.

Ludwig, c1860. source: Wikipedia

Ludwig was raised at the Munich Residenz and the Wittelsbacher Palais, both in Munich before moving to Palais Leuchtenberg, also in Munich, in 1855. Palais Leuchtenberg was the former home of Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg, and his wife (and Luitpold’s aunt), Princess Augusta of Bavaria. Luitpold purchased the palace in 1852, after Augusta’s death. He was educated privately at home by a series of tutors, before entering the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1864, studying law, economics, history, and philosophy. He also began a military career in 1861, being commissioned as a Lieutenant in the infantry.

In 1866, Ludwig served as a military aide to his father during the war against Prussia and was injured at the Battle of Helmstedt, sustaining a gunshot wound in his leg. The following year, while in Vienna for the funeral of his cousin, Archduchess Mathilda of Austria, Ludwig met his future wife, Archduchess Maria Theresia of Austria-Este. She was the daughter of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria. After a brief courtship, Ludwig and Maria Theresia married on February 20, 1868, at the Augustinerkirche in Vienna, Austria, adjacent to the Hofburg Palace.

Over the next 23 years, Ludwig and Maria Theresia had thirteen children:

Some of Ludwig’s children circa 1909. source: Wikipedia

In 1886, his father became Prince Regent after King Ludwig II was declared mentally incompetent. Just days later, the King died mysteriously and was succeeded by his brother, King Otto. However, Otto was also mentally ill, and the Regency continued. Upon his father’s death on December 12, 1912, Ludwig succeeded him as Prince Regent for his cousin, King Otto. Less than a year later, the Bavarian Parliament passed legislation allowing the Regent to assume the throne himself, provided that the regency was for reasons of incapacity, had lasted more than ten years, and there was no prospect of the Sovereign being able to reign. So on November 5, 1913, with overwhelming support from the parliament, Ludwig deposed his cousin and assumed the Bavarian throne as King Ludwig III.

Enthronement of King Ludwig III, 1913. source: Wikipedia

His reign would be brief, as World War I saw the end of the German Empire and numerous other monarchies in Europe. As the war was drawing to a close, the German Revolution broke out in Bavaria. Ludwig fled Munich with his family, taking up residence at Anif Palace near Salzburg, Austria, thinking it would just be a temporary move. A week later, on November 13, 1918, King Ludwig III would be the first monarch in the German Empire to be deposed, bringing an end to 738 years of rule by the Wittelsbach dynasty.

He returned to Bavaria, living at Wildenwart Castle, where his wife died three months later. Fearing that his life was in danger, he soon left the country, traveling to Hungary, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. He returned to Wildenwart Castle in April 1920 and remained until the following autumn, when he traveled to his castle Nádasdy in Sárvár, Hungary.

Tomb of King Ludwig III. photo © Susan Flantzer

Tomb of King Ludwig III. photo © Susan Flantzer

King Ludwig III died at Nádasdy Castle in Sárvár, Hungary, on October 18, 1921. His body was brought to Wildenwart Castle where his wife was buried, and then both of their remains were brought to the Ludwigskirche in Munich where a state funeral was held. They were then buried in the crypt of the Frauenkirche in Munich. In keeping with tradition, his heart was entombed separately, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting.

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