Wagner trained Ludwig's brother Prince Paul von Thurn und Taxis in his opera Lohengrin, performed for the king's 20th birthday in Aug 1865 in Hohenschwangau. The opera was well staged with Prince Paul dressed as the hero Lohengrin in silver armour, drawn over the lake by an artificial swan. The King sat alone, enraptured with the music.
King Ludwig was possessed by the idea of a holy kingdom by the Grace of God. Yet he had only two passions in life: castle building and Richard Wagner's (1813-83) music. He financed almost all the older composer's projects, had Wagner stay in his castles and bailed Wagner out when he was in debt. When Wagner was forced to leave Munich for Switzerland, Ludwig retired heartbroken to Hohenschwangau.
Originally the king had intended to surround his kingdom with five castles. The first was Castle Neuschwanstein, started in 1869 on top of a craggy, isolated mountain. The rooms that were finished had Wagner’s operatic themes in their wall decoration. The great Singer's Hall, where private performances were held at huge costs, had heroic scenes from Lohengrin and Parsifal.
Munich, 1863
The second was Linderhof Castle, west of Oberammergau, a palace that was also completed. Isolated among the quiet rural landscape, Linderhof contained only ten rooms, mostly servants’ bed rooms and waiting rooms.
By 1885, Bavarian Cabinet saw that Ludwig's castle-building was continuing unabated. By then the King had 3 very expensive projects well under way. Although Ludwig paid for the castles and private performances out of his own pocket, it was still diverting his focus away from the affairs of state. And he refused to meet his government ministers.
Neuschwanstein Castle
Seven weeks after King Ludwig's death in 1886, the castle was opened to the public.
King Vs the Bavarian Cabinet.
In 1886 Ludwig was warned of danger by a servant and ordered the local police to protect him, which they did. Ludwig feared he might have been declared insane by psychiatrists and deposed. So to protect himself, he investigated the possibility of HIS ousting the Cabinet instead.
Cabinet got wind of Ludwig’s plan and had to strike first, to get rid of their unwanted King. So three eminent psychiatrists (who had never actually met the king) ruled that the king was permanently insane and Ludwig was declared unfit to rule. The king had the support of his Bavarian people, but that couldn’t protect him against a rabid Cabinet. When the king did decide to escape, it was too late.
Did Cabinet want to depose the reclusive Ludwig because he was squandering fortunes on bizarre building projects and driving his kingdom to ruin? Or because he was insane? In June 1886, psychiatrist Dr Bernhard von Gudden diagnosed him as having paranoia-schizophrenia; officials arrived to place the king under arrest. He was imprisoned in Castle Berg near Munich where it was officially announced that his brother Prince Otto was to rule as permanent Regent.
The Bavarian government's official version was that it was forced to depose the reclusive Ludwig because he was squandering vast sums of money on his castles and driving Baravaria to ruination. Because his psychiatrist had diagnosed him as suffering from paranoia, they said, the ex-King must have reacted to losing his crown by drowning himself in a fit of paranoid anger.
The drowning theory sounded ridiculous to the many who knew the king. Firstly Ludwig II was a very good swimmer. Secondly the lake was too shallow to drown. Thirdly in his original autopsy, there was no water found in Ludwig's lungs.
Modern Evidence
Now, c130 years after the king's death, new details have emerged. In a sworn affidavit, a 60-year-old Munich banker called Detlev Utermöhle recalled a scene from childhood. He and his mother were invited for afternoon tea by a Countess Josephine von Wrba-Kaunitz, who looked after some of the Wittelsbach family's assets. The countess said "Now you will find out the truth about Ludwig's death without his family knowing. I will show you all the coat he wore on the day he died." The countess opened a chest and pulled out a grey Loden coat. Utermöhle saw two bullet holes in its back and saw his late mother’s written account.
Unfortunately for Mr Utermöhle, the king's coat was lost after a fire at Countess Wrba-Kaunitz's home in 1973 in which both she and her husband perished.
And there was evidence from Siegfried Wichmann, a Bavarian historian of C19th art who published an unknown photograph of the king's post-mortem portrait. The portrait showed blood oozing from Ludwig's mouth from the lungs, and not from drowning.
The details are convincing enough to increase calls for the House of Wittelsbach, King Ludwig's family, to allow his body to be exhumed from its tomb in St Michael's Church in Munich. Swiss scientists could scientifically examine the corpse by giving it a CT/computer tomography. While the procedure would not touch the body, it would show any gunshot wounds. But over the many decades since, no medical reports were ever re-opened for experts to analyse. The disbelief continues.
Did Cabinet want to depose the reclusive Ludwig because he was squandering fortunes on bizarre building projects and driving his kingdom to ruin? Or because he was insane? In June 1886, psychiatrist Dr Bernhard von Gudden diagnosed him as having paranoia-schizophrenia; officials arrived to place the king under arrest. He was imprisoned in Castle Berg near Munich where it was officially announced that his brother Prince Otto was to rule as permanent Regent.
Three days later Ludwig II asked his psychiatrist to walk to the local Munich lake with him; the two men were never seen alive again. Their bodies were found floating in the shallow lake waters. Given that Ludwig was doing everything he could to get his crown back, did anyone believe this devout young (41) Catholic king murdered the von Gudden and committed suicide himself? Or was it a double murder by a stranger? or perhaps a double accidental drowning?
Ex-king Ludwig and psychiatrist Dr Bernhard von Gudden
walk around the Munich lake
walk around the Munich lake
The Bavarian government's official version was that it was forced to depose the reclusive Ludwig because he was squandering vast sums of money on his castles and driving Baravaria to ruination. Because his psychiatrist had diagnosed him as suffering from paranoia, they said, the ex-King must have reacted to losing his crown by drowning himself in a fit of paranoid anger.
The drowning theory sounded ridiculous to the many who knew the king. Firstly Ludwig II was a very good swimmer. Secondly the lake was too shallow to drown. Thirdly in his original autopsy, there was no water found in Ludwig's lungs.
Modern Evidence
Now, c130 years after the king's death, new details have emerged. In a sworn affidavit, a 60-year-old Munich banker called Detlev Utermöhle recalled a scene from childhood. He and his mother were invited for afternoon tea by a Countess Josephine von Wrba-Kaunitz, who looked after some of the Wittelsbach family's assets. The countess said "Now you will find out the truth about Ludwig's death without his family knowing. I will show you all the coat he wore on the day he died." The countess opened a chest and pulled out a grey Loden coat. Utermöhle saw two bullet holes in its back and saw his late mother’s written account.
Ex-King Ludwig lies in state
1886
Additionally Jakob Lidl, the king's personal fisherman, left notes concerning the death of King Ludwig II. He was hiding in the bushes when a boat arrived to rescue the king. Shots suddenly rang out from the shore, from assassins hired by the Bavarian government to kill the king. Lidl said that Dr Von Gudden was shot as a witness. This I can believe!
1886
Additionally Jakob Lidl, the king's personal fisherman, left notes concerning the death of King Ludwig II. He was hiding in the bushes when a boat arrived to rescue the king. Shots suddenly rang out from the shore, from assassins hired by the Bavarian government to kill the king. Lidl said that Dr Von Gudden was shot as a witness. This I can believe!
Unfortunately for Mr Utermöhle, the king's coat was lost after a fire at Countess Wrba-Kaunitz's home in 1973 in which both she and her husband perished.
And there was evidence from Siegfried Wichmann, a Bavarian historian of C19th art who published an unknown photograph of the king's post-mortem portrait. The portrait showed blood oozing from Ludwig's mouth from the lungs, and not from drowning.
The details are convincing enough to increase calls for the House of Wittelsbach, King Ludwig's family, to allow his body to be exhumed from its tomb in St Michael's Church in Munich. Swiss scientists could scientifically examine the corpse by giving it a CT/computer tomography. While the procedure would not touch the body, it would show any gunshot wounds. But over the many decades since, no medical reports were ever re-opened for experts to analyse. The disbelief continues.
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19 comments:
I suppose nothing would be changed by knowing either way how he died, but it would be interesting. But should a body be exhumed just because it is interesting. Perhaps not.
Hi Hels - he certainly was a strange and lonely man ... sad for his unfortunate demise ... interesting post - thanks ... cheers Hilary
Andrew
let me make a comparison.
How do you know when Trump is lying? When his mouth moves!
Exactly the same could be said for the Bavarian politicians.
Hilary
When the teenage Ludwig took the Bavarian throne in 1864, he was very ambitious. He wanted to preserve Bavarian independence, create strong ties with Prussia and Austria, and create a cultural renaissance based on Wagner. But as his mental instability increased, so did his fear of allowing anyone to see him, including his fiancee (he was briefly engaged) or his butler.
I would also say his passion for Wagner bordered on the obsessive.
Wagner was not a very fine person. What a shame that Ludwig tied himself to that particular man's coat tails.
Hello Hels, The Borgias, Romans, and Chinese, among many others, have shown possible courses of action when someone is in the political way. So it is not much of a surprise what happened to King Ludwig. About his connection to Wagner, I agree with Joseph, although I doubt that this in itself disturbed Ludwig's enemies too much.
--Jim
Joseph
years ago I wrote that Ludwig listen passsionately to Wagner's music, financed almost all the composer's projects, had Wagner stay in his castles as often as possible, bailed Wagner out when he was in debt and wrote hundreds of love letters to him. But did Wagner ever thank the king for his limitless patronage? Apparently not.
Ludwig requested the presence of the conductor and piano virtuoso Hans von Bülow and his wife Cosima, to help Wagner in all his musical activities. Alas Cosima and Wagner fell in love and their relationship forced them to leave Munich for Switzerland :( Ludwig retired to the castle Hohenschwangau and was suicidal. When Ludwig forced Wagner to turn over the scores of Siegfried and Die Walküre and produced them himself, the two men parted forever.
Parnassus
nod. Kings and queens have always faced the risk of execution, in war and in civilian life, after a trial or illegally. Even in more modern times, we only have to think of Henry III of France, King Henry IV of France, King Charles I etc.
But King Ludwig was different. The parliament could have asked his brother to act as Ludwig's regent, sent the king into exile or got him certified by psychiatrists as mentally incapable of ruling. Killing the young man (and his psychiatrist) was appalling.
tushar
no advertising please.
Wonderful article. I lived in Munich for a year long ago and visited most of the Royal palaces. When I was back in 2015 the assassination theory was very openly discussed by several of us on the train back from Neuschwanstein. The conclusion we came to was that the Bavarian Ministers had him killed because who wants an ex-King around mucking up the works. Divided loyalty and all that, like the English exiling Edward VIII. Thank you for an interesting read.
Calvin
perfect timing. How many people would be discussing Ludwig's assassination on a train in Bavaria? We are soul mates :)
King Edward VIII felt forced to abdicate because the Church and Parliament would not accept a multiply married, multiply divorced foreigner as Queen. But I think the core reason was because once married, Edward and Wallis toured Germany just before WW2 and indulged their strongly held Nazi sympathies.
Now where does Lola Montez fit in to this picture . I was under the impression that the King had a thing fro her as well and spent large amounts of money on her . Maybe I have my wires crossed. ?
mem
Right family, wrong generation. King Ludwig I of Bavaria rooted anything with a pulse. So he was a perfect match for the very lovely Lola Montez. It only fell apart when, in 1848, revolutions threatened, Ludwig I abdicated and Lola Montez went into exile.
Ludwig I's grandson Ludwig II took the throne in 1864, but the young man wouldn't have been interested in a mistress, even if she was brought to him on a tray.
mm but the streak of eccentricity seems to have carried on !!
Fascinating history, I had not heard of this before. But...
It seems quite familiar in many ways to other stories of power struggles over the eras.
Fked to America. Like operation paper clip but decades earlier and sldo like that operation they actually were running they entire thing.
Anonymous
Do you have a primary source you could refer to? Many readers would want it to be in English, I believe.
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