Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Bavaria (August 25, 1845 – June 13, 1886) was king of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. He is sometimes referred to as the Swan King in English and der Märchenkönig (the Fairy tale King) in German.

Ludwig is also often referred to as Mad King Ludwig, though the accuracy of that label has been disputed. Because Ludwig was deposed on grounds of mental illness, and died a day later under mysterious circumstances, questions of his madness remain controversial.

The most distant is the castle of Herrenchiemsee, which is situated on an island in the center of the huge Chiemsee Lake, between Munich and Salzburg - it can be seen from the A8 autobahn. Ludwig . Ludwig had become King of Bavaria at the early age of 18, and from the beginning his reign was one of contrast. On the one hand he sought to modernize his kingdom, not only through the arts, but also by the provision of rather more down to earth facilities such as schools and hospitals. There is no doubt that he was greatly loved by his people and is remembered even today with affection, especially in Oberammergau where they celebrate his birthday annually with bonfires, fireworks and parades. All this is spite of the profligacy with which he spent money on a disastrous three-week war with the Prussians and on the lavish construction of his fairy tale castles.

Although the king had paid for these extravagant pet projects out of his own funds and not the state coffers, that did not necessarily spare Bavaria from financial fallout. By 1885, the king was 14 million marks in debt, had borrowed heavily from his family, and rather than economizing, as his financial ministers advised him, he undertook new opulence and new designs without pause.

He demanded that loans be sought from all of Europe’s royalty, and remained aloof from matters of state. Feeling harassed and irritated by his ministers, he considered dismissing the entire cabinet and replacing them with fresh faces. The cabinet decided to act first.

Seeking a cause to depose Ludwig by constitutional means, the rebelling ministers decided on the rationale that he was mentally ill, and unable to rule. They asked Ludwig's uncle, Prince Luitpold, to step into the royal vacancy once Ludwig was deposed. Luitpold agreed, so long as the conspirators produced reliable proof that the king was in fact helplessly insane.

The report declared in its final sentences that the king suffered from paranoia, and concluded, “Suffering from such a disorder, freedom of action can no longer be allowed and Your Majesty is declared incapable of ruling, which incapacity will be not only for a year's duration, but for the length of Your Majesty's life." The men had never met the king, nor examined him.

In the early hours of June 12, the King was arrested and taken to a waiting carriage. He asked Dr. Gudden, "How can you declare me insane? After all, you have never seen or examined me before." Ludwig was transported to Castle Berg on the shores of Lake Starnberg, south of Munich.

The crown officially passed to Ludwig’s brother Otto, but since Otto was genuinely incapacitated by mental illness, by prearrangement the king’s uncle Luitpold was declared regent.

On June 13, around 6:00 pm, Ludwig asked Gudden to accompany him on a walk along the shore of Lake Starnberg. Gudden agreed, and told the guards not to follow them. The two men never returned. At 11:30 that night, searchers found both the king and Gudden dead, floating in the shallow water near the shore.

Ludwig's death was officially ruled a suicide by drowning, but this has been questioned. Ludwig was known to be a strong swimmer, the water was less than waist-deep where his body was found, and the official autopsy report indicated that no water was found in his lungs. Ludwig had expressed suicidal feelings during the crisis, but the suicide theory does not fully explain Gudden's death.

Most historians believe that Ludwig was deeply peculiar and irresponsible, but the question of clinical insanity remains unresolved. His cousin Empress Elisabeth held that "The King was not mad; he was just an eccentric living in a world of dreams. They might have treated him more gently, and thus perhaps spared him so terrible an end."

King Ludwig’s uncle Luitpold maintained the regency until his own death in 1912 at the age of 91. He was succeeded as regent by his eldest son, also named Ludwig. The regency lasted for 13 months until November 1913, when the new regent declared the regency at an end, deposed the still-living but still-institutionalized King Otto, and declared himself King Ludwig III of Bavaria. His reign lasted until the end of the First World War, when monarchy in all of Germany came to an end.

Today visitors pay tribute to King Ludwig by visiting his grave as well as his castles. Ironically, the very castles which were said to be causing the king’s financial ruin have today become extremely profitable tourist attractions for the Bavarian state. The palaces have paid for themselves many times over and attract millions of tourists from all over the world to Germany each year.

Remember this remarkable Passion Play event only occurs once every decade, and we certainly hope you join us and travel to Oberammergau for the Passion Play 2010. If you have any questions, Wilcox World Travel and Tours / American Express is happy to assist you with any of your travel needs. Call today Toll Free: (800) 294-5269