Known as the "Fairy Tale King," Ludwig II of Bavaria built three magnificent castles during his reign, as a way of escaping the unpleasantness of reality.
Son of King Maximilian and Marie of Prussia, Ludwig came to throne after the death of his father in 1866. His aging grandfather and namesake, Ludwig I, helped make Bavaria a cultural center of Germany. Ludwig II would further enhance this cultural idea, by building three gorgeous palaces, and playing the role of the “Fairy Tale King” to the fullest.
As a child, Ludwig II was spoiled, and often reminded of his important royal status by the adults in his life. As he grew older, Ludwig enjoyed poetry and play-acting. He and his favorite male attendants would often reenact scenes from romantic operas. Ludwig, who became his biggest patron, brought the famed composer Richard Wagner to Munich.
Ludwig never married, breaking off an engagement to his distant cousin, Sophie. It is speculated that Ludwig was a homosexual. His own writings allude to this, as he wrote of his desire to be a good and faithful Catholic conflicting with his desires for the men at his court.
As Ludwig grew older, his habits and actions became quite peculiar. He often dressed up as characters from his favorite operas, and traveled about the countryside in medieval costume. He began fantasizing he was a knight of the Holy Grail, and was on an important quest. To further his fantasies, Ludwig built three palaces that would serve as a retreat from the mundane and troublesome everyday life of being king.
His most well known castle is Neuschwanstein. Made famous as the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, Neuschwanstein is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Germany. Besides Neuschwanstein, Ludwig also built the palaces of Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. Linderhof, the smallest of the three, was the only palace to be completed before Ludwig died in 1886. Herrenchiemsee was designed as a replica of the famous French palace at Versailles. All of these elaborate palaces nearly bankrupted the royal family of Bavaria.
Despite never having a formal evaluation by any doctor, Ludwig was declared insane and deposed in favor of his Uncle, Luipold, in 1886. Shortly after he was found drowned at Lake Starnberg, along with one of the doctors who had declared him insane. The official cause of death was called suicide, by drowning.
Despite their king’s eccentric behavior, the people of Bavaria adored him. This was in large part due to the fact he did not believe he was above his own subjects. He would often stop to chat with peasants and farmers about the countryside. Every year on June 13, a ceremony is held in his honor in a small chapel at Lake Starnberg, where Ludwig died.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_II
http://www.neuschwanstein.de/english/castle/ludwig/index.htm
http://www.schlosslinderhof.de/englisch/palace/history.htm
http://www.bayern.de/English/Land_and_People/Bavarian_History/welcome2
