GRAIL KING- KING LUDWIG II
King Ludwig II.
King of Bavaria 1864 - 1886, * 25. 8. 1845 Nymphenburg,
13. 6. 1886 in Lake Starnberg.
The young king
In 1864 Ludwig II acceded to the throne at the age of 18 without any experience of life or politics, but adored by women. Looking back in 1873, he described it thus:
I became king much too early. I had not learned enough. I had made such a good beginning … with the learning of state laws. Suddenly I was snatched away from my books and set on the throne. Well, I am still trying to learn…
In 1866 Ludwig II suffered the biggest defeat of his life: in1866, the expanding state of Prussia conquered Austria and Bavaria in the German War. From then on, Bavaria’s foreign policy was dictated by Prussia and the king was only a vassal of his Prussian uncle.
Wagner
Crown Prince Ludwig was already fascinated by the music dramas and writings of Richard Wagner. He wanted to bring the composer to Munich as soon as he became king, and realize his dream of an opera festival. In 1864 he summoned Wagner to him and thus rescued him from a serious financial crisis.
… Today I was brought to him He is unfortunately so beautiful and wise, soulful and lordly, that I fear his life must fade away like a divine dream in this base world… You cannot imagine the magic of his regard: if he remains alive it will be a great miracle wrote the composer after his first meeting.
Grail King
Ludwig II increasingly identified himself with Parzival, the legendary medieval figure who became Grail King through his purity and faith and thereby redeemed his sin-laden uncle. The inner battle for freedom from sin and purity is distressingly evident in the diaries of the extremely pious king. This particular legend is the subject of Richard Wagner’s last work Parsifal which he began in 1877. Wagner and his circle privately referred to the king as Parsifal and his problems were incorporated into the drama of the Grail. Neuschwanstein, originally a monument to the minnesingers of medieval times, was reinterpreted as the Castle of the Holy Grail and the Throne Room was redesigned as the Hall of the Holy Grail - dedicated to the mystery of salvation for the world.
Fantasy world
Ludwig II was possessed by the idea of a holy kingdom by the Grace of God. In reality he was a constitutional monarch, a head of state with rights and duties and little freedom of action. For this reason he built a fantasy world around him in which - far removed from reality - he could feel he was a real king. From 1875 on he lived at night and slept during the day.
Idealized designs by scene painters for a New Hohenschwangau Castlehigh above the tranquil Hohenschwangau of Ludwig II’s father, a Byzantine Palace and a copy of Versailles were already in existence by 1868. From the beginning, Ludwig’s fantasy world embraced several different epochs. The New Castle(subsequently Neuschwanstein), was based on Christian kingship in the Middle Ages, and the new Versailles, built from 1878 on the Herreninsel, recalls the baroque absolutism of the Bourbon King of France. Linderhof in the Graswangtal, built from 1869, imitates a variety of styles, with the help of the latest technology.
The recluse
The ideal monarchical poetic solitude which the king chose for himself was not in the long run compatible with his duties as a head of state. The new settings he was constantly devising for himself were equally beyond the private means of a king. Ludwig failed through his desire to anchor his illusions and dreams in reality.
From 1885 on foreign banks threatened to seize his property. The king’s refusal to react rationally led the government to declare him insane and depose him in 1886 - a procedure not provided for in the Bavarian constitution. Ludwig II was interned in Berg Palace. The next day he died in mysterious circumstances in Lake Starnberg, together with the psychiatrist who had certified him as insane.
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