Chapter XLII: Conclusion

On the evening of Whitmonday the body of Ludwig II. was conveyed to Munich.

The hearse, which was drawn by four horses and was accompanied by his servants and by priests, arrived at the capital at half-past three in the morning. Great numbers of country people followed his coffin weeping. Nobody believed he had been mad, but that an innocent man had been persecuted. In the hearts of all there lived the memory of the beloved King, who had promised so much, whose peculiarities they had condoned, and who, despite all, had continued to be the pride of the Bavarians.

The news of his tragic end shocked the whole of Germany. His capital, where he had so seldom resided, mourned him deeply and sincerely; and in the country districts there was hardly a hut where his picture was not wreathed with crape. The dead King lay in state on a high catafalque, dressed in the knightly robes of the order of St Hubert, with its golden band round his neck, and the sword of iron resting on his left arm. On his breast lay flowers, brought by the Empress Elizabeth. Thousands of all grades of society pressed into the little chapel to bid him a last farewell. Sorrow was written on all faces; sympathy found expression on all lips. The lonely eccentric had found peace at last.

Queen Marie's strength had been broken by sorrow; she outlived her eldest son by only two years. "Bavaria's unhappiest mother" expired on the 17th of May, 1889, at Hohenschwangau, where she had lived the full and happy years of her youth. With the words: "God save Bavaria, God save Prussia!" she drew her last sigh.

The Duchesse d'Alençon was visiting her parents at Possenhofen, when her former betrothed found his death in the neighbouring lake of Starnberg. The news of it so greatly shocked her that she temporarily lost her reason.

Ludwig's deposition and violent death called forth stormy debates in the Bavarian Chamber. In order to convince the world that his treatment had been justified, the Ministry revealed without mercy the development of his disease; and eminent alienists were unanimous in their declaration that for several years his mind had been clouded.

But to this day there are many among his people who do not believe it.

Bavaria has not forgotten King Ludwig, and the traits of geniality and kindness, by which he won all, are still spoken of with love. In those parts where he mostly resided the remembrance of the "romanticist on the throne" dwells fresh and warm in the hearts of the people.

The sources made use of in the writing of this book are as follows:--

Professor Dr C. Beyer: "Ludwig II., König von Bayern (Ein characterbild)."

Brachvogel: "Ludwig II., König von Bayern."

I. L. Craemer: "König Ludwig und Richard Wagner."

Craemer: "Die bayerrischen Königsschlösser im Wort und Bild."

Das Ministerium Lutz und seine Gegner.

Dr Franz Karl: "Der Character Ludwig II."

Dr Karl von Heigel: "König Ludwig II. von Bayern. Ein Beitrag zu seiner Lebensgeschichte."

Louise von Kobell: "König Ludwig II. von Bayern und die Kunst."

Louise von Kobell: "Unter den vier ersten Königen Bayerns."

Friedrich Lampart: "Ludwig II., König von Bayern."

Graser: "Die letzen Tage Ludwig II."

Dr F. C. Müller: "Die letzen Tage König Ludwig II."

Otto Gerold: "Die letzen Tage König Ludwig II."

Sailer: "Die Bau und Kunstdenkmäler Ludwig II."

Dr Hans Reidelbach: "Characterzüge und Anekdoten aus dem Leben der bayrischn Könige."

I. von Türk: "Die Königen-Mutter Marie von Bayern."

Zeiller: "Enthüllungen über die Sektion und die Todesart König Ludwig II."

Dr W. W. Ireland: "The Blot upon the Brain," "Studies in History and Psychology," etc. etc.

The book rests furthermore upon personal reminiscences from a visit of length to Munich, and on verbal information from German friends who spent their summers in Hohenschwangau in the 'Seventies and 'Eighties.

THE RIVERSIDE PRESS LIMITED, EDINBURGH.

NOTES

[1] Otto was born on the 27th of April 1848. He is the present bearer of the title of King of Bavaria.

[2] According to tradition, a knight by the name of Schwangau was the original builder of the castle. Another account, which is probably quite as near the truth, connects the name of Hohenschwangau with the legend of the Knights of the Swan.

[3] The Archduchess Maria married some years later the second son of Queen Victoria, Prince Alfred, later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

[4] In a dedication of the pianoforte score of Die Walküre (July 1864).

[5] Semper some years afterwards made use of the same plan, though somewhat reduced in scale, when he built the Richard Wagner Theatre in Bayreuth.

[6] Ludwig II. and Richard Wagner continually exchanged letters. They are written in an exceedingly warm and exalted tone, but turn chiefly on musical subjects. Only a very small number of them are accessible to the public. After the death of the King the Bavarian Government and Wagner's heirs agreed that Ludwig's letters should be given up to the Bavarian Government, which now preserves them under lock and key. Wagner's letters, on the other hand, were sent back to his relations.

The periodical, Die Wage, published in its second year several interesting letters from Ludwig to his friend which are affirmed to be absolutely authentic, and which I have cited in part as above.

[7] In a letter, dated 5th May, to Herr Uhl, the editor of the Wiener Botschafter.

[8] Frau Herwegh in the Gegenwart, 1897.

[9] In the Progrès de Lyon.

[10] Frau Louise von Kobell says, in her reminiscences, that infatuation went so far that several ladies lost their reason, although the King had not given them the slightest ground to suppose that their feelings were reciprocated.

[11] Elizabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary.

[12] Maria, Queen of Naples.

[13] "Otto, Freiherr von Völderndorff: Vom Reichskanzler, Fürsten von Hohenlohe" (Munich 1902).

[14] The grandson of King Louis Philippe of France, and eldest son of the Duc de Nemours and Victoria, née Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

[15] The present Queen-mother of Holland.

[16] In the first rank of these was, as is well known, Elizabeth of Austria-Hungary.

[17] The following may be mentioned as a characteristic example of this feeling:--The north German poet, Emanuel Geibel, was summoned by Maximilian I. to the Bavarian court. He had been appointed to the chair of literature, history, and poetry at the University of Munich, and the King had granted him a yearly pension. At the time here mentioned he was staying in his native town of Lubeck. King Wilhelm of Prussia came on a visit to the town, and Geibel welcomed him with the following verse:--

"Und sei's als letzter Wunsch gesprochen,
Dass noch dereinst dein Auge sieht,
Wie über's Reich ununterbrochen
Vom Fels zum Meer dein Adler zieht."

This lyrical outburst gave great offence to the "national" party in Bavaria, and was construed as expressing the poet's own opinion that Prussia ought to subjugate the former country, which, of course, was not his meaning.

So strong was the feeling on this matter, that Ludwig felt himself constrained to withdraw the pension which his father had granted Geibel. But this withdrawal aroused displeasure in North Germany, and the King of Prussia granted him a similar pension in compensation.

In annoyance at the insult offered his colleague and friend, Paul Heyse voluntarily gave up the pension which he had hitherto received from the King of Bavaria.

[18] Professor Dr C. Beyer, who mentions this correspondence, adds that it came into the Monarch's hands through indiscretion; also that he caused the letters to be copied, after which the originals were put back in their place ("Ludwig II., König von Bayern. Ein characterbild").

[19] Count "Holnstein aus Bayern" used the Bavarian arms with a bar sinister in his signet ring, which would intimate that he was the illegitimate descendant of a Duke of Bavaria. He was also connected with the ducal court of Possenhofen; and he has been mentioned as the object of the Duchess Sophie's first love.

He was married to a granddaughter of Prince Karl of Bavaria and the latter's morganatic wife, Countess Bayersdorff.

[20] Louise von Kobell: "König Ludwig II. und Fürst Bismarck im Jahre 1870."

[21] Bismarck's "Gedanken und Erinnerungen," v. ii., and "Kaiser Friedrich in Versailles," (Erinnerungen eines Diplomaten).

[22] Louise von Kobell, "König Ludwig II. und Fürst Bismarck im Jahre 1870."

[23] Professor Dr. Otto J. W. Richter, "Kaiser Friedrich III."

[24] The Emperor "Ludwig der Bayrer" enfeoffed in 1323 his son Mark Brandenburg. Brandenburg remained under the sway of the Wittelsbachs until 1373, when Otto V. ceded it to the Emperor Karl IV. Bismarck mentions in his "Gedanken und Erinnerungen" the particular favour shown to his ancestors by the Bavarian dynasty.

[25] The so-called Bavarian clause.

[26] Frau Louise von Kobell, from whose memoirs I have taken these details.

[27] Louise von Kobell, "Unter den vier ersten Königen Bayerns" (vol. ii. pp. 158, 159).

[28] The eldest daughter of Franz Josef and the Empress Elizabeth. She is married to King Ludwig's cousin.

[29] Ludwig's trusted Minister, Prince Hohenlohe, also regarded it as a duty to step in against the dogma of Papal Infallibility, inviting in a circular all the German Governments to protest against it. They did not, however, agree to his proposal.

[30] Among other pieces which were performed privately in 1872 were: Comtesse du Barry, Le Comte de Saint Germain, Un Ministre sous Louis XV.

From 1872-77 not a single opera was performed privately; but in 1878 he heard Verdi's Aïda, with Wagner's Siegfrid-idyl as the introduction. In 1879 he caused Der Ring des Niebelungen to be performed four times in succession. In 1880 he heard Wagner's Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, and Verdi's Aïda. In 1881 Gluck's Iphegenie auf Tauris, Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, and Weber's Oberon. In 1882 Gluck's Armida, Wagner's Tannhäuser, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Lohengrin, and Meyerbeer's Huguenots. In 1883 Der Ring des Niebelungen, Der Fliegende Holländer. In 1884 Tristan und Isolde, and six times Parsifal. Besides this were given at his command Die Stumme von Portici, by Auber, and again Gluck's Armida. In 1885, in the month of April, he heard Parsifal three times. Of plays he saw this year Schiller's Wilhelm Tell, Sardou's Theodora, Brachvogel's Narcisz, and several pieces by Carl von Heigel, a gifted Bavarian writer who for a number of years wrote and adapted dramatic works for the King's private performances.

[31] Kainz was born in Hungary. He had appeared in Leipzig and Meiningen before he came to Munich.

[32] Ludwig made few journeys; he was three times in Switzerland, three times in Paris, also at Versailles and Rheims. On one occasion he visited Wartburg. At a later date it was his intention to go by way of Reichenhall and Saltzburg to Vienna, in order to visit the Emperor and Empress of Austria; but he turned back at Salzburg. The greater number of his journeys within the limits of Bavaria were to Berg, Linderhof Chiemsee, and Neuschwanstein.

[33] Osterholzer was later forced to declare publicly that Holnstein had not said this; but nobody believed in the compulsory retraction.

[34] To the Editor Memminger.

[35] It was almost immediately suppressed, but was printed in the Bamberger Journal.

[36] On his arrival at Munich, Count Dürckheim was arrested, and charged with high treason. As no proofs were forthcoming against him he was later set free. He was long in disfavour with the new powers, who among other things refused his earnest prayer to be allowed to see King Ludwig after death. Count Alfred Dürckheim is now a general.

[37] When, after the King's death, Weber proved to be in possession of his diamond clasp, it was thought at first that he had come by it dishonestly. The writing, however, by which he had engaged himself not to give it up except on payment of 25,000 marks convinced the authorities that they had been mistaken. As the diamonds constituted a part of the Crown jewels, Weber had, nevertheless, to return them. As far as is known he received a small sum of money in return for them, as it was desired that the King's last gift should be respected.