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Did Luitpold of Bavaria eliminate his nephews to take the Bavarian throne?
King Maximilian II of Bavaria and his wife, Marie of Prussia, had two physically healthy sons: Ludwig and Otto. The succession of the Bavarian throne looked secure. However, while both of these boys would be kings, their reigns would be short and fraught with arguments over the boys’ capacity to rule.
Maximilian and Marie were not great parents. Not unusual for their time, they left the rearing of their sons to servants. Unusual for the time, they took almost no interest in the boys personally. They apparently had difficulty communicating with their sons and instead remained aloof from their children. Marie’s only interest in her sons was their appearance. She ensured that Ludwig was always dressed in red while Otto was always dressed in blue. Ludwig supposedly called his mother “his predecessor’s consort,” indicating the distant relationship he had with both of his parents. Ludwig was close with his grandfather, King Ludwig I and Otto was left to his own devices.
When Ludwig ascended the throne, his good looks and youth made him popular with his subjects. However, he was not well equipped to actually rule. Ludwig was far more interested in artistic pursuits, idolizing the composer Richard Wagner. He was very introverted and shunned…
