Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (b.1913)
Encyclopedia
Prince Ludwig of Bavaria ( 22 June 1913 – 17 October 2008) was a member of the Bavaria
n Royal House of Wittelsbach.
, Munich
, Kingdom of Bavaria
. He was the eldest son of Prince Franz of Bavaria
and his wife Princess Isabella Antonie of Croÿ
. After graduating from the Maximilians-Gymnasium (located in Schwabing
, Munich
), Ludwig studied forestry at a university in Hungary
. In 1939, as most young German men of his age, he was drafted into the military, serving as a Gebirgsjäger
. However, his career in the German Army was short lived. In early 1941, Ludwig was relieved from all combat duties as a result of the Prinzenerlass
which prohibited members of Germany's royal houses from participating in military operations. He spent the rest of the war at Sarvar in Hungary where his family owned a castle. In 1945 his family fled Hungary and settled at Leutstetten near Starnberg
in Bavaria.
, the daughter of Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria
and Princess Antonia of Luxembourg. The civil wedding took place at Leutstetten and the religious ceremony followed a day later at Schloss Nymphenburg
in Munich
. The couple had three children:
.
Ludwig died of pneumonia at Schloss Leutstetten, 17 October 2008, aged 95.
On Wednesday, 22 October at 10:00 a.m., there was a Mass of Christian Burial in the abbey church at Andechs. After mass the body was buried in the Wittelsbach cemetery on the abbey grounds.
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n Royal House of Wittelsbach.
Early life
Prince Ludwig was born at Nymphenburg PalaceNymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
. He was the eldest son of Prince Franz of Bavaria
Prince Franz of Bavaria
Prince Franz of Bavaria was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach and a Major General in the Bavarian Army.-Early life and Military career:...
and his wife Princess Isabella Antonie of Croÿ
Princess Isabella Antonie of Croÿ
Princess Isabella Antonie Eleonore Natalie Klementine of Croÿ, full German name: Isabella Antonie Eleonore Natalie Klementine, Prinzessin von Croÿ was a Princess of Croÿ and member of the House of Croÿ by birth and a Princess of Bavaria and member of...
. After graduating from the Maximilians-Gymnasium (located in Schwabing
Schwabing
Schwabing is a borough in the northern part of Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria. It is divided into the city borough 4 and the city borough 12...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
), Ludwig studied forestry at a university in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. In 1939, as most young German men of his age, he was drafted into the military, serving as a Gebirgsjäger
Gebirgsjäger
Gebirgsjäger, in English Mountain Riflemen, is the German designation for mountain infantry. The word Jäger is the traditional German term for rifleman...
. However, his career in the German Army was short lived. In early 1941, Ludwig was relieved from all combat duties as a result of the Prinzenerlass
Prinzenerlass
Prinzenerlass was the name of a decree issued in 1940 by Adolf Hitler that prohibited all members of Germany's formerly reigning royal houses from joining or participating in any military operations in the Wehrmacht....
which prohibited members of Germany's royal houses from participating in military operations. He spent the rest of the war at Sarvar in Hungary where his family owned a castle. In 1945 his family fled Hungary and settled at Leutstetten near Starnberg
Starnberg
The city of Starnberg is in Bavaria, Germany, some 30 km south-west of Munich. It lies at the north end of Lake Starnberg, in the heart of the "Five Lakes Country", and serves as capital of the district of Starnberg...
in Bavaria.
Marriage
On 19 July 1950, Ludwig married his first cousin Princess Irmingard of BavariaPrincess Irmingard of Bavaria
Princess Irmingard of Bavaria was the daughter of Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria and his second wife, Princess Antonia of Luxembourg. She was a half-sister of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria.-Early life:...
, the daughter of Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria
Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
Rupprecht or Rupert, Crown Prince of Bavaria was the last Bavarian Crown Prince.His full title was His Royal Highness Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine...
and Princess Antonia of Luxembourg. The civil wedding took place at Leutstetten and the religious ceremony followed a day later at Schloss Nymphenburg
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. The couple had three children:
- Prince Luitpold of BavariaPrince Luitpold of Bavaria (b.1951)Prince Luitpold of Bavaria is a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach and a CEO of König Ludwig GmbH & Co. KG Schlossbrauerei Kaltenberg.-Early life:...
(born 1951) - Princess Irmingard Maria of Bavaria (1953 - 1953)
- Princess Philippa of Bavaria (1954 - 1954)
Later life
After the death of Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria in 1955, Ludwig and Irmingard moved into Schloss Leutstetten where Irmingard continued to live. Ludwig was a Grand Prior of the Bavarian Order of Saint George, a Knight of the Order of Saint Hubert, and from 1960 a Knight of the Order of the Golden FleeceOrder of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
.
Ludwig died of pneumonia at Schloss Leutstetten, 17 October 2008, aged 95.
On Wednesday, 22 October at 10:00 a.m., there was a Mass of Christian Burial in the abbey church at Andechs. After mass the body was buried in the Wittelsbach cemetery on the abbey grounds.