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“Mad” King Ludwig II and his Mysterious Death

Ludwig II became king of Bavaria, in 1864. During his reign, Ludwig II was obsessed with lavish surroundings and little else. He spent all of his personal funds on the construction of fairy tale castles. These fantastically beautiful castles pictured above are Linderhof Palace, Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, and Herrenchiemsee Palace and remain extremely popular tourist attractions in Germany. The Hall of Mirrors in Herrenchiemsee was illuminated with the light of more than 1800 candles.

He was painfully shy, and ill-equipped for his duties as king. He spent hardly any time governing his people, and had a strong aversion to public appearances.

In 1866, Ludwig was accused of being insane. Whether his eccentric behaviors were caused by insanity is unknown. The man who declared him mentally ill had never examined him. He was deposed on the grounds of insanity at the request of his uncle, who may have wanted control of the government. The day after the king’s deposition, he was found dead in a pond, along with the very doctor who had deemed him insane. At first the deaths were deemed suicides, but many believe that Ludwig and his doctor were murdered. There is still talk of exhuming the graves for an autopsies. Should this come to fruition, the fate of the “mad” king and his doctor may finally be solved.

Linderhof Palace

Neuschwanstein Castle

Hohenschwangau Castle

Herrenchiemsee Palace