Luitpold Karl Joseph Wilhelm Prinzregent von Bayern
(12.03.1821 - 12.12.1912)
place of birth: Würzburg,
Königreich Bayern: Seine
Hoheit, Prinzregent von
Luitpold von Wittelsbach was the younger brother of
Maximilian II. King of Bavaria, who in 1864 died and passed the throne
to his supposed mentally ill son Ludwig II. A deft leader and
high-ranking general officer in the Bavarian Army, Luitpold took over
from Ludwig II. in 1886 when it became apparent to some in Bavaria that
the "Fairly Tale King" could no longer effectively reign.
Having joined the Army in 1835 at the age of 14, young Luitpold was soon
promoted to Captain of Artillery. He pursued his military profession
with vigor and commanded an infantry division during the Austro-Prussian
War of 1866.
By 1869, Luitpold was functioning as Inspector General of the
Royal Bavarian Army, and then represented his kingdom during the Franco-Prussian
War of 1870-71 as part of Helmuth von Moltke's German General
Staff. King Ludwig II. was not in favor of Bavaria subordinating
itself to the Prussians and thus send Luitpold to Versailles in 1871
when the victorious Germans installed Wilhelm I. as emperor of the
newly established German Empire. After the war, Ludwig II. promoted his
uncle Luitpold to Generalfeldzeugmeister with the rank of Generalfeldmarschall.
In 1886, Ludwig II. was declared mentally incapable of ruling as
Bavaria's sovereign, and Luitpold was controversially installed as
Prince Regent. Three days later, King Ludwig was either murdered or
committed suicide, and his insane younger brother Otto was proclaimed
Bavaria's fifth ruling sovereign. Given Otto's mental condition,
however, Uncle Luitpold continued in his capacity as Prince Regent until
his death from bronchitis in 1912. He is interred in the Theatinerkirche
von Bayern ..