Ludwig II: A Different Kind of King

by Markus Spangenberg

He hated war, but led two armed conflicts. He saw himself as a King by Divine Right, but made himself subordinate to an Emperor. He preferred to be alone, but was constantly searching for a confidant. King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845–1886) reacted to his own times with an archaic, religiously transfigured understanding of kingship. His insistence on the „true, real“ royal office had precisely the opposite Ludwig II became lost in the reality of a moderately powerful state and was deprived of both his throne and his life in 1886. This biography takes the latest research on Ludwig into account but still succeeds in presenting surprising insights and interpretations. He hated war, but led two armed conflicts. He saw himself as a King by Divine Right, but made himself subordinate to an Emperor. He preferred to be alone, but was constantly searching for a confidant. King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845–1886) reacted to his own times with an archaic, religiously transfigured understanding of kingship. His insistence on the „true, real“ royal office had precisely the opposite Ludwig II became lost in the reality of a moderately powerful state and was deprived of both his throne and his life in 1886. This biography takes the latest research on Ludwig into account but still succeeds in presenting surprising insights and interpretations.

Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Lex Lotito · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple biography written about one of my favorite kings! He was such an interesting fella and I appreciate the information given in such a dense manner. However, the timeline was a bit muffled which made it tough to follow.

I would recommend only to learn more about King Ludwig II. & it’s a quick read!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about this mixed up king. Very interesting information about his love for Munich, Wagner the composer,a love interest that never made it fruition and an untimely death.
Having recently visited his Neuschwanstein castle and Munich castle, this book provided much detail on the places I visited.

[Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting history but the chronology is a bit off.

[Carlos Marques · Rating 3 out of 5]

Na realidade daria um 2.5.

No mês de Novembro de 2025 tive a oportunidade de visitar o castelo de Neuschwanstein na Alemanha quando estava lá em trabalho. Tenho a dizer que amei. O castelo construído por Ludwig II é um castelo de conto de fadas, criado por um homem que queria se convencer que a sua vida era um conto de fadas. Fiquei fascinado pelas pinturas na parede (todas ou quase todas baseadas em obras de Wagner) pelo o fim trágico deste Rei que parece saído da imaginação poética ou trágica de algum escritor. Ele, tal como o seu castelo, não pareciam real mesmo quando lá estava e não conseguia acreditar que tenha sido real.

Sendo assim comprei este livro na loja do castelo. Simplesmente tinha de perceber esta singular figura histórica. Este livro deu-me exatamente isso. Contudo a cronologia é confusa em parte e o livro podia estar muito melhor organizado. Mas é uma explicação da época em que este viveu e como ele e esta interagiram o que levou este a ser o Rei dos contos de fadas que conhecemos hoje. Fiquei com a impressão que Ludwig II foi simplesmente apanhado entre as contradições fortes da sua época e da sua personalidade. Mas não havia outra opção sinceramente. A sua história é trágica pois ele é prisioneiro da sua condição. Fiquei a sentir me com pena dele no final apesar de saber que ele era um terrível rei/agente político.

[Mante · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personally found it interesting to understand the king’s position and the role he played (or rather didn’t) in his kingdom. I thought i could relate to him which is why i started the book, however it was brought to my attention that Ludwig was always misunderstood, nonetheless acted in a spoiled manner. One hella odd dude :D
Reading it was a struggle. The timeline was hard to follow, moreover as someone who isn’t necessarily particularly familiar with historical events t’was boring to some degree although i did enjoy the part where they talked about him on a personal level. Two/three stars!

[Nia Nymue · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a hard book to read. Full of facts and trivia, and very little thematic analysis. The timeline went back and forth a few times across chapters.

What I read here varied very much from what I heard on the two times I went to Neuschwanstein for a tour. What I heard was more romantic. This book portrays Ludwig quite inconsistently also though.

I guess we'll never really understand him.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having seen his castles myself this was a very interesting read.

[Tatiana patte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très bon livre qui relate bien les faits de manière objective:) Si vous êtes intéressé par l’homme, je vous conseille de commencer par ça ( en + du Secret d’histoire de Stéphane Bern le goat)