Duke Ludwig Wilhelm in Bavaria (1831–1920)
Ludwig Wilhelm (21 June 1831 – 6 November 1920) was a Duke in Bavaria and official head of the ducal branch of the House of Wittelsbach.[1][2]
| Ludwig Wilhelm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 21 June 1831 Munich, Bavaria |
| Died | 6 November 1920 (aged 89) Munich, Weimar Republic |
| Burial | Ostfriedhof, Munich |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich Karl Emanuel, Baron von Wallersee |
| House | Wittelsbach |
| Father | Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria |
| Mother | Princess Ludovika of Bavaria |
Biography edit
Ludwig Wilhelm (often called Louis) was the eldest child of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria, and was the brother of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.[3]
He pursued a career in the Royal Bavarian Army, becoming a major in the 1st Royal Bavarian Chevau-légers "Emperor Nicholas of Russia" and rising to the rank of General of the Cavalry by 1859.[1]
Relationships and issue edit
He renounced his rights as firstborn when he entered into a morganatic marriage to the actress Henriette Mendel, who was created Baroness von Wallersee on their marriage.[1][4] Louis became father in 1858 of a daughter Marie Louise Mendel, who, as Marie Louise von Larisch-Wallersee ("jene Gräfin Larisch"), was later involved in the Mayerling Incident. In 1859 his son Karl Emanuel was born but died shortly after.
Henriette died on November 12, 1891.[2][5]
Louis married a second time to ballet prima donna Antonie Barth, on November 19, 1892[5][6] in Munich.[7] The duke was forty years older than his bride,[2][5] and was not accepted into the duke's family as graciously as his first wife.[1] She was created Baroness von Bartolf.[8] In 1906, the duke had declared his intention to marry Fraulein Tordek, a prima donna of the Munich royal opera house.[3][9] Bartolf left the duke in 1907 after years of physical and emotional abuse.[8] They divorced in July 1913 after Frau Bartolf gave birth to a daughter, Hélène[10] that the duke claimed was not his child.[2][11]
Death edit
In November 1920, Ludwig died[1] of a cardiac arrest-induced stroke and is buried in Munich's Ostfriedhof.
Honours edit
He received the following orders and decorations:[12]
Kingdom of Bavaria:
- Knight of St. Hubert
- Knight of the Military Merit Order, 2nd Class with Swords
- Jubilee Medal
- Army Memorial Cross (1866)
- Service Award Cross, 2nd Class
Baden: Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1898[13]
Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 1 June 1854[14]
Austrian Empire:[15]
Kingdom of Prussia:
- Knight of the Black Eagle
- Commemoration Medal of the Silver Wedding of Emperor Wilhelm I and Empress Augusta
Kingdom of Saxony: Knight of the Rue Crown, 1848[16]
Two Sicilies: Grand Cross of St. Ferdinand and Merit
Ancestry edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Aged Duke Ludwig of Bavaria Dead". The New York Times. 1920-11-11. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ a b c d "Duke's Ex-Wife Weds Aide: Divorced Woman Becomes the Bride of Former Husband's Ex-Adjutant". The La Harpe Enterprise. La Harpe, Kansas. 1914-09-24. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ a b "Royal Divorce - Suit in Court". The Leaf-Chronicle. Clarksville, Tennessee. 1913-07-15. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ "Mendel, Henriette." 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia.
- ^ a b c "Duke Louis of Bavaria Married". Chicago Tribune. 1892-11-20. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria (1966). Briefe Kaiser Franz Josephs an Kaiserin Elisabeth, 1859-1898. Wien ; Wien ; Munchen : Herold. p. 464.
- ^ Reis And Rayyet. Vol. 11. 1892. p. 557.
- ^ a b "His Royal Highness - The World's Meanest Husband". Buffalo Courier. Buffalo, New York. 1913-07-27. p. 76. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ "Duke Ludwig". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. 1906-08-19. p. 48. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Cannuyer, Christian (1989). Les maisons royales et souveraines d'Europe : la grande famille couronnée qui fit notre vieux continent. Paris : Brepols. p. 247. ISBN 978-2-503-50017-1.
- ^ "Bavarian Duke, Age 38 [sic 83], Divorced from Ex-Dancer". Chicago Tribune. 1914-07-19. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Hof- und - Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern (1908), "Landtag des Königreiches: Mitglieder der Kammer der Reichsräte", p. 157
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1910), "Großherzogliche Orden", p. 40
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Hessen (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" p. 10
- ^ "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1918, pp. 50, 54, retrieved 6 April 2021
- ^ Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen: 1873. Heinrich. 1873. p. 3.