Otto (german: Otto Wilhelm Luitpold Adalbert Waldemar; 27 April 1848 – 11 October 1916) was
King of Bavaria
King of Bavaria was a title held by the hereditary Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria in the state known as the Kingdom of Bavaria from 1805 until 1918, when the kingdom was abolished. It was the second time Bavaria was a kingdom, almost a thousand ...
from 1886 until 1913. However, he never actively ruled because of alleged severe mental illness. His uncle,
Luitpold, and his cousin,
Ludwig, served as regents. Ludwig deposed him in 1913, a day after the legislature passed a law allowing him to do so, and became king in his own right.
Otto was the son of
Maximilian II and his wife,
Marie of Prussia
Marie of Prussia (german: Marie Friederike Franziska Hedwig von Preußen; October 15, 1825 – May 17, 1889) was Queen of Bavaria by marriage to Maximilian II of Bavaria, and the mother of Kings Ludwig II and Otto of Bavaria.
Life
Born and ra ...
, and the younger brother of
Ludwig II
Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886) was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He is sometimes called the Swan King or ('the Fairy Tale King'). He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the ...
.
Childhood and youth
Prince Otto was born on 27 April 1848, two months premature, in the
Munich Residenz
The Residenz (, ''Residence'') in central Munich is the former royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria. The Residenz is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open to visitors for its architecture, room decorations, and displ ...
. His parents were King
Maximilian II of Bavaria
Maximilian II (28 November 1811 – 10 March 1864) reigned as King of Bavaria between 1848 and 1864.
Unlike his father, King Ludwig I, "King Max" was very popular and took a greater interest in the business of Government than in personal extra ...
and
Marie of Prussia
Marie of Prussia (german: Marie Friederike Franziska Hedwig von Preußen; October 15, 1825 – May 17, 1889) was Queen of Bavaria by marriage to Maximilian II of Bavaria, and the mother of Kings Ludwig II and Otto of Bavaria.
Life
Born and ra ...
. His uncle, King
Otto I of Greece
Otto (, ; 1 June 181526 July 1867) was a Kingdom of Bavaria, Bavarian prince who ruled as King of Greece from the establishment of the monarchy on 27 May 1832, under the London Conference of 1832, Convention of London, until he was deposed on ...
, served as his
godfather.
![Koenig Otto von Bayern (1848-1916), jung](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Koenig_Otto_von_Bayern_%281848-1916%29%2C_jung.jpg)
Otto had an older brother,
Crown Prince Ludwig. They spent most of their childhood with servants and teachers at
Hohenschwangau Castle
Hohenschwangau Castle (german: Schloss Hohenschwangau) is a 19th-century palace in southern Germany. It was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and was built by his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria. It is located in the Ge ...
. Their parents were distant and formal, and they were at such a loss about what to say to Otto and Ludwig that they often ignored and even avoided them. Their mother took an interest in what the brothers wore: she ordered for Ludwig to always be dressed in blue and for Otto to always wear red. Their father was strict with the brothers, particularly Ludwig, the heir apparent. Between 1853 and 1863, the brothers spent their summer holidays at the ''Royal Villa'' in
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps, south of Berchtesgaden; the ...
, which had been specially built for their father.
Otto served in the Bavarian army from 1863. He was appointed
sub-lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces.
In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...
on 27 April 1863 and admitted to the Cadet Corps on 1 March 1864. On 26 May 1864, he was promoted to full
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
.
On 10 March 1864, King Maximilian died and Otto's brother, Ludwig, succeeded as King of Bavaria. Between 18 June and 15 July 1864, the two brothers received state visits by the emperors of Austria and Russia.
Otto was promoted to
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
on 27 April 1866 and entered active military service in the Royal Bavarian Infantry Guards. He participated in the
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...
of 1866 and as
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
in the
Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871. His experiences on the battlefield traumatized him and caused him to have depression and insomnia. When
Wilhelm I
William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the f ...
was proclaimed German Emperor on 18 January 1871 at the
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
, Prince Otto and his uncle,
Luitpold, represented King Ludwig II, who refused to participate (despite having offered Wilhelm the Imperial title in a letter).
[Dr. Theodor Toeche-Mittler: ''Die Kaiserproklamation in Versailles am 18. Januar 1871 mit einem Verzeichniß der Festtheilnehmer, Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn'', Berlin, 1896][H. Schnaebeli: ''Fotoaufnahmen der Kaiserproklamation in Versailles'', Berlin, 1871] Otto then criticized the celebration as ostentatious and heartless in a letter to his brother. Otto despised his ambitious Prussian relatives and cordially disliked his Prussian mother and so they were appalled by the creation of the new
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
. His hostility was no secret to the Prussian government.
Otto and Ludwig were often seen together during the early years of Ludwig's reign, but they became estranged over time. Ludwig was shy and introverted and eventually became a recluse. Otto was cheerful, outgoing and extroverted until the Franco-Prussian War. In 1868, Otto received the
, the house order of the
House of Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...
. In 1869, he joined the
Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic Church, Catholic order of ...
, on the initiative of Cardinal
Karl-August von Reisach
Karl-August Graf von Reisach (7 July 1800, in Roth, Bavaria22 December 1869, in the Redemptorist monastery of Contamine, France) was a German Catholic theologian and Cardinal.
Education
On the completion of his secular studies in Neuburg an d ...
.
Mental incapacity
After the
Franco-Prussian War, Otto became very depressed and anxious, which worried his family. Otto had spells during which he slept poorly for days and acted out, followed by periods of time during which he was perfectly normal and lucid. His illness progressively grew worse. Ludwig was horrified because he had been counting on Otto to marry and have a son who could eventually inherit the throne. Otto was placed under medical supervision, and reports about his condition were sent by spies working for the Prussian Chancellor,
Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...
. Doctors reported that Otto was mentally ill in January 1872. From 1873, he was held in isolation in the southern pavilion of
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace (german: Schloss Nymphenburg, Palace of the Nymphs) is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. Combined with the adjacent Nymphenburg Palace Park it consti ...
. His attending physician was Dr.
Bernhard von Gudden
Johann Bernhard Aloys von Gudden (7 June 1824 – 13 June 1886) was a German neuroanatomist and psychiatrist born in Kleve.
Career
In 1848, von Gudden earned his doctorate from the University of Halle and became an intern at the asylum in Siegbu ...
, who later diagnosed Otto's brother, Ludwig, as mentally ill without bothering to examine him and without asking him a single question, which raises questions about his competence and his motives. Both Ludwig and Otto despised Prussia, and their uncle,
Luitpold, and Gudden supported Prussia's rise to dominance. Some contemporaries believed that Gudden's diagnoses of Otto and Ludwig were motivated by political considerations and that more could and should have been done to help and treat Otto. Some contemporaries also believed that Bismarck did not want Ludwig nor Otto to remain in power and decided to replace the brothers with their malleable uncle, Luitpold.
During
Corpus Christi Mass in 1875 in the
Frauenkirche in Munich, Otto, who had not attended the church service, rushed into the church wearing hunting clothes and fell on his knees before the celebrant, Archbishop
Gregor von Scherr
Archbishop Gregor Leonhard Andreas von Scherr (22 June 1804 – 24 October 1877), OSB was Archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1856 until 1877.
Biography
Born on 22 June 1804, Neunburg vorm Wald, he was ordained on 4 August 1829, aged 25 as a ...
, to ask forgiveness for his sins. The High Mass was interrupted, and the prince did not resist when he was led away by two church ministers. Otto was then moved to
Schleissheim Palace
The Schleißheim Palace (german: Schloss Schleißheim) comprises three individual palaces in a grand Baroque park in the village of Oberschleißheim, a suburb of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The palace was a summer residence of the Bavarian rulers ...
and was effectively held prisoner there, much to his dismay. Gudden made no effort to treat him; it is possible that Otto was heavily drugged. Otto's last public appearance was his presence at the side of his brother at the King's parade on 22 August 1875, at the
Marsfeld in Munich. From 1 June 1876, he stayed for a few weeks in the castle at Ludwigsthal in the Bavarian Forest. In the spring of 1880, his condition worsened. In 1883, he was confined under medical supervision in
Fürstenried Palace
Fürstenried Palace is a Baroque ''maison de plaisance'' and hunting lodge in Munich, Germany. It was built from 1715 to 1717 for Elector Maximilian II Emanuel. Today the palace serves as spiritual house for archdiocese and as pastoral center.
...
near Munich, where he would remain for the rest of his life. The palace had been specially converted for his confinement. Ludwig occasionally visited him at night and ordered for no violence to be used against him.
In 1886, the senior royal medical officer wrote a statement declaring that Otto was severely mentally ill. Otto may have had
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
. It has also been argued that his illness was the result of
syphilis
Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...
, which would also account for the paralysis he had in later years.
King of Bavaria
![Bayern Otto 20 Mk 1905](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Bayern_Otto_20_Mk_1905.JPG)
When King Ludwig II was deposed by his ministers on 10 June 1886, his uncle Luitpold took over the rule of the Kingdom of Bavaria and led the affairs of state in Ludwig's place as regent. Only three days later Ludwig II died under unknown circumstances, and Prince Otto succeeded him as King of Bavaria on 13 June 1886 in accordance with the Wittelsbach succession law.
Since Otto was unable to lead the government due to his mental illness (officially it was said: "The King is
melancholic
Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout History of medicine#Greece and Roman Empire, ancient, medieval medicine of Western Europe, medieval and Lear ...
"), Prince Regent Luitpold also reigned for him. He did not understand the proclamation of his accession to the throne, which was explained to King Otto at
Fürstenried Palace
Fürstenried Palace is a Baroque ''maison de plaisance'' and hunting lodge in Munich, Germany. It was built from 1715 to 1717 for Elector Maximilian II Emanuel. Today the palace serves as spiritual house for archdiocese and as pastoral center.
...
the next day after his accession. He thought his uncle Luitpold was the rightful king. Shortly thereafter, the Bavarian troops were sworn in the name of King Otto I and coins were minted with his portrait.
End of reign and death
![Grab Otto Bayern](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Grab_Otto_Bayern.jpg)
Luitpold kept his role as Prince Regent until he died in 1912 and was succeeded by his son Ludwig, who was Otto's first cousin. By then, it had been obvious for some time that Otto would never emerge from seclusion or be mentally capable of actively reigning. Almost as soon as Ludwig became regent, elements in the press and larger society clamoured for Ludwig to become king in his own right.
Accordingly, the constitution of Bavaria was amended on 4 November 1913 to include a clause specifying that if a regency for reasons of incapacity lasted for ten years, with no expectation that the King would ever be able to reign, the Regent could end the regency, depose the King and assume the crown himself with the assent of the legislature. The following day, Prince Regent Ludwig ended the regency and proclaimed his own reign as
Ludwig III
Ludwig III (Ludwig Luitpold Josef Maria Aloys Alfried; 7 January 1845 – 18 October 1921) was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918. Initially he served in the Bavarian military as a lieutenant and went on to hold the rank of Oberl ...
. The parliament assented on 6 November, and Ludwig III took the constitutional oath on 8 November. King Otto was permitted to retain his title and honours for life.
Otto died unexpectedly on 11 October 1916 from a
volvulus
A volvulus is when a loop of intestine twists around itself and the mesentery that supports it, resulting in a bowel obstruction. Symptoms include abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, vomiting, constipation, and bloody stool. Onset of symptoms ma ...
(an obstruction of the bowel). His remains were interred in the
crypt
A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics.
Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...
of the ''
Michaelskirche'' in Munich. In accordance to Bavarian royal tradition, the heart of the king was placed in a silver urn and sent to the (
Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting
The Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting, also known as the Chapel of Grace (german: Gnadenkapelle), is the national shrine of Bavaria dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is known for the many healings which are said to have taken place there, ...
) in
Altötting
Altötting (, Bavarian: ; ''Oidäding'') is a town in Bavaria, capital of the district Altötting of Germany. For 500 years it has been the scene of religious pilgrimages by Catholics in honor of Mary, including a visit by Pope John Paul II i ...
, beside those of his
brother
A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...
,
father
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...
and
grandfather
Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic ...
.
Honours
![Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Bavaria 1835-1918](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Kingdom_of_Bavaria_1835-1918.svg)
He received the following orders and decorations:
Ancestors
Footnotes
References
* Cajetan von Aretin: ''Die Erbschaft des Königs Otto von Bayern. Höfische Politik und Wittelsbacher Vermögensrechte 1916 bis 1922'', in the series ''Schriftenreihe zur bayerischen Landesgeschichte'', vol. 149, C. H. Beck Verlag, Munich, 2006, , also: thesis, University of Munich, 2006
* Heinz Häfner: ''Ein König wird beseitigt. Ludwig II von Bayern'', C. H. Beck Verlag, Munich, 2008, , p. 330 ff
* Greg King, ''The Mad King: A Biography of Ludwig II of Bavaria'', Birch Lane Press, 1996,
* Christopher McIntosh: ''The Swan King: Ludwig II of Bavaria'', I.B. Tauris & Co., Ltd., 2012,
* Catherine Radziwill, ''The Tragedy of a Throne'', Cassell and Company, Ltd., 1907.
* Arndt Richter: ''Die Geisteskrankheit der bayerischen Könige Ludwig II. und Otto. Eine interdisziplinäre Studie mittels Genealogie, Genetik und Statistik'', Degener & Co., Neustadt an der Aisch, 1997,
*
Alfons Schweiggert
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
: ''Schattenkönig. Otto, der Bruder König Ludwig II. von Bayern, ein Lebensbild'', Ehrenwirth, Munich, 1992,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otto Of Bavaria
1848 births
1916 deaths
19th-century Kings of Bavaria
20th-century Kings of Bavaria
House of Wittelsbach
Princes of Bavaria
Burials at St. Michael's Church, Munich
Royalty and nobility with disabilities
Monarchs who abdicated
Recipients of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria)
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 2nd class
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria
Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia)
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class
Deaths from bowel obstruction