Otto Ritter von Dandl (13 May 1868 in
Straubing
Straubing () is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Bavaria, is held.
The city is located on the Danube form ...
– 20 May 1942) was a Bavarian politician and lawyer who was the last
Minister-President of the
Kingdom of Bavaria.
Life
Otto Ritter von Dandl was born in Straubing,
Lower Bavaria, in 1868, his parents being Georg Ritter von Dandl and Karoline Weninger. He studied law and graduated in 1890. He entered the Bavarian government service, becoming a
judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
at the court in
Munich. He rose through the ranks quickly, occupying a position in the justice department from 1900.
In 1906, von Dandl became an adviser of
Prinzregent Luitpold, who ruled Bavaria in his nephew's, King
Otto's Otto's may refer to:
* ''Otto's encyclopedia'', the largest encyclopedia written in Czech
* Otto's Pub & Brewery, State College, Pennsylvania, United States
* Otto's Sausage Kitchen, Portland, Oregon, United States
* Otto's sportive lemur
Otto ...
stead. With the death of Luitpold in 1912, his son
Ludwig
Ludwig may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Ludwig (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Ludwig (surname), including a list of people
* Ludwig Ahgren, or simply Ludwig, American YouTube live streamer and co ...
took up the position as ''Prinzregent'' (''Prince Regent'') of Bavaria and von Dandl became the chief of his cabinet. Ludwig acceded to the throne of Bavaria as Ludwig III in 1913 and bestowed the title of ''
Staatsrat
The State Council of East Germany (German: ''Staatsrat der DDR'') was the collective head of state of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1960 to 1990.
Origins
When the German Democratic Republic was founded in October 1949, its ...
'' on von Dandl.
In 1917, when Germany's situation had gradually worsened due to
World War I, Otto Ritter von Dandl was made ''Minister of State of the Royal Household and of the Exterior'' and ''President of the Council of Ministers'' on 11 November 1917, a title equivalent to Prime Minister of Bavaria.
On 2 November 1918, von Dandl reached an agreement with all major parties, to reform Bavaria and to build a new coalition government with him as leaders and prominent members of the
Zentrumspartei and the
SPD
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany.
Saskia Esken has been the ...
in ministerial posts. The event of the German surrender a few days after meant, this government never came to be. It would have included three future Bavarian prime ministers,
Heinrich Held
Heinrich Held (6 June 1868 – 4 August 1938) was a German Catholic politician and Minister President of Bavaria. He was forced out of office by the Nazi takeover in Germany in 1933.
Biography
Heinrich Held was born in Erbach in the Taunus, th ...
,
Eugen von Knilling and
Johannes Hoffmann as ministers.
He only held this position for one year; with the collapse of
Imperial Germany, the Kingdom of Bavaria was abolished by Kurt Eisner on 8 November 1918, who succeeded him to the office of prime minister, making von Dandl the last prime minister of the Kingdom of Bavaria.
On 12 November 1918, Dandl went to ''
Schloss Anif'', near
Salzburg, to see the King and obtain what is known as the ''Anifer Erklärung'' (''
Anif declaration The Anif declaration (german: Anifer Erklärung) was issued by Ludwig III, King of Bavaria, on 12 November 1918 at Anif Palace, Austria.
It was a declaration in which the monarch relieved all civil servants and military personnel from their oath of ...
'') in which the King released all government officials, soldiers and officers from their oath to him, but made no declaration of resignation. The Eisner government published the declaration when Dandl returned to Munich the next day, interpreting it, somewhat ambiguously, as the end to
Wittelsbacher rule.
Anifer Erklärung, 12./13. November 1918
(in German) Historisches Lexikon Bayerns, accessed: 10 May 2008
Von Dandl remained in government service, becoming the director of the taxation department in Würzburg in 1919. From 1929 to 1933, he held the same position in Munich.
In his town of birth, Straubing, a street is named after him, the ''Otto-von-Dandl-Ring''.
Ritter, as in the name Otto Ritter von Dandl, is not a name but a noble title, considered roughly equal to the title Knight or Baronet.
See also
* List of Premiers of Bavaria
Sources
Universitätsbibliothek Regensburg - Bosls bayrische Biographie - Otto Ritter von Dandl
(in German) author: Karl Bosl, publisher: Pustet, page 127
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dandl, Otto Ritter von
1868 births
1942 deaths
People from the Kingdom of Bavaria
Ministers-President of Bavaria