Prince Ludwig Ferdinand Maria Karl Heinrich Adalbert Franz Philipp Andreas Konstantin of Bavaria (22 October 1859 – 23 November 1949) was a member of the

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

n House of

Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

and a General of Cavalry. Following his marriage to

Infanta María de la Paz of Spain Infanta María de la Paz of Spain (23 June 1862 – 4 December 1946) was a Spanish infanta. A daughter of Queen Isabella II, she married her cousin Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria. She lived the rest of her life in Germany, dedicating her time ...

, he was also created an

Infante Infante (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the ...

of Spain.

General information

He was the eldest son of Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (1828–75) and

Infanta Amalia of Spain Infanta Amalia of Spain (; 12 October 1834 – 27 August 1905) was the youngest daughter of Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain. Her eldest brother, Francis, Duke of Cádiz, Francisco de Asís, married Isabella II, Queen Isabella II of Spain, who ...

(1834–1905). He was a paternal grandson of King

Ludwig I of Bavaria Ludwig I or Louis I (; 25 August 1786 – 29 February 1868) was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the German revolutions of 1848–49, 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As ki ...

and his wife Princess Therese of Saxe-Altenburg. His maternal grandparents were

Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain (10 March 1794 – 13 August 1865) was an Infante of Spain and the youngest son of Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. He was a brother of Ferdinand VII, and the uncle and father-in-law of Isabella I ...

and his wife

Princess Luisa Carlotta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Luisa Carlotta of Naples and Sicily (Luisa Carlotta Maria Isabella; 24 October 1804 – 29 January 1844), was an Italian royal, who was an Infanta of Spain and a daughter of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies. Early life Luisa Carlotta was bo ...

. Ludwig Ferdinand's paternal uncles 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 ext ...

, King

Otto I of Greece Otto (; ; 1 June 1815 – 26 July 1867) was King of Greece from the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed in October 1862. The second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ott ...

and Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria. His maternal uncle was King-Consort Francis of Spain (1822–1902) and maternally his first cousin was King

Alfonso XII of Spain Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as ''El Pacificador'' (Spanish: the Peacemaker), was King of Spain from 29 D ...

(1857–85), two years his senior. Ludwig Ferdinand was born in Madrid, but his younger siblings in Bavaria, where they had returned.

Ludwig II Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886), also called the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King (), was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duk ...

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

and Ludwig III, Kings of Bavaria, were his first cousins.

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French language, French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May ...

(reigned 1885–1931) was a first cousin's son. Prince Ludwig Ferdinand was the only member of the Bavarian Royal Family who always remained on friendly terms with his cousin, King Ludwig II (with the exception of

Elisabeth, Empress of Austria Elisabeth (born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and List of Hungarian consorts, Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I of Austri ...

) – and the only cousin to ever be invited, together with his wife, at

Herrenchiemsee Herrenchiemsee is a complex of royal buildings on Herreninsel, the largest island in the Chiemsee lake, in southern Bavaria, Germany. Together with the neighbouring isle of Frauenchiemsee and the uninhabited Krautinsel, it forms the municipali ...

Palace as well as for private dinners at the

Munich Residence 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 disp ...

. When Ludwig II was arrested at

Neuschwanstein Castle Neuschwanstein Castle (, ; ) is a 19th-century Historicism (art), historicist palace on a rugged hill of the foothills of the Alps in the very south of Germany, near the border with Austria. It is located in the Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia regio ...

in 1886, he called Ludwig Ferdinand for help; the latter immediately intended to follow this call, but was prevented from leaving

Nymphenburg Palace The Nymphenburg Palace (, Palace of the Nymphs) is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. The Nymphenburg served as the main summer residence for the List of rulers of Bavaria, ...

by his uncle Luitpold who was about to take over government as the ruling Prince Regent. Medal Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria 1906 Landau Pfalz 25th Anniversary of his Regiment

Medal Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria 1906 Landau Pfalz 25th Anniversary of his Regiment

Ludwig Ferdinand was one of only a few European princes doing an ordinary job outside government or military, by working as a surgeon and

gynaecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

Military service

Prince Ludwig Ferdinand entered the

Royal Bavarian Army The Bavarian Army () was the army of the Electorate (1682–1806) and then Kingdom (1806–1918) of Bavaria. It existed from 1682 as the standing army of Bavaria until the merger of the military sovereignty () of Bavaria into that of the German ...

on 22 October 1877 as a ''Sekonde-Lieutenant à la suite'' of the 2nd Heavy Cavalry Regiment "Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria" (''Königlich Bayerisches 2. Schwere-Reiter-Regiment „Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand von Österreich-Este“'') with a Patent of 11 October 1877.''Kriegsrangliste des bayerischen Reserve-Lazaretts München (Marsfeld-Fürsorge)'', Bavarian State Archives, Department IV, War Archive, Kriegsranglisten und -stammrollen, 1914-1918, Munich He was promoted to Premier-Lieutenant on 7 February 1880 and to

Rittmeister Rittmaster () is usually a commissioned officer military rank used in a few armies, usually equivalent to Captain. Historically it has been used in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A is typically in charge of a s ...

on 20 August 1882. On 11 May 1883, he was promoted to

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

(colonel), bypassing the intermediate ranks, and named

Inhaber ''Inhaber'', or Proprietor, was a term used in the Habsburg military to denote special honors extended to a noble or aristocrat. The Habsburg army was organized on principles developed for the feudal armies in which regiments were raised by a weal ...

of the Royal Bavarian 18th Infantry Regiment "Prinz Ludwig Ferdinand" (''Königlich Bayerisches 18. Infanterie-Regiment „Prinz Ludwig Ferdinand“''). He then advanced through the generals' ranks, with a promotion to ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

'' on 21 November 1887, to ''

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

'' on 11 June 1891 and to ''

General der Kavallerie General of the Cavalry () was a General officer rank in the cavalry in various states of which the modern states of German and Austria are successors or in other armies which used the German model. Artillery officers of equivalent rank were called ...

'' on 28 December 1898. He received an honorary title as

Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

of the Royal Prussian 15th Dragoon Regiment (3rd Silesian) (''Königlich Preußisches 3. Schlesisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 15'') on 5 September 1897.Günter Wegner: ''Stellenbesetzung der Deutschen Heere 1815-1939. Band 3: Die Stellenbesetzung der aktiven Regimenter, Battalione und Abteilungen von der Stiftung bzw. Aufstellung bis zum 26. August 1939'', Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1993, ISBN 3-7648-2413-1, p. 72 Due to his medical training, in addition to his regular military titles, he was also placed

à la suite À la suite (, ''in the entourage f') was a military title given to those who were allotted to the army or a particular unit for honour's sake and were entitled to wear a regimental uniform but otherwise had no official position. In Prussia ...

of the Royal Bavarian Army's Medical Corps (''Sanitätskorps'') on 24 October 1910 and named an '' Obergeneralarzt''

of the ''Sanitätskorps'' on 16 July 1915. He also held an honorary office (''Ehrencharge'') as general-inspector of the Royal Spanish Army's Military Medical Corps. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, from 1 November 1916 to 7 November 1918, he served as chief surgeon (''Chefarzt'') of a military hospital in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, the ''Fürsorge-Reserve-Lazarett München''.

Marriage

Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria was married in 1883 to his maternal first cousin,

(1862–1946), the second-youngest daughter of his uncle King Francis and Queen Regnant

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

(reigned from 1833 up to 1868 when deposed, abdicated 1870 and died 1904) and the 845th

Dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...

of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa. The wedding took place in Madrid, during her brother Alfonso XII's reign. Siemens Palais

In 1885 the young couple returned to Bavaria and resided chiefly in a side wing of the royal

, left to them by Ludwig II. Later, they occupied an acquired palace in the inner city of Munich, the

Palais Ludwig Ferdinand The Palais Ludwig Ferdinand (also called the Alfons Palais and the Siemens Palais) is an early 19th-century palace in Munich, Germany, designed by Leo von Klenze. It is located on the Wittelsbacherplatz (at number 4) but forms part of an ensemble ...

at Wittelsbacherplatz, together with Ludwig Ferdinand's brother Alfons and his family. Ludwig Ferdinand and María de la Paz established the so-called ''Spanish branch'' of the Bavarian royal family, started with Ludwig Ferdinand's parents' marriage but strengthened by successive Spanish marriages in altogether three generations.

Children

They had the following children: *

Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria Prince Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria (Ferdinand Maria Ludwig Franz von Assisi Isabellus Adalbert Ildefons Martin Bonifaz Joseph Isidro; 10 May 1884 – 5 April 1958) was a prince of the House of Wittelsbach and Infante of Spain, the eldest son and ...

, Prince of Bavaria (1884–1958), born in Madrid and settled permanently in Spain in 1905, married

Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain Infante (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the ...

* Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (1886–1970). Married Countess Augusta von Seefried auf Buttenheim and had two sons; lived in Germany. *

Princess Pilar of Bavaria Princess Pilar of Bavaria (''Maria del Pilar Eulalia Antonia Isabella Ludovika Franziska Josepha Rita Euphrasia von Wittelsbach, princess of Bavaria'') (13 March 1891 – 29 January 1987) was a German Royal, the only daughter of Prince Ludwig Ferd ...

(1891–1987), unmarried. Ferdinand died in

Francoist Spain Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

, in Madrid. Ludwig Ferdinand's sisters were Isabella, Duchess of Genoa; Elvira, Countess von Wrbna-Kaunitz-Rietberg-Questenberg und Freudenthal; and Clara, Abbess of St. Anna; and his younger brother was Prince Alphonse of Bavaria, husband of

Louise of Orléans Louise of Orléans (Louise-Marie Thérèse Charlotte Isabelle; 3 April 1812 – 11 October 1850) was the first Queen of the Belgians as the second wife of King Leopold I from their marriage on 9 August 1832 until her death in 1850. She wa ...

, daughter of Ferdinand, Duke of Alençon and Duchess Sophie in Bavaria. Alphonse's son Prince Joseph Clemens of Bavaria lived 1902–90 and died childless and unmarried. A daughter, Elisabeth, became Countess von Kageneck.

Honours and awards

Prince Ludwig Ferdinand received the following orders and decorations:

German states

Foreign states

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ludwig Ferdinand Of Bavaria, Prince 1859 births 1949 deaths Spanish infantes Princes of Bavaria House of Wittelsbach Members of the Bavarian Reichsrat German gynaecologists German surgeons Burials at St. Michael's Church, Munich Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain Knights of Santiago Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Knights of the Order of Saint Joseph Spanish emigrants People from the Kingdom of Bavaria