Although hundreds of books have been written about King Ludwig II, there are still many secrets and speculations surrounding this person. In a slim volume, the historian Marcus Spangenberg has now addressed popular misconceptions about Ludwig II that continue to fuel his myth to this day.
One example is Ludwig’s relationship with the Austrian Empress Sisi, which was hyped up as a love affair by the film industry until a thick fog enveloped the historical truth. In the Ludwig II musical in Füssen, the supposed love affair was also pushed to the limit of pain, says Spangenberg. Ludwig and Sisi did feel a kindred spirit. Nevertheless, the people at the rare meetings were not all pleasant. She didn’t take him completely seriously; sometimes he annoyed her.
A common argument is that Ludwig II essentially sold Bavaria’s sovereignty to Prussia when the empire was founded in 1870/71. Spangenberg admits that Bismarck’s payments to Ludwig cast the unification process in a distorted light. Nevertheless, Ludwig II had no certainty of financial benefits. There is no source for an alleged connection between monetary payments and Ludwig’s signing of the imperial letter.
It is often said that Ludwig’s sleigh was the first electrically lit vehicle in the world. Here too, Spangenberg points out that a Viennese engineer had already introduced a vehicle equipped with light bulbs in 1883, years before Ludwig. In addition, Neuschwanstein Castle, which was equipped with the most modern equipment, was by no means groundbreaking, according to Spangenberg. Ludwig did not take advantage of the technical possibilities.
With Ludwig II, historical facts and emotional reactions often blur together in a diffuse fog. Spangenberg’s conclusion: “It cannot be rationally explained why the king, who damaged the reputation of the monarchy with his refusal to fulfill his royal duties, was so highly stylized as a royal idol and ideal.”
Marcus Spangenberg: Ludwig II – Popular errors and other truths. 120 pages, Klartext Verlag.