num_pages: 240
description: This is the biography of one of the most enigmatic figures of the 19th century, described by Verlaine as "the only true king of his century". A man of wildly eccentric temperament and touched by a rare, imaginative genius, Ludwig II of Bavaria is remembered both for his patronage of Richard Wagner and for the fabulous palaces which he created as part of a dream world to escape the responsibilities of state. In realization of his fantasies, he created a ferment of creativity among artists and craftsmen, although his neglect of Bavaria's political interests made powerful enemies among those critical of his self-indulgence and excesses. At the age of 40, declared insane in a plot to depose him, Ludwig died in mysterious circumstances.
language: English
title: The Swan King: Ludwig II of Bavaria
titlecomplete: The Swan King: Ludwig II of Bavaria
characters: Ludwig II of Bavaria
genres: Historical, History, European History, Biography Memoir, Germany, Biography, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 386
places: Bavaria, Germany
publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks