Ludwig II: Fairy Tale King of Bavaria

***Lugwig II: Fairy Tale King of Bavaria*** is biography of King Ludwig II. It was written by Sir Richmond Chaphill, and published by Bertil Publishing. The author was given permission by the Royal Archives to read Lugwig's diaries, which he translated into English on the condition that he would never publish or share his translations with anyone.

A copy of the book was located within the Schattenjäger Library at Schloss Ritter in Rittersberg, most likely purchased and added to the collection by Wolfgang Ritter. Grace Nakimura found that copy of the book there while researching on behalf of Gabriel Knight during his second case as a Schattenjäger.

## Excerpts

### Page 1

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> "Ludwig remained throughout his life both very bright and very naïve. He was an introvert who seemed constantly out-of-sync with traditional views of rulership, money, and human relationships. The world ever failed to match his ideals. Perhaps this was the result of his sheltered upbringing as future king. He never was introduced to the real world, and the real world failed to interest him as an adult.
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> "In his youth, Ludwig was in fine physical condition and loved to hike alone in the alps and ride horses. He had a hunting lodge - Schachen - specifically for this purpose. Unfortunately in 1872 a rather traumatic hunting accident befell the king at Schachen, and his leg was cruelly damaged. He never fully recovered from this incident, and his hunting and riding ceased. His physical health deteriorated from that time on, and explains why he looked so unhealthy in later years."
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### Pages 81-83

> "Other than his long-standing friendship with the Empress Elizabeth of Austria and his mother, the relationships Ludwig attempted were nearly always a disappointment for him and a bewilderment for his partners. He would become obsessed with someone - a singer, an artist, a nobleman, or a peasant, and would bombard them with gifts, praise, and favors.
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> "When they would fail to return the depths of rapturous passion he required, the singular adoration and humble obedience he expected, he would grow disappointed and cut himself off from them. The objects of his interest were occasionally women, usually ones he fell in love with after seeing them in idealized roles on the stage, but were more often men who fit his fantasies of the heroic sagas like Lohengrin and Parsival that he so loved.
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> "A good example of the king's obsessive behavior in relationships is the following letter from the Königlich Bayerische Archives, which this author was privileged to access. It is dated 1864 and it was written by Ludwig's manservant, Paul, to a friend.
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> "*"The King has been in a high mood these days. The reason, of course, is a new interest. Thursday last, the King attended a performance of Lohengrin at the Wittelsbacher Theater. He came back in a fever, demanding that a man be found. The man, it was gathered, had been sitting in a box across from Ludwig and had drawn the king's attention by his 'beauty' and his 'deep emotional response' to the performance. The King declared that 'here at last is a sensitive soul!'*
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> "*The man was tracked down and brought in for an audience. Upon my word, never have I seen any mind so in line with His Majesty's own! They discussed Wagner and France and Byron and all manner of things until well past dawn. The young man, beautiful indeed to look upon, met the King's enthusiasm and knowledge bit for bit!*
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> "*His Majesty has been in the thick of it ever since and, while I welcome his good temper, I grow tired of fetching letters back and forth to 'Louis' (so called by His Majesty -- that should tell you who the young man looks like) at all hours of the night!'*
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> "This author has not been able to learn much about 'Louis', but he was known to have been a seemingly high-bred foreigner and he was involved with Ludwig as late as 1880, when he fell into disfavor."
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### Page 152

> "The king , especially later in life, felt a great deal of guilt about his sensual nature. His diaries are full of repentant entries begging God for forgiveness and swearing to remain pure.
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> "In many of the diary entries, he swears to abstain from sexual relations. The number of these 'oath entries' indicate that Ludwig was not very successful in resisting temptation, yet it is also clear the Ludwig was a God-fearing man and that, though his flesh might occasionally fail, he never surrendered his heart and conscience to sin."
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## Source

*Ludwig II: Fairy Tale King of Bavaria* is derived from *The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery*.