Louis II of Bavaria

Overview

Louis II (1845-1886), King of Bavaria from 1864. Young (29 in June 1875), handsome and unmarried, he was famous for his romantic withdrawal from public life, his patronage of Wagner and his admiration for the French monarchy of Louis XIV (Linderhof was under construction in the 1870s; Herrenchiemsee, a Versailles pastiche, was begun in 1878). Source: Wikipedia, "Ludwig II of Bavaria".

Relevance to Marie

In her ambition-fantasies Marie sees herself as a queen. On 24 June 1875 the idea comes to her "tout à coup" at the piano that she will be queen of Bavaria, and she links it explicitly to the king's imitation of Louis XIV, "mon idéal, le Roi-Soleil" (034.0555-0555). In October 1875 her horoscope has her becoming "la maîtresse du roi de Bavière" (046/1875-10-05).

References in Diary

• 1875-06-24 (034.0555-0555)
• 1875-10-05 (046.0127, 046.0131)