A Visit from the Emperor Wilhelm--Ludwig Withdraws more and more from
the World
Ludwig II. and the Crown Prince of Germany had been mutually displeased
with one another. Nevertheless, Friedrich had hardly left the Bavarian
capital before information was received that his father, the aged
Emperor, desired to meet the King. The last-named, doubtless, was,
in his heart, not particularly delighted at the prospective visit; but
he put a good face on the matter, and received his guest on Bavarian
soil with all the courtesy and amiability that could be desired.
His people gave the Emperor a hearty greeting. The two Monarchs drove
together amid hearty cheers into Ratisbon, where a banquet was held at
the hotel "Goldenes Kreuz." Contrary to what had taken place during
the Crown Prince's visit, the meeting between the young King and the
"victorious old man" passed off in the most satisfactory manner,
and not even the shade of any unpleasantness was to be traced.
Ludwig returned to Berg the same evening. The Emperor remained the
night at the hotel, and the next morning continued his journey to
Gastein, where he was going to take the baths.
On his return he again visited the royal family of Bavaria. The visit
was this time chiefly to his cousin, the Queen-mother. She was residing
at Hohenschwangau, and received him there with both her sons. The
weather was splendid. In the evening the picturesquely situated castle
was brilliantly illuminated; and the intercourse between the royal
kinsfolk was gay and hearty. Wilhelm remained at the castle till the
following day. Ludwig and the Emperor talked confidentially together
for a long time, and parted with mutual assurances of friendship. The
meeting between the Princes was commented on by the whole of the
European press. "Now it is King Ludwig's turn to pay a return visit
to Berlin," said a friend to Secretary Eisenhart. "The King is not
very fond of official journeys," remarked Eisenhart. "Nor is it
necessary," answered his friend; "for, according to what I heard in
Berlin, the Emperor does not require any return visit. He judges the
King of Bavaria by quite a different standard from the other German
princes in view of the sacrifices he has made for Prussia. The Crown
Prince is said to be of another opinion; when he ascends the throne
he will certainly show this!" [27]
The Emperor Wilhelm was one of the few princes who saw and talked
with Ludwig II. As a rule, the Bavarian King avoided the visits of his
compeers. A number of royal personages came to Munich during his reign,
and the greater number of them wished to pay him their respects; but,
as a rule, he excused himself from receiving the august travellers on
the plea of indisposition. The King and Queen of Saxony, the Queen
of Würtemberg, the Emperor and Empress of Brazil, and many other
princes and princesses, never even saw a glimpse of him. The Emperor
of Austria visited his relatives in Bavaria almost every year, but
in spite of the friendly relations between Ludwig and the Empress
the King used not to show himself to her husband.
It would certainly be wronging Ludwig to assume that his indisposition
was only an excuse to avoid the visitors. As a matter of fact,
he was tortured and sick both in body and mind. He suffered from
insomnia, and complained of constant and violent pains in the
back of his head. He began also to avoid his capital. The noise of
the streets, the curiosity of the people, the royal tombs, which
he could see from the windows of the Palace--all annoyed him! He
hardly ever went on foot when in Munich; and when he drove out in
the English Garden sat hidden from the glances of the multitude,
leaning far back in a closed carriage. Nevertheless, he continued
to be popular. But even the people's homage sometimes displeased
him. He used to speak of himself as "sacrificed to ovations." Court
balls and court festivities were a misery to him; when he took part
in them it was only as a duty. In order to avoid seeing the guests at
table whom he did not like, he ordered vases of flowers to be placed
before them. Sincerely as the people and the court desired that he
would remain in the capital, he could not, of course, be prevented
from ordering his life according to his own tastes, or from spending
the greater part of his time in the highlands. But though he sought
solitude, and more and more gave himself up to it, and though at times
he certainly required it on account of the weakness of his nerves,
he was, nevertheless, little fitted to live alone. Despite his hermit
tendencies he showed an ever-recurring need to talk with those around
him on all the things which occupied his thoughts. His lacqueys
and grooms were even required to tell him news of the neighbouring
country-folk. More than is usually the case with the generality of
people, he was dependent in his sympathies on an attractive manner,
a pleasant voice, and a pleasing exterior. His relations with Richard
Wagner show that he could be faithful in friendship, but, as a rule,
he was unaccountable in his feelings. Some persons he judged in cold
blood; in the case of others, he permitted his temperament to carry
him to extremes of great unfairness. From certain people he would
bear much; the slightest contradiction on the part of others would
be sufficient to incur his lasting disfavour.
His love of solitude grew by degrees to be a disease, and at times
he literally fled from people. In the middle of the seventies the
Queen-mother gave a family party at the Swiss châlet "Pleckenau," not
far from Hohenschwangau. The King, Prince Otto, their aides-de-camp,
the Mistress of the Court, and two ladies-in-waiting, were with
her. The little party were sitting at table in excellent spirits
when a mounted messenger with a telegram arrived from the castle:
the Austrian Archduke Rainer, who was staying at Bregenz, asked her
Majesty whether it would be convenient for her to receive him the
following morning. She handed the telegram to the King, who grew pale
as he read it. The displeasure visible on his features affected the
whole party. He rose from the table and went out, the others remaining
seated. Without a word, he went back to Hohenschwangau. Arrived
there, he ordered two carriages to be got ready and to await further
orders. The preparations were to be made so quietly that no one would
have any suspicion of what was taking place. A little while later
the Queen-mother, his brother, and the courtiers returned; and soon
the building was quite quiet. The gentlemen of the court lived in
a house beside the castle. The King's apartments were on the first
floor, his mother and her ladies inhabiting the ground floor. Only by
stealing softly down the stairs could he reach the courtyard of the
castle without being heard. Ludwig and his servant accomplished this
undetected, and hied them to the royal stables, which are situated at
some distance away. With all the speed possible, and in the middle of
the night, the King drove to a little village which he was occasionally
in the habit of visiting. Here the announcement of his arrival was
like a bolt from the blue. The master of the posting station where
he alighted had let all his rooms to a military commission; these
gentlemen had to be got out of the way as quickly as possible. All
had gone to bed, and had to be aroused. The general had only time
to half-dress himself and rush out before he met his King on the
staircase. At three in the morning Ludwig at last went to bed;
despite sedatives it was not possible for him to procure any rest.
The next morning the King received a telegram informing him that the
Archduke Rainer had left, "after half-an-hour's visit." Ludwig gave
orders for his horses to be put to at once. A breakfast which he had
ordered, and paid for with eighty guldens, was left untouched. He
returned to Hohenschwangau with the same speed with which he had left
it. His mother greeted him from her window. Laughing, he called up
to her; "I avoided that visit nicely, didn't I?" The Queen-mother,
although she was not satisfied with his flight, was obliged to
laugh too.
It will easily be understood that his increasing shyness was a
subject of conversation in all circles. We have heard that rumours
had already been current that he thought of abdicating the throne;
these were fed by his strange caprices and his retired life. Count
Holnstein wrote to Bismarck as early as 1871: "Before every audience
and every court ceremony the King drinks large quantities of strong
wine, and he then says the most extraordinary things. He wishes
to abdicate in favour of Prince Otto, who does not entertain the
slightest wish for it.... The Ultramontanes know this. They have
chosen their candidate for the National Assembly: Prince Luitpold;
he is also their candidate for the throne. Perhaps they will succeed
in getting him elected in spite of Prince Otto's claims!"