Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Otto, mad king of Bavaria, has died

October 12, 1916

Otto, the former King of Bavaria, who has been insane for many years, has died, according to a Copenhagen dispatch to the Exchange Telegraph Company, which "quotes a Berlin official announcement.  The report was published by the New York Times.

The "mad king" is said to have "died suddenly" at Fürstenried Castle, near Munich.

King Otto was born April 27, 1848, and succeeded his older brother, King Ludwig II, in 1886.  Ludwig was also insane, and he drowned himself in Starnberg Lake.   Otto lost his throne on November 13, 1913, and was succeeded by Ludwig III, who had acted as Regent during Otto's reign.

He was the son of King Maximilian II and Princess Marie of Prussia.  It appears that the insanity came from his father's side of the family.    Three years younger than Ludwig, Otto was "an amiable Prince until what intellect he had collapsed under a course of dissipation."

He had prepared to be a soldier and went out to the front when the Franco-Prussian war broke out.  He was on the staff of the Prussian Crown Prince,   but his service ended when he was recalled to Munich on "pressing business."

When he succeeded Ludwig, he was a nominal ruler, as his uncle, Luitpold, was named regent.  Otto has never wanted to succeed his brother.   Some years earlier, before Ludwig committed suicide, he talked of abdicating in favor of Otto, but Otto would "not hear of his elevation to the throne."

Gradually, the "half-witted Prince became afflicted with melancholia."  By 1876, his condition had become so acute that he was "placed in restraint" at Schloss Nymphenburg, one of the royal family's residences.  Two years later, he was "committed to a more rigorous confinement" at Berchtesgaden.
Under the Regency, Otto was moved to Fürstenried, where he remained until his death.   He shared a bedroom with a "giant valet who always slept with a revolver under his pillow."

The mad king was "passionately fond of music," especially Jenny Lind. 
He was obsessed with the idea that his "attendants were in a conspiracy to poison him," and he would refuse to eat.  One attendant came up with the idea of hiding the food and allowing Otto to "find" it.  The king would be able to eat, but he believed "the food had been hidden by the servants to satisfy their own appetites."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

An Australian newspaper article on 7 December 1912 gives another insight into efforts to feed Otto with dire consequences for two male servants. Otto's doctors planned a ruse to induce him to eat and sent a servant who announced that ''His Majesty the German Emperor has sent to Your Majesty a brace of beautiful pheasants shot by himself.", Otto in response sprung at the servant and killed him by crushing the servants windpipe. Two days later a further attempt was made by the doctors to feed Otto, this time they sent in a young powerful servant who was to meet a similar fate as the previous servant when Otto leaped forward and beat in the poor fellow's, head with the end of a solid brass candlestick.

Unknown said...

More likely that he was confined by his aspirant uncle for political reasons. The doctor who declared him insane didn’t even examine him. He sounds more like a prisoner who was kept against his will while his uncle spread rumors about him. The uncle stole his throne. I really think more research needs to be done on this poor brave soldier.