What Ludwig felt to be mere strangeness others interpreted as terminal insanity, as when he ordered Munich to be razed to the ground, or told his guards to establish absolute rule in Bavaria, or send a man to Capri to check if the water of the Blue Grotto was still blue. But he was condemned for what was seen as his most serious crime – his financial recklessness. By 1884, the man whose name was a very byword for stunning beauty wore an increasingly ravaged look. His overthrow, in 1886, contained elements of both tragedy and endearing loyalty. The Head of the Commission to inquire into Ludwig’s mental health, Dr. Bernhard von Gudden, announced that the King was insane and should be forced to abdicate, and troops were sent to Neuschwanstein to arrest him; but when the news broke, a huge group of loyal peasants drove off the commissioners and saved the King. However, the next attempt to capture Ludwig was stronger and more resolute, and he was taken prisoner on the morning of the 12th of June, 1886, to Schloss Berg, at the head of the Starnbergersee (Lake Starnberg), south of Munich. The same day, at 11:30pm on the banks of the lake, Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm of Bavaria was found dead.

Murder?

The facts of Ludwig’s death have never been properly explained and, in a sense, have contributed to his enduring legend. At 6:30pm on 12th of June, 1886, Ludwig expressed a desire to walk along the shore of the lake with Dr von Gudden. The two men never returned from their walk. At 11:30pm the same day, they were found dead in the shallow water near the bank of the lake. How Ludwig died has always remained a mystery.

Ludwig had never spent the state’s money in building his fantastic castles, always funding it from his own private property. It is possible, indeed likely, that his spending of the family wealth on art and architecture upset his relatives. It was therefore often suspected that his death was not an accident, though this was never proven. However, it is known that Doctor von Gudden was a slight man and that Ludwig, though he had put on much weight, was still a vigorous and well-built man, as well as a good swimmer. It is possible that Ludwig was murdered, although if he was, a third unknown entity must have been involved.