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Princess Ludovica of Bavaria
(1808-1892)
daughter of Maximilian I Joseph, King von Bayern 1805-1825
and Princess Karoline von Baden
Born 30 August 1808 Muenchen
Died 26 January 1892 Muenchen
Married 9 September 1828 Tegernsee
Duke Maximilian in Bavaria
Born 4 December 1808 Bamberg
Died 15 November 1888 Muenchen
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Ludovica and her sisters were always close, so close that many years
later Bismarck was to complain of the family politics of "the Wittelsbach
aunts". The daughters of King Maximilian I of Bavaria made brilliant marriages.
Maximilian I owed his elevation to being King to the French Emperor Napoleon;
his eldest daughter, Auguste, was forced to break her engagement and marry
Napoleon's step-son, Eugene de Beauharnais. However, it turned out to be
a happy marriage. His daughter Charlotte, after divorcing the King of Wuerttemberg
became the fourth wife of Emperor Franz II, the father-in-law of the same
Emperor Napoleon. Charlotte was followed by two sets of twins who became
Queens of Prussia, Saxony, again Saxony and Archduchess of Austria. The
least brilliant marriage was for Ludovica, the youngest, who married her
first cousin once removed, Duke Max in Bavaria.
There were estrangements between Ludovica and her husband, caused by
the latter's all too blatant infidelities. These estrangements were awkward
while they lasted but they always ended in the same way; they made up and
conceived yet another child. Ludovica's sister Sophia, Archduchess of Austria,
loved giving advice and she lost no time in telling Ludovica that it would
be far wiser to ignore Duke Max's behaviour instead of sulking and making
scenes, which were bound to react badly on the children. Sophia had always
disapproved of Max and hoped the children would take after their mother's
side of the family.
Ludovica was an ambitious mother, trying to educate her children and
hoping for prestigious marriages for her daughters. Whereas Duke Max might
declare that life was too short for even one hour of boredom, Ludovica
was never tired of telling her children that
princesses had no right to be bored. However, she tried to create a
happy home for their children. She loved her dogs and during dinner always
had two little dogs sitting on her lap, not only feeding them but, in between
courses, amusing herself by killing their fleas and
depositing her trophies on her plate which was then instantly changed.
In June 1853 her sister Sophia invited Ludovica, Max and their eldest
daughter Helene to come and spend a holiday with Sophia and her son, the
Emperor Franz Joseph. Max, who disliked Sophia, refused to go and his place
was taken by the younger daughter, Elisabeth. This decision would have
far-reaching concequences as instead of Helene it was Elisabeth with whom
the Emperor fell in love and married. So far as Ludovica was concerned
it made no difference as she had secured the Emperor for a son-in-law,
no matter which daughter he married. Ludovica came to realize that, no
matter how brilliant her daughter's
marriages might be regarded, they did not necessarily bring happiness.
Maria Sophia had to flee her Neapolitan kingdom, while Elisabeth constantly
travelled to be away from her Vienna, her husband and her mother-in-law
Sophia. Ludovica was devoted to her sons-in-law, saying that God had given
her the kindest and best of sons-in-law, but her daughters had been hardly
the easiest of wives. All five of them had become eccentric and difficult
in middle age.
Ludovica had been hurt early in her marriage, much more than Elisabeth
ever would be, and tried to guide her when she wrote: "My child, there
are two kinds of women---those who achieve what they want and those who
never do. You, I am afraid, belong to the second
category. You are intelligent, you are contemplative and you don't
lack character, but you are too uncompromising. You don't know how to live
or to make allowances for the exigencies of modern life. You belong to
another age, the time of saints and martyrs. Don't give yourself too much
the airs of a saint or break your heart in imagining yourself to be a martyr."
In 1878 Ludovica and Max celebrated their golden wedding at Tegernsee,
surrounded by their children and grandchildren. Even though they lived
under the same roof, they had not spoken to each other for years.
In his old age Max preferred his illegitimate children above
his beautiful but complicated daughters who were devoted to each other
and their mother.
Ludovica had always suffered from migraines; in old age she suffered
so much from headaches, she could not bear even the touch of a hairpin
and was continually injected with morphia.
Source: Leo van de Pas |
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