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The Mad King
Paperback
Biographies GeneralHistorical FiguresGerman History
ISBN13: 9781025817422
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 292
Weight: 0.91
Height: 0.61 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The Mad King is an evocative and lyrical biographical study of Ludwig II of Bavaria, one of history's most enigmatic and tragic monarchs. Written by the acclaimed biographer Guy de Pourtalés, the work explores the life of a ruler who was profoundly out of step with his time, preferring the ethereal worlds of art, architecture, and music to the harsh realities of 19th-century European politics.
The narrative delves deeply into Ludwig's soul, tracing his transition from a handsome young king to a reclusive figure obsessed with the construction of elaborate fairy-tale castles and his transformative, often volatile, patronage of the composer Richard Wagner. Pourtalés captures the tension between Ludwig's Romantic ideals and the rising power of the Prussian-led German Empire, illustrating how the king's devotion to Germanic myth and aesthetic beauty eventually led to his isolation and controversial deposition. This work is both a psychological portrait and a cultural history, offering a poignant look at a man who sought to turn his life into a work of art. It remains a significant literary contribution to the understanding of the Bavarian crown and the cultural legacy of the Wittelsbach dynasty.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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