The Madness of King Ludwig II

On the 13th of June 1886, the body of Ludwig II, the so-called Mad King of Bavaria, was found floating in two feet of water on Lake Starnberg, Germany.

The official verdict given by the authorities was suicide by drowning. But the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, and the strange events that took place in the lead up to it have led many to believe it was no suicide. 

Instead, they believe he was in fact killed by his own government, who have covered up his murder for over 100 years.  

If you unravel the life of this unconventional monarch, you reveal the story behind one of Germany’s most enduring mysteries. A king loved by his people but hated by his government. Throughout his life, the young king did repeatedly test the patience of his ministers. More interested in music, the arts and architecture, the royal’s fascination for the whimsical seemed to leave little time for affairs of state. With expenditures growing and debts mounting as he chased his dreams for romantic architecture, is it only a story that his government would form a plot to seize power?  

The death of King Ludwig II of Bavaria has been the subject of intrigue and investigation for over a century. How did a king once famous for his eccentric behaviour and fairy-tale castles end up being declared insane, removed from his throne, and found floating face down in shallow water near the shores of a remote Lake? 

In this episode we explore the history of Bavaria’s supposedly mad king and question was his death the result of a deteriorating mental state, or were more darker forces at play? 

Cast List: 

• James Sherwood 
• An author, curator and broadcaster specialising in sartorial and royal history, fashion and bespoke tailoring, whose work has featured in the Financial Times, the International Herald Tribune, and the Independent on Sunday.  
• Ann Marie Ackerman 
• A former American prosecutor, now a successful True Crime writer specialising in unusual German historic crimes, her latest work being “Death of an Assassin”.   
• Guy Walters 
• A British author, historian, and journalist, he has written several books on WWII. As a journalist for The Times, he writes on historical topics for the national press. 
• Ken Hollings 
• A writer, broadcaster and cultural theorist, whose work includes “Welcome to Mars”, and “The Bright Labyrinth”. He is currently a lecturer at the Royal College of Art specialising in experimental communication and the evolving relationship between culture and technology.  
• Dr Gerhard Immler 
• The Chief Archive Director of the Bavarian State Archives in Munich.

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