Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria was never officially crowned a king, but was the de-facto ruler of Bavaria for 26 years, from 1886 to 1912.
He was born the third son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1821. He pursued a long military career and in 1886, when his nephew King Ludwig II was declared mentally incompetent, Luitpold was named Regent.
Only a few days later, Ludwig II mysteriously drowned and his brother Otto assumed the throne. Being mentally as incapable as his brother, his Uncle Luitpold remained the Regent of Bavaria. In the course of his regency, he became one of Bavaria's most popular rulers.
This equestrian statue of the prince regent was sculpted in 1899 by Ferdinand von Miller. It is located in a small public park in Bamberg. |
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