Ludwig III of Bavaria - Marriage and Children

Marriage and Children

In June 1867, Ludwig visited Vienna to attend the funeral of his cousin, Archduchess Mathilda of Austria (daughter of his father's sister Princess Hildegarde of Bavaria). While there, Ludwig met Mathilde's eighteen-year-old step-cousin Maria Theresia, Archduchess of Austria-Este.

On 20 February 1868, at St. Augustine's Church in Vienna, Ludwig married Maria Theresa. She was the only daughter of the late Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este (1821–1849) and of his wife Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria (1831–1903).

Until 1862, Ludwig's uncle had reigned as King Otto I of Greece. Although Otto had been deposed, Ludwig was still in line of succession to the Greek throne. Had he ever succeeded, this would have required that he renounce his Roman Catholic faith and become Greek Orthodox. Maria Theresa's uncle, Duke Francis V of Modena, was a staunch Roman Catholic. He required that as part of the marriage agreement Ludwig renounce his rights to the throne of Greece, and so ensure that his children would be raised Roman Catholic. In addition, the 1843 Greek Constitution forbade the Greek sovereign to be simultaneously ruler of another country. Consequently, Ludwig's younger brother Leopold technically succeeded upon their father's death to the rights of the deposed Otto I, King of Greece.

By his marriage, Ludwig became a wealthy man. Maria Theresa had inherited large properties from her father. She owned the estate of Sárvár in Hungary and the estate of Eiwanowitz in Moravia (now Ivanovice na Hané in the Czech Republic). The income from these estates enabled Ludwig to purchase an estate at Leutstetten in Bavaria. Over the years, Ludwig expanded the Leutstetten estate until it became one of the largest and most profitable in Bavaria. Ludwig was sometimes derided as Millibauer (dairy farmer) due to his interest in agriculture and farming.

Although they maintained a residence in Munich at the Leuchtenberg Palace, Ludwig and Maria Theresa lived mostly at Leutstetten. They had an extremely happy and devoted marriage which resulted in thirteen children:

• Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria (1869–1955)
• Adelgunde, Princess of Bavaria (1870–1958). Married Prince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1864–1927).
• Maria Ludwiga, Princess of Bavaria (1872–1954). Married Ferdinando Prince of the Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria (1869–1960) and had issue.
• Karl, Prince of Bavaria (1874–1927).
• Franz, Prince of Bavaria (1875–1957). Married Princess Isabella Antonie of Croÿ (1890–1982) and had issue.
• Mathilde, Princess of Bavaria (1877–1906). Married Ludwig Gaston Klemens Maria, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
• Wolfgang, Prince of Bavaria (1879–1895)
• Hildegarde, Princess of Bavaria (1881–1948)
• Notburga, Princess of Bavaria (1883, lived only a few days)
• Wiltrud, Princess of Bavaria (1884–1975). Married Wilhelm, Duke of Urach (1864–1928).
• Helmtrud, Princess of Bavaria (1886–1977).
• Dietlinde, Princess of Bavaria (1888–1889)
• Gundelinde, Princess of Bavaria (1891–1983). Married Johann Georg Count von Preysing-Lichtenegg-Moos (1887–1924), and had issue; her grandson Count Riprand von Arco-Zinneberg married 1980 at Chartres, the elder daughter of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este.

On the death of her uncle Francis in 1875, Maria Theresa became heir to his Jacobite claim to the throne of England, and is called either Queen Mary IV and III or Queen Mary III by Jacobites.

Throughout his life, Ludwig took a great interest in agriculture. From 1868, he was the Honorary President of the Central Committee of the Bavarian Agricultural Society. He was also very interested in technology, particularly water power. In 1891 at his initiation, the Bavarian Canal Society was established. As a prince of the royal house he was automatically a member of the Senate of the Bavarian Legislature; there he was a great supporter of the direct right to vote.