The Exiled Queen Read Online Free
Malva Ferster
The house of Wittelsbach, one of the mostancient of the royal families of Europe, wasdivided, toward the end of the eighteenthcentury, into three branches. The old Elector, KarlTheodore, who died in 1799, was without issue, andhis successor, Maximilian of the Pfalz-Zweibrckenline, became the founder of a new dynasty. Beingthe third son, there had seemed little prospect ofsucceeding to the throne in his earlier years, mostof which were spent in the strictest seclusion atMannheim and Zweibrcken. Later, he entered theFrench army and until the outbreak of the FrenchRevolution was stationed as colonel at Strassburg,where the jovial warrior made himself most popular,not only in military but in social circles.
Duke Max at that time was called the handsomestprince in Europe. He was slender and wellbuilt, with a distinguished ease of manner and agraciousness that won the hearts of all with whomhe came in contact, regardless of class or station.Naturally gay and light-hearted, fond of pleasureand society, an accomplished musician and composer,with a passion for nature and out-of-door life,it is small wonder that he was universally adored.Even his mother-in-law, to whose age and habitshis lack of seriousness did not at first especiallyappeal, was completely won by his devotion to herand her daughter, and his constant efforts to divertand entertain them. When the famous violinist,Paganini, came to Munich, Max invited him to visitthe castle at Tegernsee and sent one of the royalcarriages to meet him. He often arranged amateurconcerts, to which all the neighboring families wereinvited, and whiled away the long Autumn eveningsplaying and singing with his friend Petzmacher, thezither-player.
Ludovica was very different from her husband.She disliked meeting people, cared nothing for sociallife or gayety, and had an abhorrence for noise orconfusion of any kind. Max was a great admirerof the fair sex and made no concealment of the fact.He had the true artist nature, sanguine, impulsive,and susceptible, and must have caused the Duchessmany unhappy hours, innocent as most of thelove affairs attributed to him seem to have been.Whatever her feelings were, however, she carefullyconcealed them from the eyes of the world.To all appearances the relations between her andher husband were most harmonious. In many ways,too, their opposite temperaments were of mutualadvantage. His cheerfulness and careless gayetyoften banished the fits of melancholy to which shewas subject, while her firmness and good senseproved a balance to his volatile nature, and theywere united in their love of nature and country life.
The first three years of their marriage were childless,but in 1831 the Duchess presented her husbandwith an heir, who was named Ludwig, for the King.As time went on the family circle increased. Theoldest daughter, Hlne, was born in 1834. OnChristmas Eve of 1837, Elizabeth came into theworld, followed, in the Summer of 1839, by a secondson, Karl Theodore. On the fourth of October, 1841,at Possenhofen, the Duchess gave birth to her thirddaughter, Maria Sophia Amalia, the future Queenof Naples. Two years later, Mathilde Ludovicawas born. On the twenty-second of February,1847, the youngest daughter of the ducal pair,Sophie Charlotte Augusta, made her appearance atMunich, and on the seventh of December, 1849,their youngest son, Maximilian Emanuel was born,also in Munich.
While Ludwig was busy erecting his magnificentpublic edifices, Max employed himself building andrebuilding palaces. Possenhofen, where most of hischildren were born, was the favorite residence bothof himself and his family, although they usuallyspent the Winters in Munich; and here, in the years1833-1835 the celebrated architect, Leo von Klenze,built for them a magnificent residence in the Ludwigstrasse.Rank and state, however, by no meansexcluded simple kindliness and true hospitality fromthe splendid halls of the Duke and Duchess. Theyfrequently gave large balls which were eagerlylooked forward to by the younger set in the aristocraticworld of Munich. Duke Max always stoodby the door to welcome his guests on these occasions,offering each lady a bouquet of flowers withtrue knightly gallantry. Fountains plashed in thehuge ballroom where inviting seats were placed hereand there among groups of splendid foliage plants,while from behind a leafy screen floated the strainsof an orchestra inviting to the dance. All chatted,laughed, and danced with perfect unconstraint, andthe Duke was always the gayest of the gay, withthe right word for every one.
In the great courtyard of the palace he had a ringmade where exhibitions of fancy riding were givenbefore the ladies of the family and a few invitedguests, Max himself often taking part. This becamethe favorite resort of his daughters in Winter, whowould spend whole days there exercising, with theirdogs and horses for companions, and it was herethat Elizabeth of Austria and Maria Sophia ofNaples acquired the skill that afterward made themthe most perfect horsewomen of their day.
Duke Max and his family may be said to havegrown up with this beautiful spot. Here he broughthis bride one bright summer morning; here theyspent their happiest days together, far from theburdensome restrictions of court etiquette; heretheir children received their first impressions of life;and hither they always returned with a feeling ofjoy and comfort no other place could offer. Theyoung princesses spent long days riding and swimming,training their dogs and horses, or clamberingabout on the mountain tops. It was this life in theopen air that stamped them with so marked an individualityand gave them their love of freedom andsimplicity. They were quite at home among thecountry folk and deeply resented any slight or injuryto their mountain friends. In this, however, theymerely followed the example set them by theirparents. The beautiful home at Possenhofen hadroots stretching far out into the countryside, andall who were in trouble hastened at once for helpand comfort to Duchess Max, whose womanly sympathieswere by no means confined to her own familycircle.
About this time a very beautiful and fascinatingpublic dancer, called Lola Montez, made her appearancethere and created a great sensation. Herorigin was obscure and uncertain; but the best authoritiesseem to make her the daughter of an Irishofficer and a beautiful Spanish woman of Moorishdescent. She was born in Ireland in 1820 andat the age of seventeen married one LieutenantJames, with whom she went to the West Indies. Shesoon left her husband, however, and returned toEngland, where she prepared herself to become adancer. While hardly a regular beauty, LolaMontez seems to have possessed in the highestdegree what the French call la beaut du diable.She had wonderful black hair, fiery eyes that couldchange in an instant to melting warmth, a perfectfigure, with hands and feet so small and beautifullyshaped that a duchess might have envied them.
On the tenth of October, 1846, she appeared forthe first time at the court theatre in Munich andimmediately became the subject of violent discussion,some raving over her beauty, her adventures,and her triumphs, others denouncing her manners andbehavior and creating prejudice against her by reportswhich even went so far as to call her a politicalspy. Instead of the traditional ballet skirts, Lolapresented herself on this occasion in a Spanish costumeof silk and lace, diamonds sparkling here andthere upon it, her wonderful blue eyes flashing asshe curtsied low before the King, who was seatedin the royal box. She danced several Spanishdances and all sat spellbound as one charming posefollowed another, fascinated by her supple graceof motion and the art with which she could suddenlychange from glowing passion to the roguish smilesof an innocent young girl. As soon as she stoppeddancing, however, the charm was broken and hisseswere mingled with the applause.
One day she made a frightful scene because theguard would not allow her dog to enter the parkwhere she wished to walk. The officer on duty washastily summoned and tried to make her understandthat the soldier was in the right, whereuponshe struck him across the face with her riding-whip.Out of respect for the King, no one ventured to arresther, but the officers and citizens of Wrzburg wereso infuriated she was forced to leave the city secretly.
The revolution of February, which had alreadytaken place in Paris, was followed by similar uprisingsthroughout Europe, and added fuel to the firein Bavaria. The citizens of Munich again rose inrevolt, and the Government could no longer remaindeaf to their just demands for a more liberal constitution.The King made some concessions whichpartially appeased the loyal Bavarians, and the disturbanceseemed about to subside, when a reportthat Lola Montez had returned to Munich causeda fresh outbreak. Official notices were posted thatevening on every street corner, affirming that theCountess Landsfeld had left Karlsruhe on the fourteenthof March for Frankfort, and had been forbiddenever to set foot again on Bavarian soil; butthe people laughed this to scorn. The placardswere torn down and the insurgents continued theirwork of destruction.
On the eighteenth of March, Munich found itselfin a state of siege. Ten thousand troops were inarms to put an end, if possible, to the uprising.Many deputations waited on the King and on theStates Assembly, which had convened in the meantime,while the greater part of the people who hadtaken no part in the disturbance waited anxiouslyfor developments. But King Ludwig was unableto crush the rebellion; neither was he able to reconcilehimself to a new system of government.Two days later Munich was startled by an unexpectedevent. A proclamation was issued by thesovereign, announcing his abdication, after a reignof twenty-three years, in favor of his eldest son, towhom he left the task of carrying out the reformsdemanded by the people. Dumbfounded at thisunforeseen step, the Bavarians, loyal still to thehouse of Wittelsbach, were much affected, and manyfelt remorseful at having rebelled against their King,who, in spite of his faults, had been a good sovereignand done much for his country. After his abdication,Ludwig spent the remainder of his life as aprivate citizen, partly in Bavaria, partly in Italyand the south of France, interesting himself stillin art and plans for the further improvement ofMunich. He soon regained all his old popularity,and felt no regrets for the rank and honors he hadrenounced. He died in February, 1868; but someyears before that event, an equestrian statue ofhim was erected in Munich by the grateful peopleof that city.
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