Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria

Prince Ludwig Ferdinand Maria Karl Heinrich Adalbert Franz Philipp Andreas Konstantin of Bavaria (22 October 1859 – 23 November 1949) was a member of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach and a General of Cavalry. Following his marriage to Infanta María de la Paz of Spain, he was also created an Infante of Spain.

General information He was the eldest son of Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (1828–75) and Infanta Amalia of Spain (1834–1905). He was a paternal grandson of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and his wife Princess Therese of Saxe-Altenburg. His maternal grandparents were Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain and his wife Princess Luisa Carlotta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

Ludwig Ferdinand's paternal uncles were King Maximilian II of Bavaria, King Otto I of Greece and Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria. His maternal uncle was King-Consort Francis of Spain (1822–1902) and maternally his first cousin was King Alfonso XII of Spain (1857–85), two years his senior. Ludwig Ferdinand was born in Madrid, but his younger siblings in Bavaria, where they had returned.

Ludwig II, Otto I and Ludwig III, Kings of Bavaria, were his first cousins. Alfonso XIII (reigned 1885–1931) was a first cousin's son.

Prince Ludwig Ferdinand was the only member of the Bavarian Royal Family who always remained on friendly terms with his cousin, King Ludwig II (with the exception of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria) – and the only cousin to ever be invited, together with his wife, at Herrenchiemsee Palace as well as for private dinners at the Munich Residence. When Ludwig II was arrested at Neuschwanstein Castle in 1886, he called Ludwig Ferdinand for help; the latter immediately intended to follow this call, but was prevented from leaving Nymphenburg Palace by his uncle Luitpold who was about to take over government as the ruling Prince Regent.

Ludwig Ferdinand, Prinz von Bayern, 1906 medal for the 25th anniversary of his regiment in Landau in der Pfalz. Ludwig Ferdinand was one of only a few European princes doing an ordinary job outside government or military, by working as a surgeon and gynaecologist.

Military service Prince Ludwig Ferdinand entered the Royal Bavarian Army on 22 October 1877 as a Sekonde-Lieutenant à la suite of the 2nd Heavy Cavalry Regiment "Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria" (Königlich Bayerisches 2. Schwere-Reiter-Regiment „Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand von Österreich-Este“) with a Patent of 11 October 1877. He was promoted to Premier-Lieutenant on 7 February 1880 and to Rittmeister on 20 August 1882.

Due to his medical training, in addition to his regular military titles, he was also placed à la suite of the Royal Bavarian Army's Medical Corps (Sanitätskorps) on 24 October 1910 and named an Obergeneralarzt à la suite of the Sanitätskorps on 16 July 1915.

German states

Ancestry