1864 ca, Bavaria, Germany: A portrait of younk King von Bayer LUDWIG II (Louis) of Wittelsbach , King of Bavaria, known as" Mad King Ludwig" (1845 1886). King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death. Ludwig ascended to the Bavarian throne at age 18, following his father's death. His youth and brooding good looks made him wildly popular in Bavaria and abroad. One of his first acts was official patronage of his idol, the German opera composer Richard Wagner.