Louis II (of Bavaria), in German, Ludwig II (1845-1886), King of Bavaria (1864-1886), son and successor of King Maximilian II, born in Nymphenburg. He aided Austria against Prussia in the Seven Weeks' War in 1866 but assisted Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. In 1871 he consented to the inclusion of Bavaria in the German Empire. A notable patron of art and music, he subsidized the early career of Richard Wagner, and was also was responsible for the construction of many...