If ever there was a sovereign who would have loved to ask for a regency, during the early years of his reign, it was King Ludwig II of Bavaria. As it was, his grandfather (the abdicated King Ludwig I) obviously could not have filled that hole. So I get to wondering who that person would have been, had the young king still been a minor or been able to make such a request. It's anybody's guess as to whether it would have been his mother or uncle Luitpold (who in later years would be declared regent).
It's also anybody's guess as to when Ludwig II would have come to the Bavarian throne, had not his grandfather been forced to abdicate and his father unexpectedly succeeded as King Maximilian II. Would the succession have skipped a generation, in light of the fact that the King Ludwig I was predeceased by his son and heir? How long would he have lived and reigned, had he been allowed to remain on the throne? How long would his son have lived, had he not become king in 1848?
These are the same questions one might ask about the situations surrounding the British abdication in 1936 of King Edward VIII and accession of King George VI. Suffice it to say that Ludwig II of Bavaria would likely have been still a young man -- just not a premature 18. Four years can make a lot of difference in the growth and development of a person that age; but assuming that King Ludwig I lived and reigned until his death in 1868, and his eldest son predeceased him, the grandson would have been 22.
Certainly more ready and inclined to take the throne.
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