Ludwig III of Bavaria (b. 1845)

Ludwig III (Ludwig Luitpold Josef Maria Aloys Alfried; 7 January 1845 – 18 October 1921) was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918. Initially he served in the Bavarian military as a lieutenant and going on to hold the rank of Oberleutnant during the Austro-Prussian War. He entered politics at the age of 18 becoming a member of the Bavarian Legislature and keen participant in politics, endorsing agricultural and voting reforms. Later in life he served as regent and de facto head of state from 1912 to 1913, ruling for his cousin, Otto. After the Bavarian parliament passed a law allowing him to do so, Ludwig deposed Otto and assumed the throne himself. He led Bavaria during World War I.

After the German Revolution of 1918, the German Empire was dissolved and the Weimar Republic created. As a result of this revolution, the Bavarian throne was abolished along with the other monarchies of the German states, ending Ludwig's reign.