Description
10 Mark 1873 D – Ludwig II
10 Mark 1873 D – Ludwig II
Features
| Country | Kingdom of Bavaria (German states) |
|---|---|
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Years | 1872-1873 |
| Value | 10 Mark (10) |
| Currency | Mark |
| Composition | Gold (.900) |
| Weight | 3.982 g |
| Diameter | 19.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Demonetized | 08-16-1938 |
| References | KM # 892, J # 193 |
| 1873 D | MINTAGE – 1,198,125 |
The greatest stress of Ludwig’s early reign was pressure to produce an heir. This issue came to the forefront in 1867. Ludwig became engaged to Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, his cousin and the youngest sister of his dear friend, Empress Elisabeth of Austria.[7] They shared a deep interest in the works of Wagner. The engagement was announced on 22 January 1867; a few days earlier, Ludwig had written Sophie, “The main substance of our relationship has always been … Richard Wagner’s remarkable and deeply moving destiny.”[14] Ludwig repeatedly postponed the wedding date, and finally cancelled the engagement in October. After the engagement was broken off, Ludwig wrote to his former fiancée, “My beloved Elsa! Your cruel father has torn us apart. Eternally yours, Heinrich.” (The names Elsa and Heinrich came from characters in Wagner’s opera Lohengrin.)[14] Sophie later married Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Alençon, grandson of French King Louis Philippe I, at Possenhofen Castle at which Ludwig II unexpectedly attended the reception.
Ludwig never married nor had any known mistresses. His diary, private letters, and other documents reveal his strong homosexual desires,[15] which he struggled to suppress to remain true to the teachings of the Catholic Church.[16] Homosexuality had not been punishable in Bavaria since 1813,[17] but the unification of Germany under Prussian hegemony in 1871 instated Paragraph 175, which criminalized homosexual acts between males.
AMANET DEVA
CLAUDIUS GOLD COINS
