King Maximilian II dies suddenly in Munich and is succeeded by his son, who becomes Ludwig II

King Maximilian II had ascended the throne of Bavaria twenty years before on the abdication of his father after a scandal in 1848. His reign had fluctuated between absolutism and liberalism and was marked diplomatically with the rise of the German Federation, in which he generally supported Austria over Prussia.  He died suddenly in Munich and was succeeded by the eldest of his two teenaged sons, Ludwig II. He was 52 years old. (By John Osborne)