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Ludwig lay back exhausted upon the pillows, breathing heavily. As always happened during their short dates, time was sorely lacking to enjoy everything to the end, to drink the cup of love to its fullest - everything always ended too soon, whether the King wanted it to or not. “God, how beautiful she is!" - thought Ludwig, looking at the woman lying next to him - "Some unearthly beauty! God could not create such lines, such flawless curves, such a perfect body... and these eyes, and hair - no, rather it is not God but the tempter Devil... only He could come up with and bring to life this all-destroying beauty in a female body to bring upon his, Ludwig's, doom" .. "You're a witch, Lola, aren't you? You're surely not human?" - he whispered, bringing himself closer to her lovely ear ... Their meetings took place in her castle, where the King regularly took lessons in "Spanish", but all their "activities" ended in the same way - they passionately smothered each other in each others' arms, and neither could not get enough of it. Their romance had been going on for about a year - Ludwig remembered their first meeting well. It happened after a concert where she, a young actress named Lola Montez, was introduced to the King, who was immediately overwhelmed by her beauty and manner. Since then, Ludwig more and more surrendered himself to a vicious feeling and no longer had any strength to resist - all his thoughts and feelings were only about her - the only One, divine and unique! He gave her a castle, the title of Baroness (Countess), Bavarian citizenship, and the whole of his love! Yet she only laughed at his passionate confessions and wrapped her arms around his neck, covering his face with kisses! "Yes, I must be a witch! And you, great one, are my King! " - and she drew him into the bedroom, where all time slowed to a halt for Ludwig, and Heaven and Hell merged into one madness of carnality. And now Lola lay in front of him with her hair down, looking at him from under long eyelashes and smiling mysteriously. “What a beauty you are!” Exclaimed the King. "I made a big mistake when I ordered Herr Stiller to paint your Baroness portrait fully clothed, for my Gallery of Beauty - he should portray you as you are now - naked and beautiful, with flowing hair and blushing cheeks." Lola burst out with a coquettish laugh, “Your Majesty, my portrait in your gallery already provokes conversations among the noble-born ladies of the court... I can only imagine what they would say if I were portrayed over there without clothes." With this she lay back upon the bed, pulled the blanket close around her, and gazed at him keenly. “Nothing would be said," said Ludwig, frowning, "for Venus does not need clothes, and indeed - I am the King and I do what I think is necessary! In addition, you are no longer a commoner, but the Baroness von Landsfeld (Countess of Landsfeld), so they all better shut their ignorant mouths! “I am the Baroness!" - Lola threw a glance of her dark and gleaming eyes at the King - "and I want to ask you for one favor..."- Lola drew back the blanket so that the King could see her exposed nude thigh. “I have heard rumors that you, Your Majesty, have put a bust of Bishop Julius von Mespelbrunn in your Walhalla... I believe you made a big mistake and I ask that you remove it from there! This Bishop has done more harm to Germany than all of the religious wars! Think how many heroes laid down their lives for the progressive ideas of the Reformation, for the struggle against the violence of the Catholic Church, so that such a Mespelbrunn should come and undo everything that was created by the Great Luther. It was he who planted these Jesuit vampires everywhere, that only know how to burn innocent women at the stake and suck blood from our unfortunate people, and you declare him "Hero of the Nation." With this Lola angrily turned away, clearly distraught. Ludwig took a deep breath. “But dear! Mespelbrunn was one of the outstanding rulers!" - He took his beloved by the hand - "He lifted up Wurzburg from the ruins of the Thirty Years' War, he built churches and hospitals... among other things he was one of the most educated people in Germany - it seems he graduated from as many as five Universities - in Rome, Mainz, Paris and elsewhere. By the way, he was the first Prince Bishop that was asked by the church to lead the Cabinet, even before his ordination to the priesthood. Truly, he can be called a hero of his time! And since he is a Hero - Walhalla is the very place where he belongs!" Ludwig took a sip of wine from the glass at the bedside. Lola's eyes flashed in disapproval. “His place is not in Valhalla, but at the stake, with which he burned all those poor women for the glory of the Catholic Church!" Lola sat up on the bed. “And you, Your Majesty, you know that this hero of yours forbade the Lutherans to carry the Word of God - they could not preach, they were persecuted like lepers, like vagrants! No, no and no - such "heroes" of our Germany are not needed - you must immediately order to remove his bust! And in general, Our King is long overdue to attend to today's state affairs that await him - our "Spanish lesson" is at an end! " With this Lola turned away, rising from the bed, throwing on a robe, and making it clear that their date was over.
At home Ludwig was helplessly in store for another scandal and headache - Teresa could not reconcile to herself that her husband openly visits the house of his mistress and does not even make an attempt to try and hide it. "They are all witches," thought Ludwig to himself, remembering the captivating curves of Lola's body. "And they are created to bring us speedier unto death. Old man Mespelbrunn did the right thing, that he burned them - this is the only way to rid the world of their black magic. No, I'll still leave his bust in Valhalla... he was a wise man. And at the same time I will release a new jubilee thaler bearing his image - let Lola be angry... am I or am I not the King?!" Ludwig's mood thus improved, and he went to the office to make his preliminary sketches of the new coin.
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Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn of Würzburg was truly an extraordinary person. Brilliantly educated (Universities of Leuven, Paris, Douai, Rome, and Mainz), the young theologian held the throne of the Prince Bishop in Würzburg, even without having been ordained into the priesthood. The Catholic Church in those years was going through hard times, and the energetic new Bishop devoted himself entirely to its reorganization. Through the work of his iron hands, the Anti-Reformation movement began in Germany, which saw the Catholic Church elevated to the height of religious doctrine, causing Protestant ideas to once again be persecuted. Mespelbrunn restored Catholic supremacy, supported the Jesuit Order, and rebuilt and destroyed churches and monasteries. During his administrative rule Würzburg flourished, the University underwent a restoration, and the famous Julius Hospital was built. And even today, the townspeople remember the Bishop every time a mug of the famous Würzburg wheat beer is raised - it is named after Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn, the Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier.
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German Talers since 1800 by John S. Davenport.
Bavaria, King Ludwig Series (1825 - 1848).
2 Taler 1847, MESPELBRUNN.
Davenport 596, KM 823, Thun 87, AKS 110, J.78, Schw. 34.
To Commemorate the erection of the statue to Prince Bishop Julius Echter of Mespelbrunn in Wurzburg.
Obverse: Head of the Ludwig to the right, LUDWIG I KOENIG VON BAYERN.
Reverse: STANDBILD DES FURSTBISCHOF'S JULIUS ECHTER V. MESPELBRUNN ERRICHTET ZU WURZBURG 1847. Statue of Bishop.
37.1200 g., 0.9000 Silver, 1.0740 oz. ASW.
PCGS MS 62. Old PCGS holder (the thick one).
We are offering one of the RAREST specimens from so-called "Historic Talers" of the King Ludwig I of Bavaria - 2 Talers to Commemorate Prince Bishop Julius Echter of Mespelbrunn of Wurzburg - one of the rarest MS-certified coin displaying statue of Bishop and definitely one of the most desirable pieces for any German Coin collectors! Uncirculated fields with touch of patchy bronze toning, shiny reflective fields, spectacular details of the design! Single contact marks and hairlines on the fields. The coin hosted in old PCGS holder (the thick one). Another great collectible and investment item!