Owner Comments:
“…A Prussian princess?!” - Ludwig furrowed his brows - “But she is a Protestant!” “And so what?” - said Maximilian, looking straight at his father’s eyes, “Mother is also a Protestant, so no problem! And moreover, our Bavaria long has become a country of diverse faiths! In any case, I would take care of this once I become King! It is time to throw off these chains of medieval Catholicism; we live in the Nineteenth Century! I am entirely indifferent as to what language people use to read the Bible in German churches.” Ludwig looked pointedly at his son. How he has grown - a smart, well-educated, and mature man. And now the matter of the wedding with Princess Maria… It is time for it. The future king is already thirty years old, it is time to think about starting a family and furthering the bloodline. Ludwig remembered the Prussian Princess Maria very well - she was lovely, young, always laughing one, and often visited the palace of his uncle, the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm. Ludwig heard that the princess, being the daughter of Prince Wilhelm, grew up in the Sudetski Mountains in the expanses of Silesia, and despite her petite appearance she was an avid mountain climber and loved to spend time hiking along steep mountain trails. It was there that she first met the young Bavarian Crown Prince - Maximilian at that time was traveling across Bohemia in search of adventures. Full of life and energy, Maria was the complete opposite of the cold and snobby Maximilian, who was also much older than she was and who considered that the time spent reading a book was just as effective (if not more) as climbing a mountain was. However, soon after he caught the energy of his companion, and took to enjoying adventuring across mountainsides holding a mountaineer’s pickaxe, taking in the fresh aromas of flowers and admiring the sunsets. The princess was immediately fascinated by the mind and erudition of the young Prince and nobody was surprised when after a while some real feelings flared up between them. These emotions were so strong that Maria even broke off her engagement with the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, her fiancee with whom she was (at the time) foreseeing a long life together. And now, the question arose about the wedding. “Probably it will be better this way,” thought Ludwig. Maximilian is already thirty, the prime age to be thinking about furthering the Wittelsbach line. “It’s decided!” - Ludwig embraced his son - “we will appoint a wedding in the good old tradition for October! Today I will order Joseph Karl Stieler to fashion a portrait of the Princess for our Gallery of Beauty, we will prepare the celebrations - I want for the entirety of Munich to be filled to the brim with beer! And of course, we will have a memorial Taler for the occasion - today we will make a sketch. I will call it “The Wedding Taler”! I want this wedding to be remembered by Bavarians as the symbol of the unification between Bavaria and Prussia, the one and the only Great Germany!!”
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Crown Prince Maximilian married Princess Maria of Prussia on October 12th, 1842. Being an opponent of the unification of Germany under the boot of Friedrich Willhelm, he loved his wife, who in turn loved Bavaria and its people. Released from the Protestant family, Maria was respected by the Catholic Church for her beauty, mind, and modesty. This was noticeable in contrast to her husband - the scientist Maximilian, who was always reserved in reference to the church. The Princess quickly became used to Bavarian tradition, and the Bavarian mountains and mountain trails - it is with her arrival that the sport of mountaineering became associated as a part of life for ordinary Bavarians. In consequence, Maria even changed from the Protestant faith of her ancestors and became a true Catholic. Being a faithful wife to the King of Bavaria, she blessed him with two sons - Ludwig and Otto. Both were later crowned to the throne but their rule was not happy - being weak in health they were found incapable of bearing the burden of the state, and their fates were shattered by treason and betrayal - but this is a completely different story.
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German Talers since 1800 by John S. Davenport.
Bavaria, King Ludwig Series (1825 - 1848).
2 Taler 1842, MARRIAGE.
Davenport 588, KM 812.1, Thun 81, AKS 104, J.72, Schw. 28.
To Commemorate the Marriage of the Crown Prince Maximilian to Marie of Prussia.
Obverse: Head of the Ludwig to the right, LUDWIG I KOENIG VON BAYERN.
Reverse: MAXIMILIAN KRONPR. V. BAYERN U. MARIE K. PRINZ. V. PREUSS. VERM. D. 12 OCTB. 1842.
accolated busts to the R.
37.1200 g., 0.9000 Silver, 1.0740 oz. ASW.
PCGS MS 62.
Another "Historic" 2 Talers coin of Ludwig I of Bavaria - this one to Commemorate the Marriage of Crown Prince! Popular collectible item! This coin has PL (proof like) features with mirrored fields and cameo-like portrait design. Touch of champagne toning creates very appealing look and some hairlines and small scratches in the fields possibly determined the grade - graded as MS 62 by PCGS. Amazing coin and great addition to ANY German coins collection!