Anif declaration

The Anif declaration (German: Anifer Erklärung), issued by the Bavarian king Ludwig III on 12 November 1918 at Anif Palace, Austria, ended the 738-year rule of the House of Wittelsbach in Bavaria.

Historical background

With the imminent collapse of the German Empire at the end of the First World War in November 1918, the Kingdom of Bavaria, like all other states of the Empire, was in a state of transition from monarchy to republic.

Max von Speidel, Minister of War in the Bavarian government, under orders from Kurt Eisner, tried to persuade King Ludwig on 10 November (the day before the Armistice) to issue a declaration in which he would release all officers of the Bavarian Army of their oath. Speidel however arrived at the King's residence at Schloß Wildenwart, near Rosenheim, after Ludwig had already left for Austria.

Ludwig III decided to leave Bavaria temporarily for Austria, and, following an invitation of Ernst Graf von Moy, decided to take up residence at Anif Palace, near Salzburg. There, he ordered Otto Ritter von Dandl, the last prime minister of the Kingdom of Bavaria, to issue a declaration. Dandl demanded an abdication but the King was only willing to issue a statement absolving all officers, soldiers and government officials of the Kingdom of their oath. With this, the Anif declaration, Dandl returned to the Bavarian capital, Munich.

The declaration

The original document of the declaration has been lost. It was in the possession of the then interior minister of Bavaria, Erhard Auer, but was lost during the Hitler Putsch in 1923. Only typed copies exist now, bearing handwritten additions by Kurt Eisner.

German: Zeit meines Lebens habe ich mit dem Volk und für das Volk gearbeitet. Die Sorge um das Wohl meines geliebten Bayern war stets mein höchstes Streben. Nachdem ich infolge der Ereignisse der letzten Tage nicht mehr in der Lage bin, die Regierung weiterzuführen, stelle ich allen Beamten, Offizieren und Soldaten die Weiterarbeit unter den gegebenen Verhältnissen frei und entbinde sie des mir geleisteten Treueeides.

English: All my lifetime I have worked with the people and for the people. The care for the well-being of my beloved Bavaria was always my highest concern. Due to the events of the latest days, I find myself no longer able to continue my rule. I offer all officials, officers and soldiers the free choice to continue their service and relieve them of their oath to me.

Source: Copy of the Anif declaration (in German). Historisches Lexikon Bayerns. Retrieved on 2008-06-14..

Publication

Dandl returned to Munich the same day and the government under Eisner published the declaration as the abdication of Ludwig III. While some, even conservative politicians, shared the government's interpretation of the declaration as an abdication, others pointed out the discrepancy between its wording and its use by the government as a declaration of abdication.

Kurt Eisner had the declaration published word by word with his own below it. In his addition he states that the People's State of Bavaria (German:Volksstaat Bayern) accepts the abdication of King Ludwig III and assures him and his family that they are free to return to Bavaria, like every other citizen, providing they take no steps against the people's state.

Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, immediately refused to give up his rights to the Bavarian crown, claiming it to be his birthright to be King of Bavaria.

Aftermath

Ludwig III returned to Bavaria but left again in February 1919, after Eisner's assassination, fearing reprisals. He returned again in 1920 and died in October 1921.

His oldest son, the former crown prince Rupprecht, continued to promote the restoration of the Bavarian monarchy throughout his life. While highly respected by the Bavarian people, he never achieved his goal and died in August 1955.

Kurt Eisner, the first prime minister of the Bavarian Republic, was assassinated on 21 February 1919, shortly before he was going to hand in his own resignation from office. This event triggered the establishment of the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic.

External links

• History of war: Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, 1869-1955

Sources

• Historisches Lexikon Bayerns - Anifer Erklärung, 12./13. November 1918 (in German)

References