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Ludwig Viktor Josef Anton
(May 15, 1842 - January 18, 1919) Austria

Ludwig Viktor

Archduke of Habsburg-Lothringen

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Archduke Ludwig Viktor was born in Wien, Austria, the youngest son of Archduke Franz Karl and Princess Sophie of Bavaria. He was the younger brother to Emperor Franz Joseph.

Ludwig ViktorLudwig Viktor was tenderly called "Luziwuzi" or "Bubi" by his friends, and who was commonly known at Court for his malicious tongue and his faible for women's clothes. He should follow his second brother Emperor (Archduke) Maximilan as heir of the Mexican Throne, but refused.

Viktor Ludwig, spent most of his life exiled on the island of Capri, following a series of scandals involving dressing up in women's clothes and molesting his military aides.

He is famous for his gay activities (with servants, young officers and even common coach drivers); and therefore, because of his scandalous personal life, - considered mad/insane - he was exiled from the Vienna court and confined to his castle near Salzburg, on orders of the Emperor.

His sexual live and the reactions to this are told in a chapter of Christian Dickinger's "Habsburgs Schwarze Schafe". For instance, his eldest brother, the Emperor, said: "One should give him a ballerina as adjutant, (only) then nothing would happen".

Ludwig Viktor spent most of his "exile", and died, in his castle, at Klesheim near Salzburg. His grave is on the Friedhof, Siezenheim.

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BurgtheaterPalast Erzherzog Ludwig Viktor now Burgtheater im Kasino, Wien

In 1863 he decided to build this palace; the architect was Heinrich von Ferstel, famous after the erection of the Votivkirche. The palace, modeled on the style of the Italian Renaissance, was finished in 1869. Nowadays, this building houses the second stage of Vienna (200 places).

His elder brother the Emperor did allow him the role of Head of the Austrian Red Cross from 1896 onward.

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