Prince Ludwig was born as the oldest son of the prince's regent Luitpold and the princess Auguste Ferdinande von Habsburg-Toskana in Munich. He studied in Munich at the university philosophy, law, history and economics. In the chamber of the imperial councils he was taken up on the 23rd June, 1863. On the 20th February, 1868 he marries in Vienna Marie Therese, archduchess of Austria Estonian and princess of Modena. 12 children arose from this marriage:
* Rupprecht, * Adelgunde, * Maria, * Karl, * Franz, * Mathilde, * Wolfgang,
* Hildegard Luise von Bayern, * Notburga, * Wiltrud, * Helmtrud und * Gundelinde.


On the 12th December, 1912 Ludwig was proclaimed on grounds of apparently demented Otto I to the new prince's regent of Bavaria. He accepted this office only reluctantly, from sense of responsibility towards Bavaria. After a constitutional amendment Ludwig was exclaimed on the 05th November, 1913 to the king of Bavaria. Ludwig's short term of office was marked very conservatively and Catholic. With approval of Vatican he founded on the 14th May, 1916 the party of the Patrona Bavariae in Munich which was committed during the following years in all Bavarian dioceses. Ludwig III was set down by the proclamation of the free national state Bavaria on the 07th November, 1918 as a king. With his dismissal ended 738 years of lasting rule of the Wittelsbacher dynasty. Ludwig passed away on the 18th October, 1921 on castle Nàdasdy in Sàrvàr (Hungary).