Archduke Ludwig Salvator, Prince of Tuscany

HI&RH Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria, in Italian Lodovico Salvatore Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Dominico Raineri Ferdinando Carlo Zenobio Antonino, in German Ludwig Salvator Maria Joseph Johann Baptist Dominicus Rainerius Ferdinand Carl Zenobius Antonin (Florence, 4 August 1847 - Schloss Brandeis, Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav, Bohemia, 12 October 1915), is known as a champion for Majorca's wildlife, in an era when the term "conservation" meant nothing.

He settled on Majorca, buying up wild areas in order to preserve and enjoy it. His main home of S'Arxiduc, near the village of Deià is now a museum. Much of what was his property now belongs to Michael Douglas, most notably the Moorish style palace 'S'Estaca' that Ludwig converted from a ruined old manor house.

In Přerov nad Labem, Bohemia he founded the first open air museum in Central and Eastern Europe.

Works

He wrote a book on insects at the age of 22 and also the nine-volume book "Die Balearen" (The Balearic Islands).

Background

He was a distant and undistinguished member of the ruling House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the fourth son of Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. His young bride Archduchess Mathilde died accidentally; she was bored while watching a parade and tried to smoke a secret cigarette, her clothes caught fire and she literally burnt to death. Ludwig went to Majorca under his title of Count of Neuendorf, arriving in 1867. Falling in love with the clear air, water and dazzling blue skies of Majorca it was to become his base and home for the remainder of his life.

He explored on his steam-yacht the "Nixe". He was known for his extreme love of animals and nature.

He never married again. Relationships with women included Catalina Homar. She convinced Ludwig to let her visit Jerusalem and it is believed that it was there that she contracted the leprosy that took her life in 1905. He had many lovers, most of them Mallorcan and he sired many illegitimate children. He treated them as honoured children and gave them land and wealth.

Ludwig's main work, his 9 volume book on the Balearics took 22 years to complete.

When World War I broke out, his family ordered him to leave Majorca and in 1915 he died in family castle of Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav, Bohemia. He was buried in Vienna.

References

* Hammer, Ute. Oliver. Toniner and Schauhoff, Frank. 'Majorca: Culture and Life' Konemann Publishing

External links

* [http://www.ludwig-salvator.com/ http://www.ludwig-salvator.com/]
* [http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/tuscany.html Grand-Ducal House of Tuscany]