Monarchism in Bavaria after 1918

Monarchism in Bavaria after 1918 was driven by the belief that a monarchy would be the best form of government for the German state of Bavaria, despite the abolition of the Bavarian monarchy in 1918. The Bavarian monarchy ended with the declaration of a Bavarian Republic, after the Anif declaration by King Ludwig III on 12 November 1918 as a consequence of Germany's defeat in the First World War.

Monarchism in Bavaria was particularly strong between 1918 and 1933, when an attempt was made to either restore Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, to the Bavarian throne or to elevate him to a position of Generalstaatskommissar (English: General State Commissioner) in an attempt to forestall the rise of the Nazis to power in the state.

Bavaria, ruled by the House of Wittelsbach from 1180, became a kingdom in 1805. In November 1918, in the face of growing unrest in Germany, the last prime minister of the Kingdom of Bavaria, Otto Ritter von Dandl, attempted to persuade the Bavarian King Ludwig III to relinquish the Bavarian throne. Ludwig was unwilling to do so but instead published the Anif Declaration on 12 November in which he absolved all government employees, officers, and soldiers of the Bavarian Army of their oath of loyalty to him. The following day, Kurt Eisner, proclaimed himself prime minister of Bavaria, and falsely informed the public that the King had abdicated, despite that declaration having made no reference to an abdication.

The crown prince, still in military service at the time, made it clear that he had no intention of relinquishing his rights to the Bavarian throne and instead demanded that a freely elected Bavarian national assembly decide over the future system of government in the state. The Bavarian monarch was one of only five of the 22 German potentates not to relinquish his rights to the throne, the others being the King of Saxony, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and the Grand Duke of Hesse.

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