Karl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria (9 August 1839 – 30 November 1909), was a member of the House of Wittelsbach and a professional oculist. He was the favorite brother of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, and the father of Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians.
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Life
Karl Theodor was born at Possenhofen Castle, the third son of Duke Maximilian in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria.
At the age of 14, Karl Theodor joined the Bavarian Army. In 1866, he fought in the Austro-Prussian War. When he left active duty, he became a student at LMU Munich, where he studied philosophy, law, economics, and medicine. Among his teachers were the chemist Justus von Liebig, the pathologist Ludwig von Buhl, and the physicist Philipp von Jolly.
In 1870, Karl Theodor's studies were interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War in which he served as a proprietary colonel of the 3rd Bavarian Light Horse. After the war, he returned to his studies. In 1872, he was named an honorary Doctor of Medicine by LMU Munich; the following year he completed the requirements for the degree. Then he studied ophthalmology under Professor Deutschland and continued his education under Professor Arlt in Vienna and Professor Horner in Zürich.
In 1877, Karl Theodor began practicing medicine in Menton on the Côte d'Azur, often assisted by his wife Maria Josepha. In 1880, he opened an eye clinic in his castle at Tegernsee. Then in 1895, he founded the Augenklinik Herzog Carl Theodor (English: Duke Charles Theodore Eye Clinic) in Munich; the clinic in the Nymphenburger Strasse remains one of the most respected eye clinics in Bavaria to the present day. Between 1895 and 1909, Karl Theodor personally carried out more than 5,000 cataract operations as well as treating countless other eye disorders.
Marriages and family
On 11 February 1865, at Dresden, Karl Theodor married his first cousin Princess Sophie of Saxony, daughter of King John of Saxony and his aunt, Princess Amalie Auguste of Bavaria. They had one child:
Duchess Amalie in Bavaria (24 December 1865 – 26 May 1912) she married Wilhelm, Duke of Urach, on 4 July 1892, and had issue.
On 29 April 1874, at Kleinheubach, Karl Theodor married Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal (1857–1943), daughter of the exiled King Miguel I of Portugal and Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, and had five children:
Duchess Sophie Adelheid in Bavaria (22 February 1875 – 4 September 1957), married Hans Veit, Count of Törring-Jettenbach, on 26 July 1898, and had issue.
Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria (25 July 1876 – 23 November 1965), married King Albert I of Belgium on 2 October 1900, and had issue.
Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria (9 October 1878 – 24 October 1912), married Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, on 10 August 1900, and had issue.
Duke Ludwig Wilhelm in Bavaria (17 January 1884 – 5 November 1968), married Princess Eleonore Anna Lucie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg on 19 March 1917.
Duke Franz Joseph in Bavaria (23 March 1888 – 23 September 1912)
Prince Karl Theodor died from kidney trouble at Bayreuth on 30 November 1909.
Legacy
His cousin, King Ludwig II of Bayern remembered him fondly, writing to Baroness Leonrod in 1863: I feel I ought to tell you that I've found a true and faithful friend whose only friend I am; it is my cousin Karl, son of Duke Max. He is hated and misunderstood by almost everybody; but I know him better and know that he has a good heart and soul. Oh, it is so beautiful to have a true and beloved friend to whom one can cling in the storms of life and with whom one can share everything!
Honours
Karl Theodor received a number of honours:
He was an honorary doctor of the University of Louvain, honorary colonel of the 5th Regiment of Prussian Dragoons, and an honorary member of the Academy of Medical Sciences in Brussels.
Karl Theodor died at Kreuth in 1909. He is buried in the family crypt in Schloss Tegernsee.