The Jesuits have now gained the upper hand in Bavaria; one by one, the liberal provisions of the constitution are modified or annulled; the Protestants are harried and oppressed; and a rigorous censorship forbids any free discussion of internal politics.

Following the death of Bavaria's King Maximilian, who had declared himself so on January 1, 1806, officially changing the Electorate of Bavaria to being the Kingdom of Bavaria, his son had ascended the throne in 1825 as Ludwig I.

An enlightened patron of the arts and sciences, Ludwig has transferred the University of Landshut to Munich, which, by his magnificent taste in building, he is to transform into one of the most beautiful cities of the continent.

The early years of his reign had been marked by a liberal spirit and the reform, especially, of the financial administration; but the revolutions of 1830 had frightened him into reaction, which had beenaccentuated by the opposition of the parliament to his expenditure on building and works of art.

In 1837, the Ultramontanes, who strongly support the Church, had come into power with Karl von Abel as prime minister.

Ludwig had forbidden the wearing of mustaches in his military in 1838.