Ludwig: Did you mean...?

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer of Classical and Romantic music; he is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived. Most famous for his nine symphonies, piano concertos, piano sonatas, and string...

An 1820 oil-on-canvas portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler of the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). (Beethoven House, Bonn)

An 1823 oil on canvas portrait by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller of the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)

A 1936 photograph of General Ludwig Beck (1880-1944). Beck was a conspirator in the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany. Beck, if the attempt had been succesful, was to have replaced Hitler as the figurehead of the...

Alexander Ludwig as Bjorn Ironside from the TV series Vikings. Photo © The HISTORY Channel

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) was a German composer of Romantic music most famous for his epic operas like The Ring, Tannhäuser, and Tristan and Isolde. Wagner was concerned throughout his career with the theme of redemption through love and...

Katharina Zell (also known as Katharina Schütz, Katharina Schütz-Zell, l. 1497-1562) was a reformer, theologian, and prolific writer in Strasbourg who helped establish the basic tenets of the Protestant Reformation without advancing sectarian...

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was a composer of baroque music who was born in Germany but became an English citizen. His most famous works include his Messiah, Water Music, baroque Italian operas, and English oratorios. A hugely successful...

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was an Austrian composer of Classical music who is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in history. Haydn spent most of his career around Vienna, where he pioneered the symphony and string quartet format...

George I of Great Britain (r. 1714-1727) succeeded the last of the Stuart monarchs, Queen Anne of Great Britain (r. 1702-1714) because he was Anne's nearest Protestant relative. The House of Hanover secured its position as the new ruling...