Ludwig I (or Louis I, which is the French form of his name) (August 25, 1786 – February 29, 1868) was king of Bavaria from 1825 until 1848.

He was the son of Maximilian I and Wilhelmine of Hessen-Darmstadt . In 1810 he married Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1792-1854), the wedding being the occasion of the first Oktoberfest. He succeeded his father on the throne in 1825 and patronised the arts.

He moved the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität from Landshut to Munich in 1826.

Ludwig became tainted with scandals associated with one of his mistresses, Lola Montez and he abdicated on March 20, 1848 in favour of his son, king Maximilian II of Bavaria.

He was the father of:

• Maximilian II of Bavaria (1811-1864)
• Mathilde, Grand Duchess of Hesse and the Rhine (1813-1862)
• Otto (1815-1867), who became king of Greece in 1832
• Theodelinde, Princess of Bavaria (1816-1817)
• Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria (1821-1912)