Alexandra was born in
Schloss Johannisburg in
Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, the eighth child and fifth daughter of King
Ludwig I of Bavaria and of his wife, Princess
Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. As a girl, her portrait was painted by
Joseph Karl Stieler for the
Gallery of Beauties, which her father commissioned at
Schloss Nymphenburg. In the 1850s, Prince
Louis Lucien Bonaparte asked King Ludwig for Alexandra's hand in marriage, but as he had been previously married and divorced, Ludwig refused, using as an excuse Alexandra's delicate health. Alexandra never married, and instead was appointed
abbess of the Royal Chapter for Ladies of
Saint Anne in
Munich and
Würzburg; this was a religious community specifically for ladies of nobility.
Writer In 1852, Alexandra began a literary career. Her first book of stories was entitled
Weihnachtsrosen (Christmas roses). The next year she published
Souvenirs, pensées et essais (Memories, thoughts and essays). In 1856 appeared
Feldblumen (Field flowers), the proceeds of which she donated to the Maximilian Orphanage. In 1858, appeared
Phantasie- und Lebensbilder (Daydreams and biographical sketches), a collection of loose translations into German from English and French. In 1862, she produced a loose translation into German of some of the romances of
Eugenie Foa. The following year appeared
Thautropfen (Dewdrops), a collection of short stories translated into German from French as well as others of her own. In 1870, Alexandra produced
Das Kindertheater (The children's theatre), a German translation of some French children's plays from
Arnaud Berquin's ''L'ami des enfants
. That same year appeared Der erste des Monats'' (The first of the month), a German translation of
Jean-Nicolas Bouilly's French book. In 1873, she produced
Maiglöckchen (Lilies of the valley), a collection of short stories. Alexandra also had a number of contributions published in
Isabella Braun's periodical
Jugendblätter. Alexandra died on 21 September 1875 (the same day as her brother
Prince Adalbert), at the age of 49, at
Schloss Nymphenburg. She is buried in the
Wittelsbach crypt in the
Theatinerkirche in Munich. ==Psychological issues==