—Duke Aegir
Ludwig, also known as Duke Aegir, is a minor antagonist from Fire Emblem: Three Houses and the secondary antagonist of Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. He is the Prime Minister of the Adrestian Empire and the father of Ferdinand.
Profile[]
Three Houses[]
Academy Phase[]
Ludwig is the latest in a long line of Dukes of Aegir to inherit the position of Prime Minister of the Adrestian Empire. In Imperial Year 1171, he masterminded the Insurrection of the Seven, a soft coup that stripped Emperor Ionius IX of much of his power and reduced him to a figurehead. Since then, Ludwig has effectively ruled the Empire from behind the throne and worked closely with Those Who Slither in the Dark, performing experiments on the Emperor's children.
War Phase[]
When Edelgard is made Emperor, one of her first decrees is to strip Ludwig of his titles. He tries to argue before backing down, and is placed under house arrest.
Verdant Wind/Silver Snow/Azure Moon[]
In Ferdinand and Lysithea's Paralogue, Ludwig escapes from house arrest and winds up in Hrym territory. Confronted by people who have experienced atrocities by Aegir's rule, along with Volkhard's actions in Aegir's name, Ludwig is killed.
Warriors: Three Hopes[]
In the alternate timeline of Three Hopes, Ludwig is deposed as Prime Minister in 1180 via a direct assault on the Imperial capital and placed in the dungeon in Enbarr. Ferdinand wishes for his father to be granted a fair trial, but Ludwig eventually escapes imprisonment and goes into hiding.
Scarlet Blaze[]
Ludwig soon conspires with Those Who Slither in the Dark and Adrestian nobles still loyal to him, and takes command of Fort Merceus in a bid to reclaim Enbarr and control of the Empire by force. However, Edelgard and the others break through to Fort Merceus, where Ludwig realizes that he can't escape; seeing this, he wishes to die by his son's hand to retain his dignity.
As Edelgard's forces smash through his defenses and kill his lackeys, Hubert and Ferdinand confront him and a small group of soldiers protecting him. Hubert eliminates the soldiers, allowing Ferdinand to strike at Ludwig; however, instead of trying to defend himself, Ludwig lets Ferdinand kill him.
Azure Gleam[]
With aid from Thales and Those Who Slither in the Dark, Ludwig is successful in his coup against Edelgard, whom Thales places under a powerful form of mind control. Under the pretense that Edelgard is unwell, Ludwig rules the Empire with the title of Regent.
Later, at Ailell, Ludwig leads the imperial army against a combined force of Kingdom and Alliance soldiers, but is forced to retreat back to Garreg Mach. During the retreat, he loses track of Edelgard and stalls in order to search for her. Halted by his distraction, he is caught by a Kingdom army pursuit and killed.
Personality[]
Noticeably corrupt, Ludwig's attitude is the exact opposite of his son, and likely the main reason why Ferdinand tries to act as a proper noble. Despite this, Ferdinand appreciates the hard work his father did as Prime Minister and deeply cares about him, shown by his concern when Ludwig went missing and his sorrow at the news of his murder.
Choose Your Legends Placement History[]
| Round | Placement | Character Version | Votes |
|---|
| CYL1 - CYL3 | N/A | ||||
| CYL4 | 384 |  Three Houses |
254 | ||
| CYL5 | 451 ↓73 |
Three Houses |
55 ↓199 | ||
| CYL6 | 455 ↓4 |
Three Houses |
62 ↑7 | ||
| CYL7 | 412 ↑43 |
Three Houses |
20 ↓42 | ||
| CYL8 | 433 ↓21 |
Three Houses |
9 ↓11 |
Etymology[]
Ludwig is an Old High German given name. Etymologically, the name can be traced back to the Germanic name Hludwig, composed of Hlud or Hluth meaning "famous", and Wig meaning "war".
Trivia[]
- Ludwig shares his English voice actor with Gilbert as well as Mycen from Echoes.
- Ludwig is never referred to by his forename in Three Houses. His name was officially stated in Heroes by Ferdinand during his A-Support conversation in the Forging Bonds event.
Gallery[]
