Lola Montez

Lola Montez was the Andalusian-Moorish stage persona of Dolores Eliza Gilbert (1818-1861), an Irish-born dancer. In the 1840s she became a controversial muse for King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made Montez a Bavarian citizen so he could make her the Countess of Landsfeld. This was regarded as yet another outrage by reformers and as Ludwig's regime broke down Montez was forced to flee to Switzerland and finally the United States, where she returned to her roots as an entertainer.