The beer riots in Bavaria happened between 1 May and 5 May 1844, beginning after King Ludwig I of Bavaria decreed a tax on beer. Crowds of urban workers beat up police while the Bavarian army showed reluctance to get involved. Civil order was restored only after the King decreed a ten percent reduction in the price of beer.^[1] Following the Revolutions of 1848, Ludwig I abdicated in favour of his son, Maximilian II.