Windthorst, Ludwig
t´vĭkh vĭnt´hôrst), 1812–91, German political leader. As a founder and head of the Catholic Center party, he became the Reichstag's foremost opponent of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in the dispute between the chancellor and the German Roman Catholics known as the Kulturkampf. Remarkable for parliamentary skill, he later helped Bismarck seek a reconciliation with the Roman Catholic Church.