Frederick I | |
|---|---|
| Margrave of Baden | |
 Falconry hunt of Frederick and King Conradin,Codex Manesse (c. 1305) | |
| Born | 1249 Alland,Austria |
| Died | (1268-10-29)29 October 1268 (aged 18/19) Naples,Kingdom of Sicily |
| Buried | Santa Maria del Carmine, Naples |
| Noble family | House of Zähringen |
| Spouse | Kunigunde of Eberstein |
| Father | Herman VI, Margrave of Baden |
| Mother | Gertrude of Austria |
Frederick I of Baden (1249 – October 29, 1268), a member of theHouse of Zähringen, wasMargrave of Baden and ofVerona, as well as claimantDuke of Austria from 1250 until his death.[1] As a fellow campaigner of theHohenstaufen kingConradin, he likewise was beheaded at the behest of KingCharles I of Naples.
He was born in AustrianAlland, the only son of theSwabian margraveHerman VI of Baden (c.1226–1250) and his wifeGertrude (1226–1288), niece and heiress of the lateBabenberg dukeFrederick II of Austria.
As Duke Frederick II of Austria had been killed at the 1246Battle of the Leitha River, the ducal line of the Babenberg dynasty had become extinct. Margrave Herman VI of Baden, through his marriage with Gertrude, had raised inheritance claims to theAustrian andStyrian possessions. However, after the death of EmperorFrederick II in 1250, no strongImperial authority existed to assert his title. Though he was backed byPope Innocent IV and anti-kingWilliam of Holland, Herman could not prevail against the claims raised by the mightyPřemyslid kingWenceslaus I of Bohemia and his warlike sonOttokar II.
At the time of the death of his father, young Frederick stayed at theMeissen court, where his mother Gertrude had fled. He could succeed Margrave Herman inBaden, with his uncleRudolf I acting asregent. Also claimant to the Austrian and Styrian duchies through his mother, Frederick took his residence nearVienna. However, when in 1252 Ottokar II married Gertrude's auntMargaret and moved into Austria, he again had to flee, at first to Styria and later to theSponheim court inCarinthia.
From about 1266, Frederick grew up at theWittelsbach residence of DukeLouis II of Bavaria, where he became friends withConradin,Duke of Swabia, the young son of KingConrad IV of Germany and heir to the Imperial Hohenstaufen dynasty. From him Frederick expected support in enforcing his claims to power.
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In 1267 he made the fatal decision to accompany Conradin on his expedition against Charles of Anjou, who had been crownedKing of Sicily byPope Clement IV and killed Conradin's uncleManfred in the 1266Battle of Benevento. Conradin had moved intoRome on 24 July 1268, however, Charles decisively defeated the Hohenstaufen troops at theBattle of Tagliacozzo on 23 August, whereafter Conradin and Frederick fled and passed into captivity on 8 September atTorre Astura, south ofAnzio. Betrayed and handed over to King Charles by theirFrangipani followers, both remained in degrading imprisonment atCastel dell'Ovo inNaples. The king himself condemned them to death; according to legend, they heard their verdict while playingchess and indifferently continued the game. Conradin and Frederick were publiclybeheaded in thePiazza del Mercato on 29 October.
Their mortal remains were at first hastily buried, but later transferred to the church ofSanta Maria del Carmine, Naples, at the behest of Conradin's motherElisabeth of Bavaria. Pope Clement died a month after the execution; Charles, though, was expelled from his kingdom in theSicilian Vespers of 1282.
Frederick I, Margrave of Baden Born: 1249 Died: 29 October 1268 | ||
| Preceded by | Margrave of Baden 1250–1268 withRudolf I | Succeeded by |
| Duke of Austria Duke of Styria (claimant) 1250–1268 | Succeeded by | |
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