Margraviate of Baden-Durlach Markgrafschaft Baden-Durlach | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1535–1771 | |||||||||
.svg) Coat of arms | |||||||||
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| Status | Margraviate | ||||||||
| Capital | Pforzheim (1535–1565);Durlach (1565–1718);Karlsruhe (1718–1771) | ||||||||
| Common languages | German | ||||||||
| Religion | Lutheran (from 1556) | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1535 | ||||||||
• Unified withBaden-Baden | 1771 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 1,631 km2 (630 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1746 estimate | 90000 | ||||||||
| Currency | Rhenish gulden South German gulden (fl.) | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Germany | ||||||||
TheMargraviate of Baden-Durlach was anearly modern territory of theHoly Roman Empire, in the upperRhine valley, which existed from 1535 to 1771. It was formed when theMargraviate of Baden was split between the sons ofMargrave Christopher I and was named for its capital,Durlach. The other half of the territory became theMargraviate of Baden-Baden, located between the two halves of Baden-Durlach. Baden-Durlach became Lutheran during theProtestant Reformation, unlike Baden-Baden, which remained Catholic. Baden-Durlach occupied Baden-Baden from 1594 to 1622, but was driven out after being defeated at the Battle of Wimpfen, during theThirty Years' War (1618–1648). The territory was ravaged during theNine Years' War (1688–1697). Following the extinction of the Baden-Baden line in 1771, the Baden-Durlach inherited their territories and reunited the Margraviate of Baden. The reunified territory was caught up in theFrench Revolutionary andNapoleonic Wars, emerging in 1806 as theGrand Duchy of Baden.
The Margraviate of Baden-Durlach encompassed an area on the middleUpper Rhine around the cities ofPforzheim andDurlach, as well as the Margraviate of Hachberg aroundEmmendingen, and an area known asMarkgräflerland in the southern part of the Upper Rhine region, betweenMüllheim andLörrach.
In detail, the territorial components were as follows:[1]
Lower Margraviate (c. 40% of the total area)[2]
Upper Margraviate [de] (c. 60% of the total area)
Baden-Durlach held two individual votes (Virilstimme) on the temporal bench of theImperial Diet, as well as a third individual vote for the Margraviate of Hachberg. It had the same representation of the diet of theimperial circle ofSwabia.
In 1535, theMargraviate of Baden was split into the Margraviates ofBaden-Baden and Baden-Durlach. MargraveCharles II chose to support theProtestant Reformation in 1556 and transferred his residence from Pforzheim toKarlsburg Castle in Durlach in 1565.
In 1594, Baden-Durlach exercised control over Baden-Baden in what is known as theOberbadische Okkupation (Upper Baden Occupation), after MargraveGeorge Frederick seized the territory in light of his relatives' bankruptcy. Having never received imperial authorisation for the seizure, George Frederick joined theProtestant Union in an effort to protect his claims.[3] This ended in 1622 during theThirty Years' War, after George Frederick was defeated at theBattle of Wimpfen and forced to abdicate and return Baden-Baden to his relations.[4] During theNine Years' War, Pforzheim and Durlach were burnt to the ground.
From 1715, MargraveCharles III William built his new residence,Karlsruhe Palace, in an empty area. The city that developed around the palace would later becomeKarlsruhe.
In 1771, MargraveCharles Frederick inherited the Margraviate of Baden-Baden, reunifying the Margraviate of Baden.
The summer residence of the margraves of Baden-Durlach was theMarkgräflerhof inBasel, Switzerland, where the margraves also owned a number of other properties.
Thecoat of arms underwent changes over time. Here the coat of arms depicted on the seal of Margrave Charles II is described:
The central shield contained the red Badian diagonal band on a golden background. In the upper left field was the crowned red lion of the Landgraves of Sausenberg. The upper right field showed the wing of the lords ofÜsenberg Castle. The lower left had a vertical band with three chevrons, the arms of the lordship of Badenweiler. In the lower right field was the red lion of the lords of Rötteln.
The coat of arms was surrounded by five helmets. The upper middle one bears the Badianibex horns. Alongside it is a helmet with the Sausenberg lion and one with the upper part of a man wearing the wing of the Üsenberg arms. On the left side of the arms is a helmet with the upper part of a young man, who wears the vertical band of the Badenweiler arms, and at right is a helmet with a bishop'smitre, symbolising theSchirmvogtei held by the lordship of Rötteln over several monasteries.[5]
According to theImperial Register, the Margraviate was obliged to supply troops to theSwabian Circle. In addition to these troops, the Margraves also built up a force of household troops (a bodyguard).
In 1770, the margraviate had a total of 807 soldiers in service (including both the circle troops and the household troops), consisting of four companies of agrenadierbattalion, afusilier division, and a company ofdragoons.[6]
The largest force raised in the history of Baden-Durlach was recruited by Margrave George Frederick in 1622 for thePalatinate campaign of the Thirty Years' War. It consisted of 11,500 men, only half of which were recruited locally from the margraviate's militia, with the rest on loan from George Frederick's allies; the territory was too small and poor to pay for professional soldiers beyond the margrave's own bodyguard.[3] George Frederick's army ceased to exist when he was defeated at the Battle of Wimpfen, the remnants of the army being absorbed by theCount of Mansfeld's forces.[7]
Before 1582, like the rest of the Empire, the Margraviate employed theJulian Calendar. In 1582, the Margraviate of Baden-Baden adopted theGregorian Calendar, such that 4 October 1582 was followed directly by 15 October 1582, but Baden-Durlach, as a Protestant state, retained the Julian Calendar, since the new calendar had been promulgated by thePope.
TheCorpus Evangelicorum in the Imperial Diet agreed to adopt the Gregorian Calendar only in 1699. Baden-Durlach followed the decision and adopted the new calendar in 1700, with 18 February being followed directly by 1 March 1700.[8] Some parish books from the Margraviate show that individual churches did not all follow suit immediately.
Initially, the Margraviate wasRoman Catholic, like the rest of the Holy Roman Empire, but on 1 June 1556, Margrave Charles II decreed a newChurch Order on the Württemberg (i.e. Lutheran) model and initiated the Reformation in his territory.
Although his two oldest sons abandoned Lutheranism (Ernest Frederick converted toCalvinism in 1599 andJames III converted to Catholicism in 1590), Baden-Durlach remained Lutheran since the third son, George Frederick did not convert, outlived his brothers and inherited both of their territories.
The Margrave was also the leader of the local Protestant church. The daily administration of the churche was dealt with by a Church council (Kirchenrat). Two General Superintendents were appointed, one for the Lower territories and another for the Upper territories, who oversaw the Special Superintendents who administered the individualdioceses, which in turn administered the individualparishes. Consistency of doctrine was maintained by regularvisitations.
Even in language, the Margraviate was not unified. The Landgraviate of Sausenberg and the Lordships of Badenweiler und Rötteln spokeHigh Alemannic, while the Margraviate of Hachberg usedLow Alemannic and the Lower Margraviate (Karlsruhe-Pforzheim) employed aSouth Franconian dialect.
The Margraviate never had a university. However, the level of the highest school, thegymnasium illustre in Karlsruhe, was at times equivalent to a university. Originally, the institution mainly served to educate orthodox priests to safeguard the Reformation. The school was established in Durlach in 1586 and transferred to Karlsruhe by Charles III William in 1724.[9] It is now theMarkgrafen-Gymnasium Karlsruhe.
TheBadische Staatskapellesymphony orchestra is first attested in 1662. Its masters were:Enoch Blinzig (1707–1708),Giuseppe Beniventi (1712–1718),Johann Philipp Käfer (1718–1722),Johann Melchior Molter (1722-1733 and 1743–1765), and Giacinto Sciatti (1765–1776).
From 1577 to 1584 and 1738 to 1746, there were regencies for underage rulers. These regents are mentioned in the text, but not listed asmargraves.
| Name (lifetime) | Reign | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Ernest | 1515–1553 | Son of MargraveChristopher I of Baden. Regent over Upper Baden after his father's loss of capacity in 1515. After the death of his brotherPhilip I in 1533 and the division of the Margraviate, he founded the House of Baden-Pforzheim (later Baden-Durlach), also known after him as the "Ernestian Line." |
 | Charles II | 1553–1577 | Son of Ernest. From 1552, regent along with his half-brotherBernard IV, but after the latter's death in 1553, he became sole Margrave. In 1556 after thePeace of Augsburg he joined the Reformation. In 1565 he transferred the residence to Karlsburg Castle in Durlach. |
 | Ernest Frederick | 1584–1604 | Son of Charles II. Regency while he was underage was held by the MargravineAnna of Veldenz and various Protestant princes from 1577 to 1584. A new division of territory in which Ernest Frederick took Durlach and Pforzheim and his brothers James III (1562–1590) and George Frederick took Hachberg and Rötteln-Sausenberg respectively. He established agymnasium in Durlach. In 1594 he used the debts ofEdward Fortunatus as an excuse for the military occupation of the Margraviate of Baden-Baden (Oberbadische Okkupation). In 1599, he rejected theFormula of Concord and converted from Lutheranism to Calvinism, which led to unrest. |
 | George Frederick | 1604–1622 | Son of Charles II. From 1595 regent of the upper territories, after the death of his older brothers he became sole Margrave of Baden-Durlach in 1604 and de facto ruler of Baden-Baden. A pious Protestant and founding member of theProtestant Union. Abdicated in favour of his son in 1622, after his defeat at theBattle of Wimpfen. |
 | Frederick V | 1622–1659 | Son of George Frederick. Occupation and plundering of Baden-Durlach by Imperial troops. To escape theEdict of Restitution, he allied with Sweden in 1631 and joined them in attacking Baden-Baden and parts ofBreisgau. Fled toBasel after his defeat at theBattle of Nördlingen. The Emperor declared him to have abdicated and abolished the Margraviate, but it was restored in thePeace of Westphalia. |
 | Frederick VI | 1659–1677 | Son of Frederick V. General of the Swedish army. Summoned theLandstände for the last time. Fought in theFourth Austro-Turkish War and theFranco-Dutch War on the side of theHabsburgs. In 1674 he becameImperial General Field Marshall. |
 | Frederick VII Magnus | 1677–1709 | Son of Frederick VI, focussed mainly on domestic politics. Occupation and plundering by French troops in theNine Years' War (1688–1697) and theWar of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). Fled to Basel. |
 | Charles III William | 1709–1738 | Son of Frederick VII. Officer during the War of the Spanish Succession, Imperial General Field Marshal in 1715. Reigned as anabsolute monarch, restored state finances, and created a reliable bureaucracy. In 1715 he began work on a new residence, theKarlsruhe Palace and the new city ofKarlsruhe. |
 | Charles Frederick (* 22 November 1728 in Karlsruhe; † 10 June 1811) | 1738/1746–1811 | Son of hereditary princeFrederick (1703–1732) and grandson of Charles III William. Until 1746, a regency under Prince Charles August was in charge.Enlightened absolutist and follower of thePhysiocrats. In 1771, the reunification of Baden took place after the extinction of the Baden-Baden line. Final loss of the territories on the left bank of the Rhine during theRevolutionary Wars, but was recognised as ruler byNapoleon.Elector in 1803,Grand Duke and joined theConfederation of the Rhine in 1806. Significantly expanded Baden through the annexation of the territories ofElectoral Palatinate on the right bank of the Rhine, Breisgau, andOrtenau, and throughGerman mediatisation |
Description of the condition of the margraviate in at the beginning of Karl Frederick's reign:
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