Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (born 24 July 1529 in Pforzheim; died 23 March 1577 in Durlach), nicknamed Charles with the bag, governed the Margravate of Baden-Durlach from 1552 to 1577. On 1 June 1556 Charles issued a new Church Order, which made Lutheranism the official religion in Baden-Durlach.
Charles was the son of Margrave Ernest of Baden-Durlach and his second wife Ursula of Rosenfeld. Since the marriage between Ernest and Ursula was morganatic, Charles's ability to succeed was disputed. Nevertheless, he started ruling Upper Baden in his father's name in September 1552. His half-brother, older by 12 years, Bernard IV, died on 20 January 1553 and his father died two weeks later, on 6 February. Charles then inherited the entire country,[1] which was called Baden-Pforzheim at the time. He moved the capital to Durlach, thereby changing the name of his country to Baden-Durlach.
The introduction of the Reformation in 1556
Cover of the Church Order of 1556
After the Peace of Passau (1552) a number of secular rulers in the south west of Germany introduced the Reformation. Margrave Ernest of Baden-Durlach had plans to have had follow suit, but still faced a potential conflict with Archduke Ferdinand, the ruler of the Roman Catholic Further Austria, the who still claimed parts of Upper Baden.[2]
The preparation of the Reformation and the drafting of church order was entrusted to a Commission chaired by Martin Achtsynit, the Chancellor of the Margraviate of Baden (Pforzheimer part). Members of the Commission were the theologianJacob Andreae from Tübingen, the court preacher Michael Diller from Heidelberg and the Saxon theologians Max Morlin and John Stossel.[3] In addition to the theologians, the Councillors Johann Georg and Renz Sechele also belonged to the Commission.[4] Achtsynit was also the first director of the Council of Churches; Charles himself was bishop of the Evangelical Church and so became successor to the bishops of Strasbourg, Speyer and Constance, who had been competent for different parts of his territory. The "inner conflict within the Protestant confession" also affected the work of the Commission.[4] In the end, the commission chose, for political reasons, to largely copy the church order of Württemberg, which had been drafted by Johannes Brenz in 1553, with final editing by Jacob Heerbrand. Württemberg also allowed Jacob Heerbrand to participate in the first church visitation in Baden-Durlach, which was conducted in the autumn of 1556. Charles appointed the theologians Simon Sulzer from Basel as General Superintendent for Upper Baden.
Frequent visitations should ensure that only Lutheran pastors were active and the church order was complied with. Many Catholic priests were expelled. Ferdinand of Austria formally denied Charles the right to introduce the Reformation in his possessions in Breisgau. The people gave Charles the nickname the Pious, referring to the zeal he developed while introducing the Reformation.
As a result, the Ernestine part of Baden turned Protestant shortly after Baden was split. When the two parts of the Margraviate were reunited in 1771 under Margrave Charles Frederick, he had the foresight and sovereignty to allow multiple faiths and to call for tolerance and acceptance.
The Reformation had the effect that the territory of the Margrave of Baden-Durlach only Lutheran pastors were permitted. The Jus patronatus was, however, in many case owned by Catholic monasteries[5] or religious orders,[6] which would now have to pay for a Lutheran pastor. This, of course, caused resistance. The Peace of Augsburg had clear rules for this kind of situation. Religious institutions were allowed to keep their possessions in Protestant areas, but they indeed had to pay for the evangelical pastor. Based on the territorial claims of the House of Habsburg on the Upper Baden lordships mentioned above, the prelates held that the maintenance obligation did not apply to them, and the intended to keep the tithes. Charles then seized their estates and used them to fund the maintenance of churches and pastors. Johann Ulrich Zasius mediated and reached a compromise: the confiscated estates were returned to their owners, but Baden-Durlach was allowed to retain the funds necessary to pay the pastors. However, the Austrian authorities in Innsbruck did not accept this compromise and the confrontation escalated. After some prelates made separate agreements with Baden-Durlach, the negotiations were resumed and led to the treaty of Neuenburg am Rhein of 24 April 1561, with essentially the same result as the earlier agreement.[7]
The relocation of the residence to Durlach in 1565
The Margrave moved the residence from Liebeneck Castle in Pforzheim to Durlach in 1565. This was allegedly triggered by a dispute with the citizens of Pforzheim, who refused to act as drivers in a drive hunt organized by the Margrave. The literature points out that other, more rational, reasons may have existed; in particular, Durlach was more centrally located within Lower Baden.[8]
For this move, the Karlsburg, an existing hunting lodge in Durlach, was expanded into a castle. Charles oversaw the expansion himself and paid the workers personally, using a shoulder bag full of money he brought with him. The affectionate nickname Charles with the Bag refers to this practice.
The city of Durlach was also renovated. A garden was added to the castle and several gates were added to the city wall. In 1571, a mint was built, as was usual in princely residences at the time.
Marie (born: 3 January 1553; died: 11 November 1561)
Albert (born: 12 June 1555; died: 5 May 1574)
Charles II then married on 1 August 1558 Countess Palatine Anna of Veldenz (born: 12 November 1540, died: 30 March 1586), the daughter of the Count Palatine Rupert of Veldenz. They had the following children:
Dorothea Ursula (born: 20 June 1559; died: 19 May 1583)
married on 7 November 1575 Louis III of Württemberg (born: 1 January 1554; died: 18 August 1593)
married on 21 December 1585 Anna of East Frisia (born: 26 May 1562; died: 21 April 1621), the daughter of Count Edzard II of East Frisia
James III (born: 26 May 1562; died: 17 August 1590)
married on 6 September 1584 Elisabeth of Pallandt-Culemborg (born c. 1567; died: 8 May 1620), the daughter of Count Floris I of Pallandt-Culemborg (1537–1598); reigning Margrave
Anna Marie (born: 4 August 1565; died: 8 October 1573)
Elizabeth (born: 27 September 1570; died: 6 October 1611)
George Frederick born: 30 January 1573; died: 24 September 1638); reigning Margrave
After Charles II's death, Baden-Durlach was split-up between his three sons: Baden-Durlach-Hachberg went to James III; Baden-Durlach-Sausenberg went to George Frederick; the remaining Baden-Durlach went to Ernst Frederick who became Margrave of Baden-Durlach and was eventually succeeded by his brother George Frederick, who lived the longest of his sons. Only George Frederick remained a Lutheran, whereas Ernest Frederick converted to Calvinism and James III became a Catholic. Since George Frederick lived the longest, the margraviate remained Lutheran. Charles II's widow, Anna of Veldenz, led the government business for 7 years as regent after his death, until her sons came of age.
Ancestors
Ancestors of Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach
The Margraviate of Baden was a historical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. Spread along the right banks of the Upper Rhine in south-western Germany, it was named a margraviate in 1112 and existed until 1535, when it was split into the two margraviates of Baden-Durlach and Baden-Baden. The two parts were reunited in 1771 under Margrave Charles Frederick, even if the three parts of the state maintained their distinct seats to the Reichstag. The restored Margraviate of Baden was elevated to the status of electorate in 1803. In 1806, the Electorate of Baden, receiving territorial additions, became the Grand Duchy of Baden. The rulers of Baden, known as the House of Baden, were a cadet line of the Swabian House of Zähringen.
Graben-Neudorf is a municipality in Northern Karlsruhe district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was created when the two communities of Graben and Neudorf were united on January 1, 1972. With this union Neudorf was transferred from the district of Bruchsal to the district of Karlsruhe. There is a public school in Graben-Neudorf run by the german government
Binzen is a municipality in the southwestern German Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, part of the district Lörrach. The town's coat of arms was granted on 29 August 1967. The blazon of the arms is Azure a Garb Or on a Chief Gules a Rising Sun in Splendour Or. The town is the seat of the municipal administrative association Vorderes Kandertal.
Niefern-Öschelbronn is a municipality in the Enz district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Enz, 6 km east of Pforzheim.
George Frederick of Baden-Durlach was Margrave of Baden-Durlach from 1604 until his abdication in 1622. He also ruled Baden-Baden.
Edward Fortunatus of Baden was Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern and Baden-Baden.
The Margraviate of Baden-Durlach was an early modern territory of the Holy Roman Empire, in the upper Rhine valley, which existed from 1535 to 1771. It was formed when the Margraviate of Baden was split between the sons of Margrave Christopher I and was named for its capital, Durlach. The other half of the territory became the Margraviate of Baden-Baden, located between the two halves of Baden-Durlach. Baden-Durlach became Lutheran during the Protestant 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 the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). The territory was ravaged during the Nine 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 the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, emerging in 1806 as the Grand Duchy of Baden.
Thomas Grynaeus was a theologian, reformer and pastor.
Jacob Heerbrand was a German Protestant theologian, reformer and controversialist.
Magdalena Wilhelmine of Württemberg was a margravine of Baden. She had a place in the regency during the minority of her grandson in 1738-42.
The Margraviate of Baden-Baden was an early modern southwest German territory within the Holy Roman Empire. It was created in 1535 along with the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach as a result of the division of the Margraviate of Baden. Its territory consisted of a core area on the middle stretch of the Upper Rhine around the capital city of Baden, as well as lordships on the Moselle and Nahe.
Margrave Ernest I of Baden-Durlach was the founder of the so-called "Ernestine" line of the House of Baden, the line from which the later Grand Dukes descended. He was the ruling Margrave of Baden-Pforzheim from 1533 and resided in Pforzheim from 1537. In 1565, his son Charles II moved the capital to Durlach and thereby changed the name of his country to Baden-Durlach. He had to deal with the upcoming Reformation and the frequent Ottoman wars in Europe. In this turbulent time, he tried to maintain a neutral position between the Protestants and Catholics. He did not participate in the Schmalkaldic War.
Kunigunde of Brandenburg-Kulmbach was a princess of Brandenburg-Kulmbach by birth and by marriage Margravine of Baden-Durlach.
Countess Palatine Anna of Veldenz was Margravine of Baden-Durlach by marriage to Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, and co-regent of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach during the minority of her son Ernest Frederick from 1577 to 1584.
Ernest Frederick of Baden-Durlach ruled the northern part of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach. He came to power when he came of age in 1584. He founded the first Gymnasium Illustrie in the margraviate. His conversion from Lutheranism to Calvinism and his occupation of Upper Baden caused serious conflicts – even with the Emperor – the consequences of which damaged Lower Baden and ultimately also led to losses of territory.
Margrave James III of Baden-Hachberg was margrave of Baden-Hachberg from 1584 to 1590 and resided at Emmendingen. He converted, in 1590, from Lutheranism to the Roman Catholic confession, causing some political turmoil.
Elizabeth of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach was a princess of Brandenburg-Ansbach by birth and by marriage Margravine of Baden.
The Yburg is a ruined hilltop castle atop the Yberg, on the western edge of the Black Forest near Baden-Baden, in southwestern Germany.
Barbara of Württemberg was margravine of the historical German territory of Baden-Durlach. The daughter of Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg and his wife, Sibylla of Anhalt, she was born a Duchess of Württemberg and became margravine after marrying Frederick V, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, in 1616. She is depicted as Saint Barbara in a posthumous miniature portrait.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
