Charles I (Margrave of Baden)

Karl of Baden was the eldest son of Margrave Jacob I and his wife Catherine of Lorraine . However, he inherited his warlike character from his grandfather, and already in his early years was known for his active participation in knightly tournaments .

In the years 1444-1445, he, together with the Elector of Palatine and the Duke of Württemberg, successfully resisted the onslaught of the Armagnacs in Alsace . Already the following year, 1446, following Emperor Frederick III , Charles fought in Switzerland against the so-called forest cantons.

The apparent proximity to the Habsburgs was confirmed in a marriage in 1447 with Catherine - the sister of the emperor and daughter of the Austrian Duke Ernst Zhelezny .

Two years later, using his influence at the imperial court, Karl of Baden attempted to intervene on the succession question in Kurpfalz , not wanting the accession to the throne of Frederick the Victorious , which affected their relationship for years to come; in the same 1449, he spoke out in support of the Wurttemberg count Ulrich in the conflict of the latter with the imperial city of Eslingen .

In 1450, Charles I, seeking to consolidate his power, opposed the Knights von Schauenburg ( German von Schauenburg ) in Ortenau - the ministers of the Counts von Eberstein . The Schauenburgs, however, received the support of Elector Frederick I, as a result of which clashes continued until the 1460s. In response, Karl sided with Counts von Lutzelstein ( German: Grafen von Lützelstein ), who refused to recognize Frederick as the legitimate elector of the Palatinate.

On October 14, 1453, he succeeded his father as the Margrave of Baden and Hahberg , taking over power in Upper Baden, the counties of Sponheim, Hahberg, Malberg , Lara and in Hoingen. In 1454-1455, due to the refusal of his brothers Bernhard and Georg from power, Charles I also took over Durlach and Pforzheim (finally in 1458, after the death of Bernhard).

In the years 1455-1465, he again spoke out against the Palatinate Elector Frederick, this time supporting Ludwig I of the Palatinate-Zweibrucken .

The hostile attitude of Karl of Baden to Frederick I did not prevent him, however, from concluding an agreement with him against the gaining strength of the femic courts ; this agreement was also supported by the Strasbourg bishop Ruprecht of Pfalz-Zimmernsky, Albrecht of Austria , Basel , Strasbourg and several other cities in Alsace and in Breisgau .

Fatal for Charles I was the decision to intervene in the dispute over the possession of the Mainz pulpit on the side of his brothers Johann and Georg , bishops of Trier and Metz . Dieter von Isenburg , elected in 1459 and deposed by the pope in 1461, relying on the support of his brother Ludwig, the city council of Mainz and Elector Frederick I, refused to cede his opponent Adolf von Nassau , which marked the beginning of the bloody Baden-Palatinate war of 1461-1462 ( it Mainzer Stiftsfehde, Badisch-Pfälzischer Krieg ). ^[1] Having ravaged the Kurfalz dominions on the left bank of the Rhine , in the summer of 1462 the combined forces of Charles I, his brothers, the Speyer Bishop Johann II and the Württemberg Count Ulrich V (about 8,000 people), assuming the absence of Frederick I in the Palatinate, came out from Bretten and unhindered reached Söckenheim (now a district of the city of Manheim ), where they unexpectedly ran into the army of Frederick and his allies Count Leiningen and Katzenelnbogen . In the ensuing battle, Elector Frederick won a landslide victory, earning the nickname the Victorious ( German: Friedrich der Siegreiche ), and was able to capture the wounded on the battlefield Karl of Baden and his brother Georg Metz. Soon, Ulrich Württemberg, captured by Hans von Gemmingen ( German Keckhans von Gemmingen ), was also captured. The prisoners were imprisoned in Heidelberg Castle until a huge ransom was paid. To Charles I, freedom cost 25,000 guilders, and only got in April 1463; his brother had to pay 45,000 guilders. In addition, Karl was forced to cede his share in the county of Sponheim as a guarantee of his future peaceful intentions, recognize the feudal dependence of Pforzheim on the Rhine Electors and promote the conclusion of a peace treaty between Dieter von Isenburg and Adolf von Nassau, and also reconcile Frederick I himself with the emperor and the pope.

Weakened physically and financially, Charles I spent the second part of his reign, more concerned about the observance of the Zemstvo peace in Baden, and died on February 24, 1475, probably infected with the plague . He was buried in the collegiate church of Baden .

On July 1, 1447, Karl of Baden entered into a marriage with Catherine of Austria . Their children were:

• Christophe (1453-1527), Margrave of Baden from 1475
• Albrecht (1456-1488)
• Frederick (1458-1517), Bishop of Utrecht since 1496
• Catherine (1449-1484), wife of George III von Werdenberg-Zargans
• Kimburg (1450-1501), wife of Engelbert II von Nassau-Dillenburg
• Margaret (1452-1495), abbess of the monastery of Lichtental (Baden-Baden)
• Anna (illegitimate daughter), wife of Johann Henne

• Kleinschmidt, Arthur: Karl I. der Kriegerische, Markgraf von Baden // Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 15. Leipzig, Duncker & Humblot, 1882. S. 228-233.
• Krimm, Konrad: Karl, Markgraf von Baden // Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 11. Berlin, Duncker & Humblot, 1977. ISBN 3-428-00192-3
• Sachs, Johann Christian: Einleitung in die Geschichte der Marggravschaft und des marggrävlichen altfürstlichen Hauses Baden. Carlsruhe 1767. Zweyter Theil. S. 379-508.