Ernest, Margrave of Baden-Durlach
Encyclopedia
Margrave Ernest I of Baden-Durlach (7 October 1482, Pforzheim
– 6 February 1553, Sulzburg
) was the founder of the so-called "Ernestine" line of the House of Baden, the 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, he moved the capital to Durlach and thereby changed to 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
.
.
Ernest was a first — like most of his brothers — destined for the clergy and was ordained in 1496 in Graben-Neudorf
by the Vicar General
of Diocese of Speyer
. But he was not willing to renounce his inheritance and changed from a spiritual career to a military one. In 1509 he participated in the campaign the of Emperor Maximilian I
against the Republic of Venice
.
His father, Margrave Christopher, proposed to make his fifth son, Philip I
his sole successor, since Philip was most qualified to govern the country and Christopher wanted to avoid a division of his territory. On 18 June 1511, Christopher demanded that the Estates
of Rötteln, Sausenberg and Badenweiler salute Philip, but they refused. On subsequent meestings of the Estates in Rötteln
and in 1512 in Kandern
, they refused to pay homage
to Philip, because they would not be drawn into the internal dissensions of the house of Baden. Ernest had threatened the Estates that he would respond with violence of they were to pay homage to his brother.
Ernest administered parts of Baden on behalf of his father from 1515 onwards, as did his brothers Philip I
and Bernhard III
. After Philip's death, Bernard II and Ernest divided the country into the Margraviates of Baden-Baden ("Berhardine line") and Baden-Durlach ("Ernestine line"). The two parts were reunited in 1771 under Margrave and later Grand Duke Charles Frederick, a descendant of the Ernestine line, after the extinction of the other lines.
. They had the following children:
. During Ernests's lifetime, it was controversial whether his son Charles could inherit the Margraviate. In the end, Charles could only inherit the margravite from his half-brother because the guardians of his cousins in the Bernhardine line did not object. In 1594, this morganatic marriage was cited in the imperial court as an argument when Margrave Ernest Frederick
— a grandson of Ernest — contested the right to inherit of the children of Margrave Edward Fortunatus and Marie of Eicken.
They had three children:
Pforzheim
Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
– 6 February 1553, Sulzburg
Sulzburg
Sulzburg is a town in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the western slope of the Black Forest, 20 km southwest of Freiburg.Sulzburg's lovely, barrel-vaulted synagogue has been completely restored....
) was the founder of the so-called "Ernestine" line of the House of Baden, the 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, he moved the capital to Durlach and thereby changed to name of his country to Baden-Durlach. He had to deal with the upcoming Reformation
Reformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
and the frequent Ottoman wars in Europe
Ottoman wars in Europe
The wars of the Ottoman Empire in Europe are also sometimes referred to as the Ottoman Wars or as Turkish Wars, particularly in older, European texts.- Rise :...
. In this turbulent time, he tried to maintain a neutral position between the Protestants and Catholics. He did not participate in the Schmalkaldic War
Schmalkaldic War
The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman...
.
Life
Ernest was the seventh son of the Margrave Christopher I of Baden and Ottilie of KatzenelnbogenOttilie of Katzenelnbogen
Ottilie von Katzenelnbogen was the daughter of count Philip II "the Younger" of Katzenelnbogen and Countess Ottilie of Nassau , whom he married in 1450...
.
Ernest was a first — like most of his brothers — destined for the clergy and was ordained in 1496 in Graben-Neudorf
Graben-Neudorf
Graben-Neudorf is a town in Northern Karlsruhe County in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Early history:The village of Graben was probably created between the 5th and 7th Century, though this isn't entirely certain. An ancient Roman road connecting Kehl, Mühlburg, Heidelberg, and Neuenheim runs...
by the Vicar General
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of Diocese of Speyer
Diocese of Speyer
The Diocese of Speyer is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese is located in the South of the Rhineland-Palatinate and comprises also the Saarpfalz district in the east of the Saarland. The bishop's see is in the Palatinate city of Speyer.The current bishop is Karl-Heinz...
. But he was not willing to renounce his inheritance and changed from a spiritual career to a military one. In 1509 he participated in the campaign the of Emperor Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
against the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
.
His father, Margrave Christopher, proposed to make his fifth son, Philip I
Philip I, Margrave of Baden
Margrave Philip I of Baden took over the administration of his father's possessions Baden , Durlach, Pforzheim and Altensteig and parts of Eberstein, Lahr and Mahlberg in 1515 and ruled as governor until he inherited the territories in 1527...
his sole successor, since Philip was most qualified to govern the country and Christopher wanted to avoid a division of his territory. On 18 June 1511, Christopher demanded that the Estates
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
of Rötteln, Sausenberg and Badenweiler salute Philip, but they refused. On subsequent meestings of the Estates in Rötteln
Rötteln
Rötteln is a village beneath the ruins of the Rötteln Castle in Southern Baden, which today is part of the district of Haagen in the city of Lörrach, Baden-Württemberg.- History :...
and in 1512 in Kandern
Kandern
Kandern is a town in southwestern Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in the Kreis of Lörrach. During the Battle of Schliengen, in which the French Revolutionary army fought the forces of Austria, the battle lines of both armies terminated in Kandern...
, they refused to pay homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to Philip, because they would not be drawn into the internal dissensions of the house of Baden. Ernest had threatened the Estates that he would respond with violence of they were to pay homage to his brother.
Ernest administered parts of Baden on behalf of his father from 1515 onwards, as did his brothers Philip I
Philip I, Margrave of Baden
Margrave Philip I of Baden took over the administration of his father's possessions Baden , Durlach, Pforzheim and Altensteig and parts of Eberstein, Lahr and Mahlberg in 1515 and ruled as governor until he inherited the territories in 1527...
and Bernhard III
Bernhard III, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Bernhard III, Margrave of Baden-Baden inherited in 1515 part of his fathers margraviate of Baden. He ruled his part from 1515 until 1536....
. After Philip's death, Bernard II and Ernest divided the country into the Margraviates of Baden-Baden ("Berhardine line") and Baden-Durlach ("Ernestine line"). The two parts were reunited in 1771 under Margrave and later Grand Duke Charles Frederick, a descendant of the Ernestine line, after the extinction of the other lines.
The befitting marriage: Elisabeth of Brandenburg-Ansbach
The Margrave first married on 29 September 1510 with Elisabeth of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach (born: 25 March 1494; died: 31 May 1518), the daughter of Margrave Frederick II of Brandenburg-Ansbach-KulmbachFrederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Frederick I of Ansbach and Bayreuth was born at Ansbach as the eldest son of the Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg by his second wife Anna, daughter of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony. His elder half-brother was the Elector Johann Cicero of Brandenburg...
. They had the following children:
- Albert (born: July 1511; died: 12 December 1542), participated in the Austrian war against the Turks in 1541 in Hungary and died on the way back in Wasserburg am InnWasserburg am InnWasserburg am Inn is a town in the district Rosenheim in Upper Bavaria, Germany. The historic centre is a peninsula, formed by the meandering Inn River...
- Anna (born: April 1512; died after 1579)
- married on 11 February 1537 to Count Charles I of Hohenzollern (born: 1516; died: 8 March 1576)
- Amalie (born February 1513; died 1594)
- married in 1561 Count Frederick II of Löwenstein (born: 22 August 1528; died: 5 June 1569)
- Jacqueline Marie (born: October 1514; died: 1592)
- married in February 1577 to Count Wolfgang II of Barby (born: 11 December 1531; died: 23 March 1615)
- Marie Cleopha (born: September 1515; died: 28 April 1580)
- married in 1548 Count William of Schultz (died circa 1566)
- Elizabeth (born: 20 May 1516; died: 9 May 1568)
- married firstly in 1533 Count Gabriel von Salamanca-OrtenburgGabriel von Salamanca-OrtenburgGabriel von Samalanca-Ortenburg was a Spanish nobleman who was general treasurer and archchancellor of the Austrian archduke Ferdinand I of Habsburg from 1521 to 1526....
(died: December 1539) - married secondly on 30 July 1543 Count Conrad II of Castell (born: 10 July 1519; died: 8 July 1577)
- BernhardBernard IV, Margrave of Baden-DurlachBernard IV, Margrave of Baden-Durlach was Margrave of Baden-Pforzheim from 26 September 1552 until his death.- Life :...
(born: February 1517; died: 20 January 1553), ruling Margrave
- Bernhard
First morganatic marriage: Ursula of Rosenfeld
The Margrave's second marriage was in 1518 with Ursula of Rosenfeld (died: 26 February 1538), the daughter of George of Rosenfeld. This was a morganatic marriageMorganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
. During Ernests's lifetime, it was controversial whether his son Charles could inherit the Margraviate. In the end, Charles could only inherit the margravite from his half-brother because the guardians of his cousins in the Bernhardine line did not object. In 1594, this morganatic marriage was cited in the imperial court as an argument when Margrave Ernest Frederick
Ernest Frederick, Margrave of Baden-Durlach
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...
— a grandson of Ernest — contested the right to inherit of the children of Margrave Edward Fortunatus and Marie of Eicken.
They had three children:
- Margaret (1519–1571)
- married on 12 November 1538 to Count Wolfgang II of Oettingen (1511-1572)
- Salome (d. 1559)
- married in 1540 Count Ladislas of Hag (born: 1495, died: 31 August 1566)
- Charles II (born: 24 July 1529; died: 23 March 1577), ruling Margrave
Second morganatic marriage: Anna Bombast von Hohenheim
The Margrave married his third wife on 1 March 1544. She was Anna Bombast of Hohenheim (died: 6 June 1574). This marriage produced no children.External links
- Image of the Margrave Ernest Fountain in Pforzheim from: Bildarchiv Foto Marburg – Image Index of Art and Architecture