Frederick I (german: Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig; 9 September 1826 – 28 September 1907) was the

Grand Duke of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subse ...

from 1858 to 1907.

Life

Frederick was born in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

, Baden, on 9 September 1826. He was the third son of Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden and

Princess Sophie of Sweden Princess Sophie of Sweden (Sofia Vilhelmina Katarina Maria Lovisa Charlotta Anna; 21 May 1801 – 6 July 1865) was, by marriage, Grand Duchess of Baden as the wife of sovereign Grand Duke of Baden, Leopold. Biography Early life Sophie was born ...

. He became the

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

to the grand duchy upon the death of his father in 1852 and the accession of his brother as Grand Duke Louis II. Due to his brother's mental ill-health, he was

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

''ad interim'' of Baden in 1852–1855, and took the title of grand duke in 1856. His brother, Louis II, died in 1858. He was considered a relatively liberal supporter of a

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

. During his reign the option of

civil marriage A civil marriage is a marriage performed, recorded, and recognized by a government official. Such a marriage may be performed by a religious body and recognized by the state, or it may be entirely secular. History Every country maintaining a ...

s was introduced in Baden as well as direct elections to the Lower House of the Parliament of Baden in 1904. In 1856, Frederick married

Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to: ;People: * Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, 1848–1939, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom * Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, 1867–1931, the ...

, daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. The couple had three children. Frederick I had a pivotal role in the history of the Zionist movement. In 1896 he met

Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl; hu, Herzl Tivadar; Hebrew name given at his brit milah: Binyamin Ze'ev (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austro-Hungarian Jewish lawyer, journalist, playwright, political activist, and writer who was the father of modern po ...

(the founder of political Zionism) via their mutual acquaintance the reverend

William Hechler William Henry Hechler (1 October 1845 – 30 January 1931) was an English Restorationist Anglican clergyman; eschatological writer; crusader against antisemitism; promoter of Zionism; and aide, counselor, friend and legitimiser of Theodor Herzl, ...

, and helped Herzl in obtaining an audience with his nephew

Wilhelm II, German Emperor Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Emp ...

. After some persuasion on the part of the grand duke, the emperor accepted the appeal for an audience. It took place in Palestine on 2 November 1898, during the emperor's visit to inaugurate the

Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer ( he, כנסיית הגואל, ar, الكنيسة اللوثرية في القدس, german: Erlöserkirche) is the second Protestant church in Jerusalem (the first being Christ Church near Jaffa Gate). It is ...

. Frederick I was present at the

proclamation of the German Empire The proclamation of the German Empire, also known as the ''Deutsche Reichsgründung'', took place in January 1871 after the joint victory of the German states in the Franco-Prussian War. As a result of the November Treaties of 1870, the southe ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

in 1871, as he was the only son-in-law of Prussian King

Wilhelm I William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the ...

and one of the reigning sovereigns of Germany. He loudly shouted, "His Majesty, Emperor Wilhelm!" He died at his summer residence at the island of

Mainau Mainau also referred to as Mav(e)no(w), Maienowe (in 1242), Maienow (in 1357), Maienau, Mainowe (in 1394) and Mainaw (in 1580) is an island in Lake Constance (on the Southern shore of the Überlinger See near the city of Konstanz, Baden- ...

in southern Germany on 28 September 1907. Today, Mainau is owned by the Lennart Bernadotte Foundation, created by Frederick's great-grandson Count Lennart Bernadotte, (1909–2004).

Issue

* Grand Duke Frederick II of Baden (9 July 1857 – 9 August 1928), married Princess Hilda of Luxembourg; no issue * Queen Victoria of Sweden (7 August 1862 – 4 April 1930), married King Gustav V of Sweden; had issue * Prince Louis of Baden (12 June 1865 – 23 February 1888), died unmarried; no issue

Honours

;German honours
Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden
' (1902), "Großherzogliches Haus", pp. 26–27 ;Foreign honours

Ancestry

Footnotes

{{Authority control 1826 births 1907 deaths Nobility from Karlsruhe Princes of Baden Protestant monarchs House of Zähringen Grand Dukes of Baden Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Knights Grand Cross of the Military Order of William Extra Knights Companion of the Garter 3 3 3 Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles