1806-1918
Grand Duchy of Baden
The former state of Baden bordered on France and the Rhenish Palatinate (German region of Rheinland-Pfalz) in the west, Switzerland in the
south, Hesse (German region of Hessen) in the north, and the German regions of Bavaria (Bayern) and Württemberg in the east.  Major cities
in the state of Baden included Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Pforzheim, Heidelberg, Freiburg, and Rastatt and, in the south, most of the large area
known as the "Black Forest" (Schwarzwald in German).

Until the French Revolution, the area was a confusing patchwork of petty margravates (sovereign border territories with individual rulers known
as margraves) and states governed by church hierarchies.  In 1771, the originally separate margravates of Baden-Baden in the south and
Baden-Durlach in the north were united and called simply, "Baden," under the same branch of the Zähringen (Baden's ruling house).

In 1806, through the instrumental participation of Napoleon Bonaparte, Baden was created a grand duchy---an enlarged and more prestigious
sovereign territory known as a "Grossherzogtum" in German.  (The designation of "Grossherzogtum Baden," sometimes shown on an
ancestor's German-language documents, simply means "Grand Duchy of Baden" and refers to the overall state of Baden during this era,
including all the cities, towns and villages within its borders.)  The existing ruler of the former margravate was henceforth created a grand duke
(Grossherzog in German), a sovereign just below the rank of a king.

The grand duchy of Baden was severely shaken by the Baden Revolution of 1848, which temporarily unseated the Grand Duke Leopold before
being forcibly suppressed with the help of Prussian troops. Baden later sided with Austria (against the German kingdom of Prussia, Baden's
ally) in the Austro-Prussian War (1866), but nevertheless joined the newly-unified German Empire in 1871.  For the next 47 years as part of the
Empire, Baden still maintained its status as a grand duchy, with the reigning hereditary grand duke of the house of Zähringen continuing as
local ruler.  Following World War I (in 1918), the Grand Duke abdicated along with most of Europe's monarchs, and Baden ended its status as
a grand duchy and joined the so-called "Weimar Republic" in Germany.
The government of Baden is an hereditary monarchy, with the executive
power vested in the grand-duke, while the legislative authority is shared
by him with a representative assembly (Landtag) consisting of two
chambers. The upper chamber is composed of all the princes of the
reigning family who are of full age; the chiefs of the mediatized families;
the archbishop of Freiburg; the president -of the Protestant Evangelical
church; a deputy from each of the universities and from the technical high
school, eight members elected by the territorial nobility for four years,
three representatives of the chamber of commerce, two of that of
agriculture, one of that of trades, two mayors of municipalities, one
burgomaster of lesser towns, one member of a district council, and eight
members (two of them legal functionaries) nominated by the grand-duke.
The lower chamber consists of 73 popular representatives, of whom 24
are elected by the burgesses of certain towns and 49 by the rural
communities: Every citizen of 25 years of age, who has not been
convicted and is not a pauper, has a vote. The elections are, however,
indirect; the citizens nominating the Wahlmonner (deputy electors) and
the latter electing the representatives. The chambers meet at least every
two years. The members of the lower chamber are elected for four years,
half the number retiring at the expiration of every two years. The executive
consists of four departments of state - those of the interior, of foreign
affairs and of the grand-ducal house, of fina-nce, and of justice,
ecclesiastical affairs and education. The chief sources of revenue are
direct and indirect taxes, domains and railways. The last are worked by
the state, and the sole public debt, amounting to about 22 millions
sterling, is attributable to this head. The supreme courts of justice of the
duchy are in Karlsruhe, Freiburg, Offenburg, Heidelberg, Mosbach,
Waldshut, Constance and Mannheim, whence appeals lie to the
Reichsgericht (supreme tribunal of the empire) in Leipzig. By virtue of a
convention with Prussia, of 1871, the Baden army forms a portion of the
Prussian army.
At the beginning of the 19th century Baden was only a margraviate, with an area little
exceeding 1300 sq. m., and a population of 210,000. Since then it has from time to time
acquired additional territory, so that its area now amounts to 5823 sq. m., and its
population (1905) to 2,009,320, of whom about 60% are Roman Catholics, 37%
Protestants, 1 z % Jews, and the remainder of other confessions. Of the population,
about one-half may be classified as rural, i.e. living in communities of less than 2000
inhabitants; while the density of the population is about 330 to the square mile. The
country is divided into the following districts, with the respective chief towns and
populations as shown: - The capital of the duchy is Karlsruhe, and among important
towns other than the above are Rastatt, Baden-Baden, Bruchsal and Lahr. The
population is most thickly clustered in the north and in the neighbourhood of the Swiss
town of Basel. The inhabitants of Baden are of various origin - those to the north of the
Murg being descended from the Alemanni and those to the south from the Franks, while
the Swabian plateau derives its name and its population from another race. (See
Wurttemberg.) Industries. - Of the area, 56.8% is cultivated and 38% forest, but the
agricultural industry, which formerly yielded the bulk of the wealth of the country, is now
equalled, if not surpassed, by the industrial output, which has attained very
considerable dimensions. The chief articles of manufacture are machinery, woollen
and cotton goods, silk ribbons, paper, tobacco, leather, china, glass, clocks, jewellery
and chemicals. Beet sugar is also largely manufactured, and the inhabitants of the
Black Forest have long been celebrated for their dexterity in the manufacture of wooden
ornaments and toys, musical boxes and organs.

The exports of Baden, which coincide largely with the industries just mentioned, are of
considerable importance, but the bulk of its trade consists in the transit of goods. The
country is well furnished with roads and railways, the greater proportion of the latter
being in the hands of the state. A line runs the whole length of the land, for the most part
parallel with the Rhine, while branches cross obliquely from east to west. Mannheim is
the great emporium for the export of goods down the Rhine and has a large river traffic.
It is also the chief manu facturing town of the duchy and the seat of administrative
government for the northern portion of the country.
GRAND DUCHY OF BADEN, a sovereign state of Germany, lying in the south-west corner
of the empire, bounded N. by the kingdom of Bavaria and the grand-duchy of
Hesse-Darmstadt; W. and practically throughout its whole length by the Rhine, which
separates it from the Bavarian Palatinate and the imperial province of Alsace-Lorraine;
S. by Switzerland, and E. by the kingdom of Wurttemberg and part of Bavaria. The
country has an area of 5823 sq. m. and consists of a considerable portion of the
eastern half of the fertile valley of the Rhine and of the mountains which form its
boundary. The mountainous part is by far the most extensive, forming, indeed, nearly
80% of the whole area. From the Lake of Constance in the south to the river Neckar in
the north is a portion of the Black Forest or Schwarzwald, which is divided by the valley
of the Kinzig into two districts of different elevation. To the south of the Kinzig the mean
height is 3100 ft., and the loftiest summit, the Feldberg, reaches about 4898 ft., while to
the north the mean height is only 2100 ft., and the Belchen, the culminating point of the
whole, does not exceed 4480 ft. To the north of the Neckar is the Odenwald Range, with
a mean of 1440 ft., and in the Katzenbuckel, an extreme of 1980 ft. Lying between the
Rhine and the Dreisam is the Kaiserstuhl, an independent volcanic group, nearly 10 m.
in length and 5 in breadth, the highest point of which is 1760 ft. The greater part of
Baden belongs to the basin of the Rhine, which receives upwards of twenty tributaries
from the highlands; the north-eastern portion of the territory is also watered by the Main
and the Neckar. A part, however, of the eastern slope of the Black Forest belongs to the
basin of the Danube, which there takes its rise in a number of mountain streams.
Among the numerous lakes which belong to the duchy are the Mummel, Wilder,
Eichener and Schluch, but none of them is of any size. The Lake of Constance
(Boden-See) belongs partly to Bavaria and Switzerland.

Owing to its physical configuration Baden presents great extremes of heat and cold.
The Rhine valley is the warmest district in Germany, but the higher elevations of the
Black Forest record the greatest degrees of cold experienced in the south. The mean
temperature of the Rhine valley is approximately 50° F. and that of the high table-land,
43° F. July is the hottest and January the coldest month in the year.

The mineral wealth of Baden is not great; but iron, coal, zinc and lead of excellent
quality are produced, and silver, copper, gold, cobalt, vitriol and sulphur are obtained in
small quantities. Peat is found in abundance, as well as gypsum, china-clay, potters'
earth and salt. The mineral springs of Baden are very numerous and have acquired
great celebrity, those of Baden-Baden, Badenweiler, Antogast, Griesbach, Freiersbach
and Petersthal being the most frequented.

In the valleys the soil is particularly fertile, yielding luxuriant crops of wheat, maize,
barley, spelt, beans, potatoes, flax, hemp, hops, beetroot and tobacco; and even in the
more mountainous parts rye, wheat and oats are extensively cultivated. There is a
considerable extent of pasture land, and the rearing of cattle, sheep, pigs and goats is
largely practised. Of game, deer, wild boars, hares, snipe and partridges are fairly
abundant, while the mountain streams yield trout of excellent quality. The culture of the
vine increases, and the wines, which are characterized by a mildness of flavour, are in
good demand. The gardens and orchards supply great abundance of fruits, especially
almonds and walnuts; and bee-keeping is common throughout the country. A greater
proportion of Baden than of any other of the south German states is occupied by
forests. In these the predominant trees are the fir and pine, but many others, such as
the chestnut, are well represented. A third, at least, of the annual supply of timber is
exported.
District.
 Chief towns.
 Pop. (1905) .
(1) Mannheim
 Mannheim
 162,607
  Heidelberg
 49,439
(2) Karlsruhe
 Karlsruhe
 111,200
  Pforzheim
 59,307
(3) Freiburg-im-Breisgau
 Freiburg
 74,102
(4) Constance
 Constance
 24,818
1
2
3
4
Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden (born July 9, 1857 in Karlsruhe; died
August 8, 1928 in Badenweiler) was the last Grand Duke of Baden.

He became Grand Duke on September 28, 1907, after the death of his
father Frederick I. He abdicated on November 22, 1918.
Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden (Frederick Wilhelm Ludwig) (September 9, 1826 – September 28, 1907) was the sixth Grand
Duke of Baden from 1856 to 1907.

Friedrich I was born in Karlsruhe, on September 9, 1826. He was the third son of Grand Duke Leopold (1790-1852) and of his
wife, Grand Duchess Sophie (1801-1865), who was born Princess of Sweden, daughter of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden.

He became the heir to the Grand Duchy upon the death of his father in 1852 and the accession of his brother as Grand Duke
Ludwig II. Due to his brother's mental ill-health, he was Regent ad interim of Baden in 1852-1855, and took the title of Grand
Duke in 1856. His brother, Ludwig II, died in 1858. He was considered a relatively liberal supporter of a constitutional
monarchy. During his reign the option of civil marriages were introduced in Baden as well as direct elections to the Lower
House of the Parliament of Baden in 1904.

In 1856 he married Princess Louise of Prussia, daughter of (then the crown prince) Wilhelm I and his wife Empress Augusta,
born as Princess of Saxe-Weimar. The couple had three children:

* Grand Duke Frederick II (1857-1928), who was the last Grand Duke after the fall of the German monarchies in 1918, married
Princess Hilda of Nassau (later princess of Luxembourg).
* Victoria (1862-1930), married King Gustav V of Sweden.
* Ludwig (1865-1888).

Friedrich I was present at the proclamation of the German Empire at Versailles in 1871, as he was the only son-in-law of the
Emperor and one of the reigning sovereigns of Germany. He died at his summer residence at the island of Mainau in
southern Germany on September 28, 1907. Today, Mainau is owned by the descendants of his great-grandson Count Lennart
Bernadotte, (1909-2005).
Coat of Arms of the
Zähringen family
Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden
House of Zähringen
Friedrich I of Baden
Grand Dukes of Baden, 1806-1918

* Karl Friedrich 1806-1811
* Karl 1811-1818
* Ludwig I 1818-1830
* Leopold 1830-1852
* Ludwig II 1852-1856
* Friedrich I 1856-1907
* Friedrich II 1907-1918
Grossherzogtum Baden
Ursula Esswein
Buehlertal, Karlsruhe; Mittlerer Oberrhein, Großherzogtum Baden
Buehlertal, Rasatt in Karlsruhe District; Middle Upper Rhine, Grand
Duchy of Baden

Born 16 April 1873 to
John Esswein, SR. and Catherine Sachs
Lorenz Schilly

Fessenbach, Ortenau;  Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Großherzogtum Baden
Fessenbach, Ortenau District; Freiburg in Breisgau, Grand Duchy of Baden
Born 5 August 1832 to
Ferdinad Schilly and Maria Schweiss
Victoria Birkenmeier

Ebringen, Freiburg-im-Breisgau; Südlicher Oberrhein;
Großherzogtum Baden
Ebringen, Freiburg in Breisgau; Southern Upper Rhein, Grand
Duchy of Baden

Born 19 November 1836 to
Ottmar Birkenmeier and Maria Gutsell
Karl Albert Ferenbach

Neukirch, Freiburg-im-Breisgau; Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg,
Großherzogtum Baden
Neukirch, Freiburg in Breisgau; Black Forest Baar Heuberg, Grand
Duchy of Baden

Born 23 November 1857 to
Wilhelm Ferenbach and Helene Feherenbach
Katharina Allgaier

Waldkirch, Freiburg-im-Breisgau;Südlicher Oberrhein, Großherzogtum
Baden
Waldkirch, Freiburg in Breisgau District; Southern Upper Rhine, Grand
Duchy of Baden

Born 22 February 1870 to
Lorenz Allgaier and Magdalin Gerspach
Ursula Esswein from Bühlertal
Victoria Birkenmeier from Ebringen
Karl A. Ferenbach from Furtwangen
Katharina Allgaier from Waldkirch
Lorenz Schilly from Fessenbach