Individual Details
Marquis Christoph I von Baden
(13 Nov 1453 - 19 Apr 1527)
Christoph was born on 13 November 1453, the fourth child of Karl I, Markgraf von Baden, and Archduchess Katharina of Austria. On 19 December 1468 he married Gräfin Ottilie von Katzenelnbogen, daughter of Graf Philipp 'der Jüngere' von Katzenelnbogen and Gräfin Ottilie von Nassau. They had fifteen children, of whom three sons and three daughters would have progeny.
Following the death of his younger brother Albrecht in 1488 (his youngest brother Friedrich entered the priesthood, and was bishop of Utrecht from 1496 to 1516) Christoph was sole heir to the margraviate of Baden, which he was able to expand significantly.
Through his close political and family ties with the imperial House of Austria, Christoph was given important missions: in 1477 he accompanied his cousin Maximilian, the future emperor, to Flanders to marry Marie de Bourgogne, and he also took part in his expeditions in France. In 1488 he was appointed governor of the duchy of Luxembourg and the county of Chiny, in 1491 he was elected to the Order of the Golden Fleece and in 1492 he was given seigniories in the Netherlands. In 1496 he was made governor of Verdun.
Christoph failed in his attempt to transfer his powers over the family estates in Pforzheim, Durlach, Baden-Baden and Rötteln in their entirety to his son Philipp, who had married Elisabeth, a daughter of Philipp 'der Aufrichtige', Kurfürst von der Pfalz. The division of the estates between the three sons Bernhard, Philipp and Ernst, of whom Philipp failed to produce a male heir, led to a division of the House of Baden which was to last from 1533 to 1771. After the provisional division of the margraviate in 1515, Christoph retired to Luxembourg, ceding his powers to his sons who disputed over them, and in 1517 he was placed under guardianship on grounds of advanced dementia. Christoph died on 19 April 1527 in Hohenbaden.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Following the death of his younger brother Albrecht in 1488 (his youngest brother Friedrich entered the priesthood, and was bishop of Utrecht from 1496 to 1516) Christoph was sole heir to the margraviate of Baden, which he was able to expand significantly.
Through his close political and family ties with the imperial House of Austria, Christoph was given important missions: in 1477 he accompanied his cousin Maximilian, the future emperor, to Flanders to marry Marie de Bourgogne, and he also took part in his expeditions in France. In 1488 he was appointed governor of the duchy of Luxembourg and the county of Chiny, in 1491 he was elected to the Order of the Golden Fleece and in 1492 he was given seigniories in the Netherlands. In 1496 he was made governor of Verdun.
Christoph failed in his attempt to transfer his powers over the family estates in Pforzheim, Durlach, Baden-Baden and Rötteln in their entirety to his son Philipp, who had married Elisabeth, a daughter of Philipp 'der Aufrichtige', Kurfürst von der Pfalz. The division of the estates between the three sons Bernhard, Philipp and Ernst, of whom Philipp failed to produce a male heir, led to a division of the House of Baden which was to last from 1533 to 1771. After the provisional division of the margraviate in 1515, Christoph retired to Luxembourg, ceding his powers to his sons who disputed over them, and in 1517 he was placed under guardianship on grounds of advanced dementia. Christoph died on 19 April 1527 in Hohenbaden.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Events
| Birth | 13 Nov 1453 | ||||
| Marriage | 19 Dec 1468 | Countess Ottilie von Katzenelnbogen | |||
| Death | 19 Apr 1527 | Castle Hohenbaden | |||
| Honor | 105 Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece 1491 |
Families
| Spouse | Countess Ottilie von Katzenelnbogen (1453 - 1517) |
| Child | Marquis Ernst von Baden Durlach (1482 - 1553) |
| Child | Marquise Sibylla von Baden (1485 - 1518) |
| Father | Marquis Karl I von Baden (1424 - 1475) |
| Mother | Duchess Katharina of Austria (1424 - 1493) |
| Sibling | Katharina von Baden (1449 - 1484) |