by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

There have been three traditional burial sites for the Grand Dukes of Baden and their predecessors.

St Michael’s Church, Pforzheim

St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim was the traditional burial site for the Margraves of Baden-Durlach going back to 1535. It was at one time surrounded by the Residenzschloss (Royal Palace) which was the home of the Margraves before moving their residence to Durlach, and then later to Karlsruhe. Despite their leaving Pforzheim, St. Michael’s continued to be the traditional burial place for many years. The last to be buried there was Grand Duchess Stephanie in 1860.

• Wikipedia: St. Michael’s Church, Pforzheim (link in German)

Evangelical City Church (Stadtkirche), Karlsruhe

The Stadtkirche was built between 1807-1816 by the new Grand Duke Karl Friedrich, on the Market Square in Karlsruhe. The church contained a crypt for members of the Grand Ducal Family. After the church was heavily damaged during World War II, in 1946 all of the tombs were moved to the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe.

• Wikipedia: Evangelische Stadtkirche Karlsruhe (link in German)

Grand Ducal Chapel, Karlsruhe

The Grand Ducal Grave Chapel in Karlsruhe was commissioned by Grand Duke Friedrich I following the death of his youngest son, Ludwig Wilhelm, in 1888. His intention was to have a grave chapel that the family could visit privately, something that couldn’t be afforded at either St. Michael’s in Pforzheim or the Stadtkirche in Karlsruhe. Modeled after the mausoleum in the park at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin (which was built for Grand Duchess Luises’s grandmother, Queen Luise of Prussia), the chapel was built between 1889 and 1896 in the Pheasant Garden near Karlsruhe Palace. The main level contains large cenotaphs of Friedrich I and his wife Luise, as well as one for Prince Ludwig Wilhelm. Their actual tombs are in the crypt on the lower level, along with fifteen other members of the Grand Ducal Family. The last to be buried there was Grand Duchess Hilda, in 1952.

• Wikipedia: Grand Ducal Grave Chapel, Karlsruhe (link in German)

The Grand Dukes of Baden

• Karl Friedrich – reigned July 25, 1806 – June 10, 1811
• Karl I – June 10, 1811 – reigned December 8, 1818
• Ludwig I – reigned December 8, 1818 – March 30, 1830
• Leopold I – reigned March 30, 1830 – April 24, 1852
• Ludwig II – reigned April 24, 1852 – January 22, 1858
• Friedrich I – reigned January 22, 1858 – September 28, 1907
• Friedrich II – reigned September 28, 1907 – November 22, 1918

Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duchy of Baden Index

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Karl Friedrich
Grand Duke of Baden
(July 25, 1806 – June 10, 1811)

Unofficial Royalty: Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden
Karl Friedrich was born November 22, 1728, in Karlsruhe. He became Margrave of Baden-Durlach in 1738, and then Margrave of Baden in 1771 when Baden-Durlach and Baden-Baden were reunited. He became Elector when Baden was elevated to an Electorate in 1803, and then became the first Grand Duke of Baden in 1806. He married Karoline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1751 and had five children. He remarried in 1787 to Luise Karoline, Baroness Geyer von Geyersberg, and had an additional five children.
Grand Duke Karl Friedrich died in Karlsruhe on June 10, 1811. He is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

Karoline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt
Margravine of Baden
(1st wife of Karl Friedrich)

Unofficial Royalty: Karoline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Margravine of Baden
Karoline Luise was born on July 11, 1723, in Darmstadt. She married Karl Friedrich in 1751, becoming Margravine of Baden-Durlach (and later Margravine of Baden), and had five children. She died in Paris on April 8, 1783, and is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

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Children of Grand Duke Karl Friedrich with Karoline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt

Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden
(February 14, 1755 – December 16, 1801)
Wikipedia: Carl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden
Karl Ludwig married Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1774, and they had eight children – Amalie (1776); Karoline, Queen of Bavaria (1776); Luise, Empress of Russia (1779); Friederike, Queen of Sweden (1781); Marie, Duchess of Brunswick (1782); Karl Friedrich (1784); Karl, Grand Duke of Baden (1786); and Wilhelmine, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine (1788). He is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

Prince Friedrich
(August 29, 1756 – May 28, 1817)
Prince Friedrich married Luise of Nassau-Usingen in 1791 but had no children. He is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

Grand Duke Ludwig I (below)

Princess Luise Auguste
(January 8, 1767 – January 11, 1767)
Princess Luise Auguste died at just 3 days old. She is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

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Luise Karoline Geyer von Geyersberg
Countess of Hochberg
(2nd wife of Karl Friedrich)

Unofficial Royalty: Luise Karoline, Baroness Geyer von Geyersburg, Countess of Hochberg
Luise Karoline Geyer von Geyersberg was born in Karlsruhe on May 26, 1768. She married, as his second wife, the future Grand Duke Karl Friedrich, and they had five children. As the marriage was morganatic, she did not become Margravine of Baden but was instead given the title Baroness of Hochberg. This was later elevated to Countess of Hochberg. She died in Karlsruhe on June 23, 1820, and is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

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Children of Grand Duke Karl Friedrich with the Countess of Hochberg

Grand Duke Leopold (below)

Prince Wilhelm
(April 8, 1792 – October 11, 1859)
Wikipedia: Prince Wilhelm of Baden
Prince Wilhelm married Elisabeth Alexandrine of Württemberg in 1830 and had four children – Henriette (1833); Sophie, Princess of Lippe (1834); Elisabeth (1835); and Leopoldine, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1837). He died in Karlsruhe and is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

Prince Friedrich Alexander
(June 10, 1793 – June 18, 1793)
Prince Friedrich Alexander died at 10 days old. He is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

Princess Amalie
(January 26, 1795 – September 14, 1869)
Princess Amalie married Karl Egon II, the last sovereign Prince of Fürstenberg in 1818, and had seven children. She is buried in the Crypt of the House of Fürstenberg in the Monastery of the Holy Mary in Neudingen.

Prince Maximilian
(December 8, 1796 – March 6, 1882)
Prince Maximilian never married. He is buried in the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe.

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Karl
Grand Duke of Baden
(June 10, 1811 – December 8, 1818)

Unofficial Royalty: Karl, Grand Duke of Baden
Karl was born in Karlsruhe on July 8, 1786. He married Stéphanie de Beauharnais on April 8, 1906, and had five children. He succeeded his grandfather as Grand Duke of Baden in June 1811 and died in Karlsruhe on December 8, 1818. He is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

Stéphanie de Beauharnais
Grand Duchess of Baden

Unofficial Royalty: Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Grand Duchess of Baden
Stéphanie de Beauharnais was born in Versailles, France on August 28, 1789. She married Grand Duke Karl in Paris on April 8, 1906, and they had five children. Upon her husband’s accession, she became the first Grand Duchess of Baden. She outlived her husband by over 40 years and died in Nice on January 29, 1860. She is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

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Children of Grand Duke Karl

Princess Luise
(June 5, 1811 – July 19, 1854)
Wikipedia: Princess Luise Amelie of Baden
Princess Luise married Gustav, Prince of Vasa (formerly Crown Prince of Sweden) on November 9, 1830. They had two children before divorcing in 1843. Despite their divorce, she was buried in the Riddarholm Church, in Stockholm.

unnamed son
(September 29, 1812 – October 16, 1812)
This unnamed Prince died just a few weeks after birth. He is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

Princess Josephine
(October 21, 1813 – June 19, 1900)
Wikipedia: Princess Josephine of Baden
Princess Josephine married Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, and had six children, including the future King Carol I of Romania and Queen Stephanie of Portugal. She is buried at the Church of the Redeemer at the Hedinger Monastery in Sigmaringen.

Prince Alexander
(May 1, 1816 – May 8, 1816)
Prince Alexander was the Hereditary Grand Duke of Baden, however, he died just a week after his birth. He is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

Princess Marie
(October 11, 1817 – October 17, 1888)
Wikipedia: Princess Marie of Baden
Princess Marie married William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton on February 23, 1843, and they had three children. Through her daughter Mary, Marie’s descendants include the Prince of Monaco. Her heart is interred in the Prince’s Chapel at the Lichtenthal Monastery in Baden-Baden.

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Ludwig I
Grand Duke of Baden
(December 8, 1818 – March 30, 1830)

Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden
Grand Duke Ludwig I was born in Karlsruhe on February 8, 1763. He became Grand Duke in December 1818 and reigned until his death on March 30, 1830. He was buried in the Karlsruhe Stadtkirche until 1946 when his tomb was moved to the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe.

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Leopold
Grand Duke of Baden
(March 30, 1830 – April 24, 1852)

Unofficial Royalty: Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden
Grand Duke Leopold was born in Karlsruhe on August 29, 1790. He married Princess Sofia of Sweden in 1819, and they had eight children. Leopold became Grand Duke upon the death of his nephew, Ludwig I, on March 30, 1830, and reigned until his death on April 24, 1852. He was buried in the Karlsruhe Stadtkirche until 1946 when his tomb was moved to the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe.

Sofia of Sweden
Grand Duchess of Baden

Unofficial Royalty: Sofia of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Baden
Sofia of Sweden was born at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on May 21, 1801. She married Leopold – her half great-uncle – on July 25, 1819, and they had eight children. Grand Duchess Sophie died in Karlsruhe on July 6, 1865, and was buried in the Karlsruhe Stadtkirche until 1946 when her tomb was moved to the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe.

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Children of Grand Duke Leopold

Princess Alexandrine
(December 6, 1820 – December 20, 1904)
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandrine of Baden, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Princess Alexandrine married Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on May 13, 1842. They had no children. She was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum at the Glockenberg Cemetery in Coburg.

Prince Ludwig
(October 26, 1822 – November 16, 1822)
Prince Ludwig died only three weeks after his birth. He is buried at St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim.

Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Baden (below)

Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden (below)

Prince Wilhelm
(December 18, 1829 – April 27, 1897)
Wikipedia: Prince Wilhelm of Baden
Prince Wilhelm married Maria Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg in 1863 and had two children – Marie, Duchess of Anhalt (1865) and Prince Maximilian (1867). He was buried at the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe. While his coffin remains there, in 1953 his remains were removed and reinterred in the Family Cemetery at Salem Abbey in Salem.

Prince Karl
(March 9, 1832 – December 3, 1906)
Prince Karl married morganatically on May 17, 1871, to Rosalie von Beust, who was created Countess of Rhena. They had one son. Karl was buried in the Karlsruhe Stadtkirche until 1946 when his tomb was moved to the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe.

Princess Marie
(November 20, 1834 – November 21, 1899)
Wikipedia: Princess Marie of Baden
Princess Marie married Ernst Leopold, 4th Prince of Leiningen and had two children. She died in Amorbach. Her burial site is unknown.

Princess Cecilie
(September 20, 1839 – April 12, 1891)
Wikipedia: Princess Cecilie of Baden
Princess Cecilie married Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia in 1857, taking the name Olga Feodorovna, and had seven children. She is buried in the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia.

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Ludwig II
Grand Duke of Baden
(April 24, 1852 – January 22, 1858)

Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Baden
Ludwig II was born in Karlsruhe on August 15, 1824. By the time he became Grand Duke in 1852, he had already been deemed mentally ill, so his brother Friedrich served as Regent during his brief reign. Ludwig died in Karlsruhe on January 22, 1858, and was buried in the Karlsruhe Stadtkirche. In 1946, his tomb was moved to the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe.

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Friedrich I
Grand Duke of Baden
(January 22, 1858 – September 28, 1907)

Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden
Friedrich I was born in Karlsruhe on September 9, 1826. He served as Regent from 1852 to 1858, during the reign of his brother Ludwig II, who was mentally incapacitated. During that time, on September 20, 1856, Friedrich married Princess Luise of Prussia and they had three children. Upon his brother’s death, he became Grand Duke of Baden in 1858 and reigned until his own death on September 28, 1907, at his home on the island of Mainau. He was buried in the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe.

Luise of Prussia
Grand Duchess of Baden

Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Baden
Princess Luise of Prussia was born in Berlin on December 3, 1838. She married Grand Duke Friedrich II of Baden in 1856 and they had three children. Having survived her husband by over 22 years, Grand Duchess Luise died in Baden-Baden on April 23, 1923, and was buried in the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe.

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Children of Grand Duke Friedrich I

Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden (below)

Princess Victoria
(August 7, 1862 – April 4, 1930)
Unofficial Royalty: Victoria of Baden, Queen of Sweden
Princess Victoria married the future King Gustav V of Sweden in 1881 and had three sons. Queen Victoria of Sweden died in Rome and is buried in the Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm.

Prince Ludwig Wilhelm
(June 12, 1865 – February 23, 1888)
Prince Ludwig Wilhelm was just nearly 23 years old when he died in Freiburg of inflammation of the lungs. His death prompted his parents to build the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe, where he is buried. A cenotaph of Ludwig Wilhelm sits alongside those of his parents on the upper level of the chapel.

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Friedrich II
Grand Duke of Baden
(September 28, 1907 – November 22, 1918)

Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden
Friedrich II was born in Karlsruhe on July 9, 1857. He married Princess Hilda of Nassau on September 20, 1885. They had no children. He became the last Grand Duke of Baden upon his father’s death on September 28, 1907, and reigned until his abdication on November 22, 1918, when the German Empire was abolished. Grand Duke Friedrich II died in Badenweiler on August 9, 1928, and is buried in the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe.

Hilda of Nassau
Grand Duchess of Baden

Unofficial Royalty: Hilda of Nassau, Grand Duchess of Baden
Princess Hilda of Nassau was born in Biebrich on November 5, 1864. She married Grand Duke Friedrich II in 1885 and became the last Grand Duchess of Baden from 1907 until the end of the monarchy in 1918. She died in Badenweiler on February 8, 1952, and is buried in the Grand Ducal Chapel in Karlsruhe.

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