by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017
Karoline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Margravine of Baden; source: Wikipedia
Karoline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt was the first wife of Karl Friedrich, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, who would later become the first Grand Duke of Baden. She was born in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse, Germany, on July 11, 1723, the youngest child of Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Charlotte, Countess of Hanau-Lichtenberg. Karoline Luise had two older siblings:
- Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (1719-1790) – married Caroline of Zweibrücken, had issue
- Prince Georg Wilhelm (1722-1782 – married Maria Luise of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg, had issue
After her mother’s death when Karoline Luise was just three, she was raised in Buchsweiler by her father. A very talented child, she learned to speak five languages and developed a love for the arts. As an adult, she maintained a correspondence with Voltaire and worked to establish Karlsruhe as one of the cultural centers of Europe, often hosting noted writers and musicians. A talented artist and musician, Karoline Luise was a member of Baden’s court orchestra and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In addition to her artistic interests, she was also a student of the natural sciences and had a laboratory in Karlsruhe where she often conducted experiments. Her numerous collections, including artwork, musical manuscripts, minerals, and other natural history artifacts, later formed the foundation for several museums in Karlsruhe.
Karl Friedrich of Baden. source: Wikipedia
Karoline Luise married Karl Friedrich on January 28, 1751, in Darmstadt. Together they had five children:
- Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden (1755-1801) – married Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt, had issue
- Prince Friedrich (1756-1817) – married Luise of Nassau-Usingen, no issue
- Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden (1763-1830) – unmarried
- stillborn son (1764)
- Princess Luise Auguste (born and died1767) – died in infancy
Titled Margravine of Baden-Durlach from her marriage, she became Margravine of Baden in October 1771 when Baden-Durlach and Baden-Baden were reunited as one Margraviate.
After falling down some stairs in 1779, her health began to deteriorate. While in Paris, France with her son, she suffered a stroke on April 8, 1783, and died. She is buried in St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
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