Jacob, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Encyclopedia
Jacob I of Baden was Margrave of Baden-Baden from 1431 to 1453.
He was the elder son of Bernard I, Margrave of Baden-Baden
and Anna von Oettingen. Jacob I was a man of deep religious beliefs, well-known as a founder of churches. He founded the monastery at Fremersberg
and was a major benefactor of the Stiftskirche at Baden-Baden
.
According his father's precepts, only two of his sons were to be considered heirs of the margravate. Therefore only Karl and Bernhard received a secular education; the other children had a strict religious upbringing. Georg, after making a religious profession in his youth, returned briefly to the world, but in 1454 reverted to
holy orders and later became Bishop of Metz
.
Jacob I was the opposite of his father; Enea Silvio de Piccolomini (Pope Pius II)
characterized him as famous among the Germans for his justice and intelligence.
In his early years he was ruler of the family possessions in Hohenberg
, until at the age of 24 he succeeded to the government of Baden
. He was described as a pugnacious knight
and a frugal father of the state and was popular among the princes as a mediator. Both Emperor Sigismund
and Emperor Frederick III
, under whom he served, thought highly of him.
When as the result of a miscarriage his sister Agnes fled in the middle of a conflict about inheritance, the Margrave lost his claim to the Duchy of Schleswig
. He was so angry that he confined Agnes for the rest of her life in the castle of Alt-Eberstein. (The incident is remembered as the "Double Disaster of Gottorf").
When in 1427 the Treaty of Sponheim came into force, he gained possessions on the Moselle
. In 1442 he bought for 30,000 guilders from the descendants of Walter von Geroldseck half the lordship of Lahr
and Mahlberg
.
, daughter of Charles II, Duke of Lorraine
and Margaret of the Palatinate
. They had the following children:
He also had an illegitimate son, Rudolf of Baden.
He was the elder son of Bernard I, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Bernard I, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Bernard I of Baden was Margrave of Baden-Baden from 1391 to 1431.-Life:He was the elder son of Rudolf VI and Matilde of Sponheim. He and his brother Rudolf VII concluded an inheritance contract in 1380, according to which the margraviate might be divided only among male descendants for two...
and Anna von Oettingen. Jacob I was a man of deep religious beliefs, well-known as a founder of churches. He founded the monastery at Fremersberg
Fremersberg
Fremersberg is a mountain of Baden-Württemberg, Germany....
and was a major benefactor of the Stiftskirche at Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
.
According his father's precepts, only two of his sons were to be considered heirs of the margravate. Therefore only Karl and Bernhard received a secular education; the other children had a strict religious upbringing. Georg, after making a religious profession in his youth, returned briefly to the world, but in 1454 reverted to
holy orders and later became Bishop of Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
.
Jacob I was the opposite of his father; Enea Silvio de Piccolomini (Pope Pius II)
Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Piccolomini was Pope from August 19, 1458 until his death in 1464. Pius II was born at Corsignano in the Sienese territory of a noble but decayed family...
characterized him as famous among the Germans for his justice and intelligence.
In his early years he was ruler of the family possessions in Hohenberg
Hohenberg
Hohenberg may refer to:*the Austrian Ducal family of Hohenberg who are descended from the Austrian Imperial and Royal Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty*Hohenberg, Lower Austria, a town in Austria*Hohenberg an der Eger, a town in Bavaria, Germany...
, until at the age of 24 he succeeded to the government of Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
. He was described as a pugnacious knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
and a frugal father of the state and was popular among the princes as a mediator. Both Emperor Sigismund
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
and Emperor Frederick III
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
, under whom he served, thought highly of him.
When as the result of a miscarriage his sister Agnes fled in the middle of a conflict about inheritance, the Margrave lost his claim to the Duchy of Schleswig
Schleswig
Schleswig or South Jutland is a region covering the area about 60 km north and 70 km south of the border between Germany and Denmark; the territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany...
. He was so angry that he confined Agnes for the rest of her life in the castle of Alt-Eberstein. (The incident is remembered as the "Double Disaster of Gottorf").
When in 1427 the Treaty of Sponheim came into force, he gained possessions on the Moselle
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
. In 1442 he bought for 30,000 guilders from the descendants of Walter von Geroldseck half the lordship of Lahr
Lahr
Lahr is a city in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany, approximately 38 km north of Freiburg in Breisgau and 100 km south of Karlsruhe...
and Mahlberg
Mahlberg
Mahlberg is a town in the Ortenaukreis, in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 8 km southwest of Lahr....
.
Family and children
He married 25 July 1422 CatherineCatherine de Lorraine (1407—1439)
Catherine of Lorraine was the wife of Margrave Jacob of Baden-Baden.She was the daughter of Duke Charles II of Lorraine and the countess Margaret of the Palatinate....
, daughter of Charles II, Duke of Lorraine
Charles II, Duke of Lorraine
Charles II , called the Bold was the duke of Lorraine from 1390 to his death and constable of France from 1418 to 1425....
and Margaret of the Palatinate
Margaret of the Palatinate
Margaret of the Palatinate was the daughter of Rupert of Germany and his wife Elisabeth of Nuremberg. She married Charles II, Duke of Lorraine on 6 February 1393. Her maternal grandparents were Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg and Elisabeth of Meissen...
. They had the following children:
- Charles I, Margrave of Baden-BadenCharles I, Margrave of Baden-BadenCharles I of Baden was a Margrave of Baden-Baden during 1454-1475.Charles was the elder son of Jacob, Margrave of Baden-Baden and his wife Catherine, daughter of Charles II, Duke of Lorraine. In 1462 he began the Baden-Palatinate war with Elector Frederick I of the Rhine...
(d. 24 February 1475, PforzheimPforzheimPforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
). - Bernard II, Margrave of Baden-Baden (later beatified) (1428–12 July 1458, MoncalieriMoncalieriMoncalieri is a town and comune of approximately 58,000 inhabitants about eight kilometers directly south of downtown Turin , in Piedmont, Italy. It is notable for its castle, built in the 12th century and enlarged in the 15th century, which later became the favorite residence of Maria Clotilde...
). - Johann (1430–9 February 1503, EhrenbreitsteinEhrenbreitsteinEhrenbreitstein may refer to:, a district of Koblenz* Ehrenbreitstein Fortress * Ehrenbreitstein , the hill on which the fortress stands on the east bank of the Rhine...
), Archbishop of Trier. - George (1433–11 February 1484, MoyenMoyenMoyen is a village and commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département of north-eastern France.-Geography:The river Mortagne forms most of the commune's south-western border....
), Bishop of MetzMetzMetz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
. - Markus (1434–1 September 1478), abbot in Liège.
- MargareteMargaret of BadenMargaret of Baden was a Margravine of Baden by birth and by marriage Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach. She was the daughter of Jacob, Margrave of Baden-Baden, and his wife Catherine of Lorraine....
(1431–24 October 1457, AnsbachAnsbachAnsbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
), married 1446 to Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg. - Matilde (d. 1485), Abbess of TrierTrierTrier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
.
He also had an illegitimate son, Rudolf of Baden.