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Leopold, Grand Duke Of Baden




Leopold the first son of the second marriage of Margrave Karl Friederich Of Baden and his second wife Louise Caroline, born Geyer von Geyersberg. Since the mother was not of equal birth with the father, children of the marriage were deemed incapable to succeed to the princely status and sovereignty of the House Of Baden (because the marriage was against the House Laws). The marriage was thus held to be Morganatic , the offspring rules incapable of succeeding to the titles.

The Margavine received the surname and title of Hochberg. The children used that name.

Baden gained some more lands during the Napoleonic wars in Germany, and was elevated first to the title of Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire (''Kurfurst'') and then Baden was made a Grand Duchy .


THE HOCHBERG HEIR

Since there were plenty of descendants from Charles Frederick's's first marriage, no one expected the Hochberg children to have any royal role in Baden. However, the male line of the first marriage began to go extinct in 1810's (only females remaining) and other male lines of the House Of Baden had already died out. A male succession seemed impossible to maintain.

Meanwhile, Leopold von Hochberg acted as an officer in Fench army.

In 1818 the reigning Grand Duke, Charles, Leopold's great-nephew, having only daughters and an only aging uncle, made a new Succession Law of the House of Baden, altering the status of the children of the Hochberg marriage. They became full princes and princesses of Baden. Leopold became a hereditary prince of the Grand Duchy of Baden. His position was enhanced also by marrying him with Sophia, a granddaughter of his late half-brother, thus aiming to unite the blood of both marriages in their future children and producing future heirs with double dose of Baden descent.

The next Grand Duke, Louis I (the aging uncle), died in 1830, and Leopold succeeded as the fourth Grand Duke of Baden.


MARRIAGE AND ISSUE


Sophia and Leopold had the following children.
  • Alexandrine (1820-1904), married Duke Ernst II Of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1818-93)

  • Ludwig (1822-22)

  • Ludwig (1824-58), the Grand Duke 1852-58, incapable of reigning

  • Frederick (1826-1907), Grand Duke 1858-1907, Regent 1852-58

  • Ludwig Wilhelm August Von Baden (1829-97), Prince, Prussian General, ancestor of younger line of princes of Baden, for example father of Prince Max Of Baden , German Chancellor, and later the heir of Grand Duchy

  • Karl (1832-1906), married Rosalie von Beust (morganatic)

  • Marie (1834-99), married Prince Ernest of Leiningen (1830-1904)

  • Cecilie (1839-91), known as ''Olga Fedorovna'', married Grand Duke Michael Nikolayevich of Russia (1832-1902), Governor General in Tbilisi