Caroline of Baden

Caroline of Baden
Electress consort of Bavaria
Reign	16 February 1799 – 1 January 1806
Predecessor	Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este
Successor	Herself as Queen consort of Bavaria
Queen consort of Bavaria
Reign	1 January 1806 – 13 October 1825
Predecessor	Herself as Electress consort of Bavaria
Successor	Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Born	(1776-07-13)13 July 1776 Karlsruhe, Margraviate of Baden
Died	13 November 1841(1841-11-13) (aged 65) Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria
Burial	Theatine Church
Spouse	Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria
Issue	Maximilian Joseph Charles Elizabeth Ludovika, Queen of Prussia Amalie Auguste, Queen of Saxony Maria Anna, Queen of Saxony Sophia, Archduchess of Austria Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria Princess Maximiliana
Names Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine
Father	Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden
Mother	Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
Religion	Lutheranism

Caroline of Baden (Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine; 13 July 1776 – 13 November 1841) (German: Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine) of Baden was an Electress of Bavaria and later the first Queen consort of Bavaria as the spouse of King Maximilian I Joseph.

Biography

She was the eldest child of Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden, and his wife Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. She was born 13 July 1776, twin sister of Katharina Amalie Christiane Luise.

Caroline was considered as a bride for the Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Enghien, but the fear of attracting opposition from France made her family hesitate.

On 9 March 1797, in Karlsruhe, she became the second spouse of Maximilian, Duke of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, who two years later would inherit the Electorate of Bavaria. As a result of the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the rank of Elector became obsolete, and the ruler of Bavaria was promoted to the rank of King. As a result, Caroline became Queen of Bavaria.

She was allowed to keep her Protestant religion and had her own Protestant pastor, which was unique for a Bavarian queen. She was described as a very dignified consort and hostess of the Bavarian court, and raised her daughters to have a strong sense of duty.

Caroline of Baden died 13 November 1841, outliving her husband by sixteen years and one month. Due to her Protestant religion, her funeral was conducted with so little royal dignity that there were public protests. By order of the Catholic archbishop of Munich, Lothar Anselm von Gebsattel, all participating Catholic clergy were dressed in ordinary clothes instead of church vestments. The Protestant clergy were halted at the church door and not allowed to proceed inside for the service, so Ludwig Friedrich Schmidt gave the funeral sermon there. Afterwards, the funeral procession dissipated, and the coffin was placed in the burial crypt without ceremony. This treatment of his beloved stepmother permanently softened the attitude of Caroline's stepson Ludwig I of Bavaria, who up until that time had been a strong opponent of Protestantism in spite of his marriage to the Protestant princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

Issue
Name	Portrait	Birth	Death	Notes
Unnamed child		5 September 1799		Stillborn
Maximilian Joseph Charles		28 October 1800	12 February 1803	Died in childhood
Elizabeth Louise Queen consort of Prussia		13 November 1801 (twins)	14 December 1873	Married in 1823 the future King Frederick William IV of Prussia and had no issue
Amalie Auguste Queen consort of Saxony			8 November 1877	Married in 1822 the future King John of Saxony and had issue
Maria Anna Leopoldine Queen consort of Saxony		27 January 1805 (twins again)	13 September 1877	Married in 1833 the future King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony and had no issue
Sophia Frederica Archduchess of Austria			28 May 1872	Married in 1824 Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and had issue
Ludovika Wilhelmina Duchess in Bavaria		30 August 1808	25 January 1892	Married in 1828 Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria
Maximiliana Josepha Caroline		21 July 1810	4 February 1821	Died in childhood

Honours

Electorate of Bavaria / Kingdom of Bavaria : Sovereign of the Order of Saint Elizabeth (feminine order)

Ancestors

Family of Caroline of Baden

16. Charles III William, Margrave of Baden-Durlach 8. Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach 17. Magdalena Wilhelmine of Württemberg 4. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden 18. John William Friso, Prince of Orange 9. Princess Amalia of Nassau-Dietz 19. Landgravine Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel 2. Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden 20. Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 10. Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 21. Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach 5. Landgravine Karoline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt 22. Johann Reinhard III of Hanau-Lichtenberg 11. Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg 23. Dorothea Friederike of Brandenburg-Ansbach 1. Caroline of Baden 24. Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt =20 12. Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt =10 25. Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach =21 6. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 26. Johann Reinhard III of Hanau-Lichtenberg =22 13. Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg =11 27. Dorothea Friederike of Brandenburg-Ansbach =23 3. Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt 28. Christian II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken 14. Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken 29. Countess Katharina Agathe of Rappoltstein 7. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken 30. Ludwig Kraft, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken 15. Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken 31. Philippine Henriette of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

References

• Template:Iw-ref
• Françoise de Bernardy : "Stéphanie de Beauharnais, fille adoptive de Napoléon et grande-duchesse de Bade " L.A.P. Pais, 1977.
• Find a Grave