Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden

Frederick I (Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig; 9 September 1826 – 28 September 1907) was the Grand Duke of Baden from 1858 to 1907.

Life
Frederick was born in Karlsruhe, Baden, on 9 September 1826. He was the third son of Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden and Princess Sophie of Sweden. He became the heir presumptive to the grand duchy upon the death of his father in 1852 and the accession of his brother as Grand Duke Louis II. Due to his brother's mental ill-health, he was regent ad interim of Baden in 1852–1855, and took the title of grand duke in 1856. His brother, Louis II, died in 1858. He was considered a relatively liberal supporter of a constitutional monarchy. During his reign the option of civil marriages was introduced in Baden as well as direct elections to the Lower House of the Parliament of Baden in 1904.

In 1856, Frederick married Princess Louise, daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. The couple had three children.

Frederick I had a pivotal role in the history of Zionism. In 1896 he met Theodor Herzl (the founder of political Zionism) via their mutual acquaintance the reverend William Hechler, and helped Herzl in obtaining an audience with his nephew Wilhelm II, German Emperor. After some persuasion on the part of the grand duke, the emperor accepted the appeal for an audience. It took place in Palestine on 2 November 1898, during the emperor's visit to inaugurate the Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem.

Frederick I was present at the proclamation of the German Empire at Versailles in 1871, as he was the only son-in-law of Prussian King Wilhelm I and one of the reigning sovereigns of Germany. He loudly shouted, "His Majesty, Emperor Wilhelm!" He died at his summer residence at the island of Mainau in southern Germany on 28 September 1907. Today, Mainau is owned by the Lennart Bernadotte Foundation, created by Frederick's great-grandson Count Lennart Bernadotte, (1909–2004).

Issue

 * Grand Duke Frederick II of Baden (9 July 1857 – 9 August 1928), married Princess Hilda of Luxembourg; no issue
 * Queen Victoria of Sweden (7 August 1862 – 4 April 1930), married King Gustav V of Sweden; had issue
 * Prince Louis of Baden (12 June 1865 – 23 February 1888), died unmarried; no issue

Honours

 * German honours


 * Foreign honours