Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden

Frederick II (9 July 1857 – 9 August 1928; German: Friedrich II. Großherzog von Baden) was the last sovereign Grand Duke of Baden, reigning from 1907 until the abolition of the German monarchies in 1918. The Weimar-era state of Baden originated from the area of the Grand Duchy of Baden.

Frederick II
A photograph of Frederick in his 58th year
Grand Duke Frederick II in 1915
Grand Duke of Baden
Reign28 September 1907 – 22 November 1918
PredecessorFrederick I
SuccessorMonarchy abolished
Born(1857-07-09)9 July 1857
Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden
Died9 August 1928(1928-08-09) (aged 71)
Badenweiler, Weimar Republic
Spouse
(m. 1885)
Names
Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leopold August
HouseZähringen
FatherFrederick I, Grand Duke of Baden
MotherPrincess Louise of Prussia

Life

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Friedrich "Fritz" Wilhelm Ludwig Leopold August Prinz von Baden was born on 9 July 1857, in Karlsruhe in the Grand Duchy of Baden to Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden and Princess Louise of Prussia.

As a student at the University of Heidelberg, Frederick was a member of the Suevia Corps, a student fraternal organization. On 20 September 1885 in Schloss Hohenburg, he married Princess Hilda of Nassau, the only daughter of the exiled Duke Adolphe of Nassau who later succeeded as Grand Duke of Luxembourg. There was no surviving issue from the marriage. Frederick became the head of the House of Zähringen on 28 September 1907, after the death of his father Frederick I, who was the sovereign grand duke of Baden reigning from 1856 to 1907. He abdicated on 22 November 1918, amidst the tumults of the German Revolution of 1918–1919 which resulted in the abolition of the grand duchy. After the death of his cousin Carola of Vasa, he became the representative of the descent of the Kings of Sweden of the House of Holstein-Gottorp.

Military Career

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Grand Duke Friedrich as a staff officer

In October 1880, Frederick joined the Prussian Army as a soldier in the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards (1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß) Potsdam. After his marriage in 1885, he was transferred to the 5th Baden Infantry Regiment No. 113 (5. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 113)[1] in Freiburg im Breisgau. He took command of the regiment on 22 March 1889.[2] The regiment's barracks were later named after him as the Erbgroßherzog-Friedrich-Kaserne. Friedrich served in Berlin from 1891 to 1893 as commander of the 4th Guards Infantry Brigade.[3] On 11 April 1893, he was named commander of the 29th Division in Freiburg.[3] On 27 January 1897, Kaiser Wilhelm II appointed him commanding general of the VIII Army Corps (VIII. Armeekorps) in Koblenz, where he was garrisoned until 1901.[3] While in Koblenz, Paul von Hindenburg, among others, served as Chief of the General Staff under Friedrich's command.

In 1902, Frederick left active army service because, as hereditary Grand Duke, he was expected to support the aging Grand Duke Frederick I in Karlsruhe and Kaiser Wilhelm II had refused his request to take command of the XIV Army Corps, which was headquartered in Baden and comprised the majority of Baden's contingent of the Prussian Army, for functional reasons.[4]

After leaving active military service, Frederick was promoted to Generaloberst (Colonel General) with the rank of Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal). On 7 October 1907, he succeeded his father in the largely ceremonial position of Generalinpekteur (General Inspector) of the V Army Inspectorate in Karlsruhe.[3] On mobilization at the end of July 1914, the V Army Inspectorate formed the core of the 7th Army, but command was passed to Generaloberst Josias von Heeringen, and for health reasons Grand Duke Frederick II was unable to serve again during the First World War.

Friedrich held the following ranks during his military career:

 
Frederick II with Wilhelm II in 1908

Death

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After his death in 1928, the headship of the house was transferred over to his first cousin who was the last Chancellor of Imperial Germany, Prince Maximilian of Baden.

Honorary titles

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  • Chief of the 5th Baden Infantry Regiment No. 113 (5. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 113), 22 March 1891.[2]
  • Chief of the 1st Baden Life Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 109 (1. Badisches Leib-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 109), 28 September 1907.[2]
  • Chief of the 1st Baden Life Guard Dragoon Regiment No. 20 (1. Badisches Leib-Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 20), 28 September 1907.[5]
  • Chief 1st Baden Field Artillery Regiment "Grand Duke" No. 14 (Feldartillerie-Regiment Großherzog (1. Badisches) Nr. 14), 7 October 1907[5]
  • Inhaber of the Bavarian 8th Infantry Regiment "Grand Duke Friedrich II of Baden" (Königlich Bayerisches 8. Infanterie-Regiment „Großherzog Friedrich II. von Baden“), 1907.[2]
  • Chief of the 8th Württemberg Infantry Regiment "Grand Duke Friedrich of Baden" No. 126 (Infanterie-Regiment „Großherzog Friedrich von Baden“ (8. Württembergisches) Nr. 126), 16 July 1908.[2]
  • Chief of the Saxon 4th Infantry Regiment No. 103 (Königlich Sächsisches 4. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 103), 17 October 1908.[2]
  • À la suite of the Prussian 1st Regiment of Foot Guards (1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß), 20 October 1883.[2]
  • À la suite of the Prussian 1st Guards Uhlan Regiment (1. Garde-Ulanen-Regiment), 18 October 1884.[5]
  • À la suite of the Imperial Navy 1st Sea Battalion (I. Seebataillon)
  • Honorary General of the Swedish Army, 1906[6]

Decorations and awards

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German orders and decorations[7]
Foreign orders and decorations[7]

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ wiki-de.genealogy.net
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Günter Wegner: Stellenbesetzung der Deutschen Heere 1815-1939. Band 2: Die Stellenbesetzung der aktiven Infanterie-Regimenter sowie Jäger- und MG-Battalione, Wehrbezirkskommandos und Ausbildungsleiter von der Stiftung bzw. Aufstellung bis 1939, Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1992, ISBN 3-7648-1782-8
  3. ^ a b c d Günter Wegner: Stellenbesetzung der Deutschen Heere 1815-1939. Band 1: Die Höheren Kommandostellen, Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1990, ISBN 3-7648-1779-8
  4. ^ Lothar Machtan: Prinz Max von Baden: Der letzte Kanzler des Kaisers. Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-518-42407-0, S. 167.
  5. ^ a b c Günter Wegner: Stellenbesetzung der Deutschen Heere 1815-1939. Band 3: Die Stellenbesetzung der aktiven Regimenter, Battalione und Abteilungen von der Stiftung bzw. Aufstellung bis zum 26. August 1939, Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1993, ISBN 3-7648-2413-1
  6. ^ Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish), 1915, p. 201, retrieved 6 January 2018 – via runeberg.org
  7. ^ a b Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1910), "Großherzogliches Haus", pp. 1-2
  8. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch ... Baden (1876), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 57
  9. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch ... Baden (1880), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 72
  10. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtums Anhalt (1894), "Herzogliche Haus-Orden Albrecht des Bären" p. 17
  11. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern (1908), "Königliche Orden", p. 7
  12. ^ Erhard Roth: Verleihungen von militärischen Orden und Ehrenzeichen des Königreichs Bayern im Ersten Weltkrieg 1914-1918, Phaleristischer Verlag Michael Autengruber, Offenbach am Main, 1997, ISBN 3-932543-19-X
  13. ^ Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1890), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 46
  14. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Hessen (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" p. 12
  15. ^ Regierungsblatt für Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Verleihungsliste für das Militärverdientkreuz, XIX.Veröffentlichung (13 October 1916), XXII.Veröffentlichung (28 October 1916).
  16. ^ Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach Archived 6 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine (1900), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 16
  17. ^ a b c Justus Perthes, Almanach de Gotha (1921) p. 12
  18. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1907), "Königliche Orden" p. 28
  19. ^ "Schwarzer Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin, 1886, p. 7{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  20. ^ "A Szent István Rend tagjai" Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ Jørgen Pedersen (2009). Riddere af Elefantordenen, 1559–2009 (in Danish). Syddansk Universitetsforlag. p. 463. ISBN 978-87-7674-434-2.
  22. ^ Italia : Ministero dell'interno (1900). Calendario generale del Regno d'Italia. Unione tipografico-editrice. p. 54.
  23. ^ Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish), 1925, p. 807, retrieved 6 January 2018 – via runeberg.org
  24. ^ Norway (1908), "Den kongelige norske Sanct Olavs Orden", Norges Statskalender (in Norwegian), pp. 869–870, retrieved 17 September 2021
  25. ^ "The London Gazette, Issue: 27807 Page: 4251" (PDF). The London Gazette. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
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Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden
Born: 9 July 1857 Died: 9 August 1928
German royalty
Preceded by Grand Duke of Baden
28 September 1907 – 22 November 1918
Monarchy abolished
Political offices
Preceded byas grand duke Head of state of Baden
28 September 1907 – 22 November 1918
Succeeded byas president
Titles in pretence
Loss of title
Republic declared
— TITULAR —
Grand Duke of Baden
22 November 1918 – 9 August 1928
Succeeded by