Bernard IV, Margrave of Baden-DurlachIn his days, the territory was called Baden-Pforzheim, after its capital. The name changed when the capital moved to Durlach in 1565 (born 1517 – died 20 January 1553) was Margrave of Baden-Pforzheim from 26 September 1552 until his death.

Life

Bernhard was the second son from the first marriage of Margrave Ernest of Baden-Profzheim with

Elisabeth of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach Elizabeth of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach (25 March 1494 in Ansbach – 31 May 1518 in Pforzheim) was a princess of Brandenburg-Ansbach by birth and by marriage Margravine of Baden. Life Elizabeth was a daughter of Margrave Frederick "the ...

. Like his older brother Albert, Bernard has been attributed a dissolute life, and been described as a wild creature. His bad reputation halted negotiations between his father and the

Duke of Cleves The Duchy of Cleves (; ) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged from the medieval . It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and the towns of Wesel, Kalkar, Xanten, Emmeri ...

, brother of the fourth wife of

King Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement wit ...

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, for him to marry the Duke's other sister Amelia. In 1537, he opposed the proposed division of his father's territory among his father's sons, and in particular against the rights of his half-brother Charles II, arguing that his father's second marriage had been

morganatic Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

. After his brother Albert died in 1542, his father forgave him his earlier opposition and promised him he would inherit

Lower Baden Lower may refer to: * ''Lower'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is sit ...

. In 1540 he acquired the citizenship of the city

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

. He also owed a debt to the city. He ruled Lower Baden, with the cities of

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the ...

and

Durlach Durlach is a district in Karlsruhe, Germany, with a population of roughly 30,000. The district is further divided into ''Alt-Durlach'', ''Dornwald-Untermühl'', ''Hanggebiet'', ''Bergwald'', ''Aue'', ''Lohn-Lissen'' and ''Killisfeld''. Histor ...

from 26 September 1552 until his death, while his half-brother Charles II ruled Upper Baden. However, his rule lasted only a few months, as he died unexpectedly on 20 January 1553. He was buried in the Collegiate Church in Pforzheim.

References

* Johann Christian Sachs: ''Einleitung in die Geschichte der Marggravschaft und des marggrävlichen altfürstlichen Hauses Baden'', Karlsruhe, 1764–1770, vol. 4, pp. 73–75

Footnotes

Margraves of Baden People from Basel-Stadt 1517 births 1553 deaths 16th-century German nobility {{Germany-margrave-stub

Life

See also

References

Footnotes