Christoph II of Baden-Rodemachern (26 February 1537 – 2 August 1575, Rodemachern) was the first

Margrave Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...

of Baden-Rodemachern.

Life

Early life

Born into the

House of Zähringen The House of Zähringen () was a dynasty of Duchy of Swabia, Swabian nobility. The family's name derived from Zähringen Castle near Freiburg im Breisgau. The Zähringer in the 12th century used the title of Duke of Zähringen, in compensation fo ...

, he was the second son of Bernhard III of Baden-Baden and his wife, Countess Franziska of Brienne-Luxembourg.https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00017122&tree=LEO When Christopher II came of age in 1556, he renounced his right to a part of Baden-Baden to his older brother Philibert in exchange for an annual allowance of 4000 guilders. He also received Rodemachern as an apanage, making him the founder of the elder Baden-Rodemachern line.

Extensive excursions

He started travelling excessively. From 1557 to 1561, he was in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, where he joined the campaigns of the Spanish Army. He went to Sweden in 1564, where he married a sister of King

Eric XIV of Sweden Erik XIV or Eric XIV (13 December 153326 February 1577) became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He w ...

. He then returned to Rodemachern, where he built himself a palace and led a wasteful life. In 1565, he travelled to London, where Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

received him honorably. However, he heaped debt upon debt and when he tried to leave in 1566, he found he couldn't leave the country until the Queen had provided surety. Also in 1566, he inherited the Lordships of

Useldange Useldange ( ; ) is a Communes of Luxembourg, commune and small town in western Luxembourg, in the Redange (canton), canton of Redange. , the town of Useldange, which lies in the east of the commune, has a population of 1,127. Other towns within t ...

, Pettingen and Roußzy. He continued to spend too much, and his country suffered from religious unrest. His debts mounted. He went to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, where he served in the army and fought against

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. His brother-in-law King John III of Sweden enfeoffed him with the island of

Ösel Saaremaa (; ) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring , its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020). The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hi ...

Death

After several years in Sweden, he returned to Rodemachern, where he died in 1575. His was succeeded by his son Edward Fortunatus who was a minor at the time.

Marriage and issue

Margrave Christoph II married on 11 November 1564 Princess Cecilia of Sweden (born: 6 November 1540; died: 27 January 1627), the daughter of King

Gustav I of Sweden Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföreståndare'') from 1521, during the on ...

. They had the following children: * Edward Fortunatus (born: 17 September 1565; died: 18 June 1600), Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern and later of Baden-Baden * Christopher Gustav (born: 13 August 1566; died: 18 January 1609) * Philip III (born: 15 August 1567; died: 6 November 1620, Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern * Charles (born: 7 March 1569; died: 1590) * Bernhard (born: December 1570; died: February 1571) * John Charles (born: 1572, died: 29 January 1599), joined the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

Ancestors

References and sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christopher 02 Baden Rodemachern Margraves of Baden 1537 births 1575 deaths 16th-century German nobility House of Zähringen