Louis George, Margrave of Baden-Baden (; 7 June 1702 – 22 October 1761) was a German

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

and the

Margrave of Baden-Baden The Margraviate of Baden-Baden was an early modern southwest German territory within the Holy Roman Empire. It was created in 1535 along with the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach as a result of the division of the Margraviate of Baden. Its territory ...

from 1707 until his death in 1761. From 1707 to 1727, his mother Sibylle of Saxe-Lauenburg was the regent of Baden-Baden. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Augustus George. He was nicknamed ''Jägerlouis'' (the "hunter Louis") because of his passion for hunting.

Biography

He was born at the Ettlingen Palace and was the son of

Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden (; 8 April 1655 – 4 January 1707) was the ruling Margrave of Baden-Baden in Germany, chief commander of the Imperial army and Reichsgeneralfeldmarschall of the Holy Roman Empire. He was also known as ''T ...

and his wife, Princess Sibylle of Saxe-Lauenburg. Hereditary Prince of Baden-Baden from birth, at the death of his father in 1707, he succeeded as

at the age of four. As such, his mother was regent of

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

while he was a minor. He reached his majority on 22 October 1727 at the age of 25. At the age of 16 years, the young prince was in love with

Marie Leszczyńska Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska (), was Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XV from their marriage on 4 September 1725 until her death in 1768. The daughter of St ...

, daughter of the former king of Poland but the couple were never to unite. Marie was later the consort of

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

. His sister

Johanna Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek Spiritus ...

was later a resident of the French court and wife of Louis d'Orléans, a grandson of their father's enemy

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

. As an unmarried prince, in the summer of 1720 he and his mother travelled to Prague where he would meet his future spouse (first of two) at the

Schloss ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cogn ...

Hluboka nad Vltavou. The chosen bride was Princess Maria Anna of Schwarzenberg, a daughter of Prince Adam Franz of Schwarzenberg and Princess Eleonore of Lobkowicz. His mother travelled to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in order to seek permission from

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI (; ; 1 October 1685 – 20 October 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy from 1711 until his death, succeeding his elder brother, Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph I. He unsuccessfully War of ...

. Permission was granted and he married Maria Anna on 8 April 1721 at the

Český Krumlov Castle Český Krumlov Castle () is a castle in Český Krumlov in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It dates back to 1253 when the first castle was built by the Vítkovci family, the main branch of the powerful Bohemian family Rosenberg ...

. The couple were the parents of four children, of whom only one survive infancy. As a wedding gift, his mother gave him her hunting lodge at Fremersberg. At Maria Anna's death in 1755, he married again to Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria on 10 July 1755. She was the daughter of

Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII (6 August 1697 – 20 January 1745) was elector of Bavaria from 26 February 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 to his death. He was also King of Bohemia (as Charles Albert) from 1741 to 1743. Charles was a member of th ...

and his Austrian wife Archduchess Maria Amalia. The second marriage remained childless. Thanks to his mother, Baden-Baden was once again a prosperous state, having been ravaged by the French at the time of his parents' marriage in the 1690s. Due to his mothers careful handling of the state's finances, the state was no longer in debt and had considerably enlarged Louis George's personal fortune. His mother retired to the Schloss Ettlingen where she died in 1733. The son of a famous military general, Louis George's main passion was for hunting (much like his contemporary Louis XV) and was nicknamed ''Jägerlouis'', the "hunter Louis", a play on his father's nickname ''Türkenlouis'' ("Turk Louis") due to his famous efforts against Louis XIV in the field and as part of the Imperial Army. Louis George, from 1707 till 1731 was the ''

Royal Colonel Royal Colonel is an appointment made by the British monarch, currently King Charles III, to members of the British Royal Family who are appointed to the position of Colonel-in-Chief or Colonel of a regiment within the British or Commonwealth army. ...

'' of the 4th Circle Infantry Regiment (mixt.) of the

Swabian Circle The Circle of Swabia or Swabian Circle ( or ''Schwäbischer Kreis'') was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1500 on the territory of the former German stem-duchy of Swabia. However, it did not include the Habsburg hom ...

but during the

War of the Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession (; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a civil war in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over the succession to Augustus II the Strong, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of ...

, he hunted dear to his possessions in Bohemia. He returned only after 1735 in Vienna closed preliminary peace of the Treaty of Vienna. He died at the Schloss Rastatt in October 1761 at the age of 59. He was succeeded by his brother George Augustus having no surviving male issue. He was buried at the Stiftskirche in Baden-Baden beside his first wife. Maria Anna Josepha retired to

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

where she died in 1776 and was buried at the Theatine Church.

Issue

#Elisabeth Augusta (Rastatt, 16 March 1726 – Freiburg, 7 January 1789), married on 2 February 1755 to Michael Wenzel, Count of

Althann The House of Althann (also spelled Althan, Altham or Altheim) is the name of an ancient German noble family that originated from Lower Bavaria, whose members occupied many important political and clerical positions during the Holy Roman Empire. F ...

, Imperial Privy Councilor; no issue. #Charles Louis Damian (Rastatt, 25 August 1728 – Carlsbad, 6 July 1734), Hereditary Prince of Baden-Baden. #Louis George (Schlackenwerth, 11 August 1736 – Rastatt, 11 March 1737), Hereditary Prince of Baden-Baden. #Johanna (Rastatt, 28 April 1737 – Rastatt, 29 April 1737).

Ancestors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis George of Baden-Baden 1702 births 1761 deaths House of Zähringen 18th-century German people Margraves of Baden-Baden Roman Catholic monarchs Hereditary princes of Baden-Baden Burials at Stiftskirche, Baden-Baden Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria