The Sonderrechte Grand Duchy of Baden
Baden had been a German state since the twelfth century and was a member state of the Germanic Confederation between 1815 and 1866, during which time it quadrupled in size. Due in part to its close alliance with France over the years, Baden was one of the centers of liberal, radical activities in 1848; in fact, it became a republic for a short time. Leopold, the Grand Duke of Baden, joined with Bavaria and asked Prussia to invade. Prussia successfully eliminated the revolution. Prince Wilhelm (later Wilhelm I) led the invasion.
Leopold died in 1852 and his second son, Frederick, succeeded him. His elder son, Louis II, had a number of mental health issues. Grand Duke Friedrich I reigned from 1858 until 1907. Frederick was married to Louise, the only daughter of German emperor Wilhelm I and Augusta—yet another example of the interrelationships in European royalty. Friedrich’s mother was a daughter of King Gustav IV of Sweden. His daughter, Victoria, married King Gustaf V of Sweden. His son, Frederick II, the last Grand Duke of Baden, succeeded him but abdicated in 1918.
Baden fought on the side of Austria during the 1866 war, and consequently, paid Prussia an indemnity of six million guilders. Beginning in 1867, Friedrich I placed a Prussian general in command of Baden’s troops and all Baden forces were trained according to the Prussian model. The military became a contingent of the Prussian Army on 25 November 1870. Frederick reserved the exclusive right to tax beer and spirits, but Prussia controlled the army, the post-office, railways, and the conduct of foreign relations. In addition to the Kingdoms of Bavaria and Württemberg, the Grand Duchy of Baden, also a Sonderrechte state, joined the German Empire in 1871.
The government of Baden was a hereditary constitutional Grand Duchy with a parliament of two chambers. The upper chamber was composed of all princes of the reigning family, certain members of the nobility, and eight members nominated by the Grand Duke. The lower chamber consisted of 73 popular representatives, the burgesses of certain towns elected 24, while the rural communities elected 49. Every male citizen of 25 years of age had a vote and balloting was secret. The elections were indirect, the citizens nominating the deputy electors (Wahlmänner), and the Wahlmänner electing the representatives The 1904 introduction of direct secret voting changed this system and led to a left-leaning alliance of liberals and socialists that controlled the Catholic vote.
The internal politics of Baden centered on religion. The signing of a concordat with the Holy See, which placed education under the oversight of the clergy, led to a constitutional struggle, which the Protestants won. In 1867, a law was passed to compel all candidates for the priesthood to pass government examinations. The archbishop of Freiburg resisted, and on his death in April 1868, the See remained vacant. The Kulturkampf raged in Baden and lasted throughout the 1870s. Not until 1880 was there reconciliation with Rome. In 1882, the position of the Freiburg archbishopric was finally filled.
The population in 1910 was 2,142,000, 66 percent of which was Catholic. The area was 15,081 km². The capital was Karlsruhe. Most of the soldiers of this Grand Duchy were concentrated in XIV Army Corps of the Prussian army.