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Baden History: Difference between revisions
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== The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars == | == The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars == | ||
The promise of the reign of Charles came to a halt with the French Revolution. Baden initially joined forces against France but was invaded and devastated once again. It was also forced to give up territory on the left bank of the Rhine. In 1805 Baden switched allegiances and fought on the side of France. In 1806 Baden became a Grand Duchy and joined the [ | The promise of the reign of Charles came to a halt with the French Revolution. Baden initially joined forces against France but was invaded and devastated once again. It was also forced to give up territory on the left bank of the Rhine. In 1805 Baden switched allegiances and fought on the side of France. In 1806 Baden became a Grand Duchy and joined the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation_of_the_rhine Confederation of the Rhine] which was a confederation of 16 German states created by Napoleon. Later, more states joined, resulting in French control over a large area of German territory with over 15 million subjects. Only a few German states remained outside the confederation, i.e. Austria, Prussia, Holstein, and Pomerania. The departure of these states from the Holy Roman Empire led to its demise. Since the confederation lay to the east of France, it created a buffer between France and its enemies, most notably Austria and Prussia. Most importantly, however, was the fact that the German states provided much-needed military support for the French war machine, including numerous troops. At the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Sch%C3%B6nbrunn Peace of Vienna] Baden acquired more territory, this time at the expense of Württemberg. By the time he died in 1811, Charles had quadrupled the size of Baden. After the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leipzig Battle of Leipzig], in which the French were defeated and suffered unsustainable losses, caused the defection of the German states to the Allies. Baden was among the defectors. <br> | ||
<br> | == <br>The 19th Century == | ||
<br>At the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 Baden joined the newly-formed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Confederation German Confederation]. This confederation was created for several reasons, not the least of which was to provide a buffer against French expansion to the east. Unfortunately, the confederation was too weak to achieve real German unity and dissolved with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Prussian_War Austro-Prussian War ]of 1866. <br>The [[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revolutions_of_1848_in_the_German_states |Revolutions of 1848]] had an impact all over the German area. Baden had had a liberal constitution from 1811, but the constitution was revoked in 1830. [[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_of_Baden |Leopold of Baden]] became Grand Duke in 1830. He brought in liberal reforms in many areas of society. This liberalism set the stage for the revolution in 1848, which began in Paris. Baden was the first German state to be affected by the revolution, notwithstanding its already liberal society. Peasants took to the streets and even burned some aristocrats’ homes. A convention in Mannheim demanded a bill of rights. The movement continued to gain strength, with demands being made for further reforms, including an elected representative government and the unification of Germany. A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_National_Assembly convention in Frankfurt] passed sweeping reforms. However, the two representatives from Baden had already walked out of the assembly because of frustration with the slow progress being made. In the mean time, the reforms did little to quell the public outcry. Agitators continued to foment revolution. The Baden government finally took action by arresting [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Fickler Joseph Fickler], one of the leaders of the democrats. His arrest only inflamed the masses and on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecker_Uprising 12 April, 1848 a full-scale uprising] ensued. The government, with the aid of troops from Bavaria and Prussia, crushed the revolt. Another, smaller uprising broke out the next year, but was put down as well. As it became clear that the revolutions had failed, the German princes reasserted their authority and reactionary forces prevailed. German unification would have to wait for another generation. | |||
The Grand Duke Leopold died in 1852 and was succeeded by his son, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I,_Grand_Duke_of_Baden Frederick]. During Frederick’s reign, the option of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_marriage civil marriages] was introduced (1860). In the great struggle between the two major German powers, Prussia and Austria, Baden was an ardent supporter of Austria. In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Prussian_War Austro-Prussian War] (1866), Baden, along with most south German states, joined with Austria. Although Austria and her allies were quickly and soundly defeated, Baden did not suffer territorial loss.<br><br> | |||
The Grand Duke Leopold died in 1852 and was succeeded by his son, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I,_Grand_Duke_of_Baden Frederick]. During Frederick’s reign, the option of | |||
{{Wikipedia|Baden}} | {{Wikipedia|Baden}} | ||