Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach

Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach
Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach
Spouse(s)	Kunigunde of Brandenburg-Kulmbach Anna of Veldenz
Noble family	House of Zähringen
Father	Ernest, Margrave of Baden-Durlach
Mother	Ursula of Rosenfeld
Born	(1529-07-24)24 July 1529 Pforzheim
Died	23 March 1577(1577-03-23) (aged 47) Durlach

Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (born July 24, 1529 in Pforzheim; died: March 23, 1577 in Durlach), nicknamed Charles with the bag, governed the Margravate of Durlach from 1552 to 1577. On June 1, 1556, Charles issued a new Church Order, which made Lutheranism the official religion in Baden-Durlach.

Charles was the son of Margrave Ernest of Baden-Durlach and his second wife Ursula of Rosenfeld. Since the marriage between Ernest and Ursula was morganatic, Charles's ability to succeed was disputed. Nevertheless, he started ruling Upper Baden in his father's name in September 1552. His 12 years older half brother Bernard IV died on 20 January 1553 and his father died two weeks later, on 6 February. Charles then inherited the entire country, which was called Baden-Pforzheim at the time. He moved the capital to Durlach, thereby changing the name of his country to Baden-Durlach.

After the Peace of Passau (1552) a number of secular rulers in the south west of Germany introduced the Reformation. Margrave Ernest of Baden-Durlach had plans to have had follow suit, but still faced a potential conflict with Archduke Ferdinand, the ruler of the Roman Catholic Further Austria, the who still claimed parts of Upper Baden.

Margrave Charles II - like his cousin, Margrave Philibert of Baden-Baden - supported the Peace of Augsburg of 1555 in the Reichstag, which gave secular imperial princes freedom to introduce Lutheranism in their territories. With this protection and at the urging of Duke Christopher of Württemberg, Charles II introduced the Reformation into the margraviate of Baden-Durlach with the adoption of a new Church Order on 1 June 1556.