{{Short description|German nobleman}} {{EngvarB|date=June 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}} {{ infobox nobility | name = Edward Fortunatus of Baden | image = Eduard Fortunat von Baden.jpg | caption = Engraving of Edward Fortunatus, Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern | noble family = House of Zähringen | father = Christopher II, Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern | mother = Cecilia Vasa, Princess of Sweden | spouse = Maria van der Eicken | birth_date = {{birth_date|1565|9|17|df=yes}} | birth_place = London | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1600|6|8|1565|9|17}} | death_place = Castle Kastellaun }} '''Edward Fortunatus''' (or in German '''Eduard Fortunat''') of Baden (17 September 1565 – 8 June 1600) was Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern and Baden-Baden.

== Life and work == Born in London, Edward was the son of Christopher II, Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern and Swedish Princess Cecilia Vasa. He received his name from Queen Elizabeth I of England, who was his godmother.<ref>Edmund Lodge, ''Illustrations of British History, biography, and Manners, in the Reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth, and James'', Volume 1, Bensley, 1838, [https://books.google.com/books?id=EG5jAAAAMAAJ&dq=Edward+Fortunatus&pg=PA437 p. 437].</ref> He spent his first year at Hampton Court Palace, England.

When his father died in 1575, he became the Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern. His guardian, Duke William V of Bavaria, gave him a Catholic upbringing and in 1584 he converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism,<ref>''Lebensbilder aus Baden-Württemberg'', Kommission für Geschichtliche Landeskunde in Baden-Württemberg, 2005, p. 5 (German).</ref> as his mother had already done.

The strife between Catholics and Protestants divided Edward's family, and on 18 November 1589 he hosted a colloquy in the Town Hall at Baden to discuss the relative claims of Catholicism (represented by Johann Pistorius), Lutheranism (represented by Andreä and Jacob Heerbrand), and Calvinism, represented by Schyrius, but it caused only a hardening of viewpoints.<ref name=Coghlan>Charles Francis Coghlan, ''The Beauties of Baden-Baden and Its Environs'', London: F. Coghlan, 1858, [https://books.google.com/books?id=UFgBAAAAQAAJ&dq=%22Edward+Fortunatus%22+Catholicism&pg=PA14 p. 14] (wrongly stating 1569).</ref><ref>John M'Clintock and James Strong, ''Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature'', Volume 8, New York: Harper, 1894, [https://books.google.com/books?id=LKU8AAAAYAAJ&q=Baden+1589&pg=PA237 p. 237]</ref>

On 13 March 1591 in Brussels, he made a non-church marriage with Maria van der Eicken (1569 – 21 April 1636), daughter of Joost van der Eycken, the Governor of Breda, which he regularised only on 14 May 1593,<ref>Eugen von Chrismar, ''Genealogie des Gesammthauses Baden: vom 16. Jahrhundert bis Heute'', Gotha: Friedrich Andreas Perthes, 1892, [https://books.google.com/books?id=TuMSAAAAYAAJ&q=Maria%2C+Tochter+des+Jakob&pg=PA78 p. 124] (German).</ref> after she had borne him a daughter. They ultimately had four children but due in part to his wife's lesser antecedents they were never recognised as his heirs by Ernest Frederick, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, who succeeded him.<ref>Max Bauer, ''Die Deutsche Frau in der Vergangenheit'', Berlin: Alfred Schall, n.d. [1907], [https://books.google.com/books?id=LBEhBEGmUq4C&dq=Maria+von+Eicken&pg=RA1-PA398 p. 398] (German).</ref>

In 1587, he visited his relatives in Sweden, and accompanied his cousin Sigismund III Vasa, King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (and also later King of Sweden) to Poland and in 1588 was appointed by him to head the Polish customs and mines. The same year, he inherited Baden-Baden, reuniting it with Baden-Rodemachern. However, he treated the Lutherans harshly and squandered the resources of the territory, and his marriage and children were not approved of by his relatives.<ref name=Coghlan/> In 1594, therefore, a relative, Ernest Frederick, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, took over the whole of Baden-Baden. (Edward's sons were only reinstated in 1622 after the Battle of Wimpfen, when their Catholicism gave them an advantage.<ref>''Cambridge Modern History'', Ed. A.W. Ward, G.W. Prothero, Stanley Leathes, volume 4, ''The Thirty Years' War'', New York: Macmillan, 1906, repr. 1911, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=39ZmAAAAMAAJ&q=Edward+Fortunatus&pg=PA79 79], [https://books.google.com/books?id=39ZmAAAAMAAJ&q=Baden-Durlach&pg=PA79 84]</ref><ref>"Die Sponheimische Successionssache," ''Hermes, oder, Kritisches Jahrbuch der Literatur'', Volume 31 (1828), 265–301, [https://books.google.com/books?id=tf4aAAAAYAAJ&dq=Maria+von+Eicken&pg=PA289 p. 289] (German).</ref>)

Edward inherited debts from his parents and aggravated them.<ref>von Chrismar, [https://books.google.com/books?id=TuMSAAAAYAAJ&q=Eduard+Fortunat&pg=PA78 p. 78] (German).</ref> After losing his margravate, he lived in various castles and attempted to raise money by coining money,<ref>Henry Montague Hozier and William Henry Davenport Adams, ''The Franco-Prussian War: Its Causes, Incidents, and Consequences'', volume 2, London: William MacKenzie, 1872, [https://books.google.com/books?id=7OIFAAAAQAAJ&q=bad+money p. 76]</ref> alchemy and black magic, bringing Paul Pestalozzi of Clavella and Mascarello of Chio from Padua to assist him, and succeeded in causing pain to Ernest Frederick by sticking pins in a wax effigy.<ref>Charles Knox, ''Traditions of Western Germany: The Black Forest, the Neckar, the Odenwald, the Taunus, the Rhine, and the Moselle'', volume 1, ''The Black Forest and Its Neighbourhood'', London: Saunders and Otley, 1841, "The Image at the Yburg," [https://books.google.com/books?id=usQ_AAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Edward+Fortunatus%22&pg=PA167 pp. 167–68, 170–74]</ref> He is also reported as having sought to have Ernest Frederick killed by poisoning.<ref>von Chrismar, [https://books.google.com/books?id=TuMSAAAAYAAJ&q=Eduard+Fortunat+ihm+nach+dem+Leben+trachtet&pg=PA78 p. 127] (German)</ref><ref>Werner Baumann, ''Ernst Friedrich von Baden-Durlach: die Bedeutung der Religion für Leben und Politik eines Süddeutschen Fürsten im Zeitalter der Gegenreformation'', Stuttgart: Kohlhammer Verlag, 1962, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ndEZAAAAIAAJ&q=Giftsalz p. 76] (German).</ref> He also supposedly seduced and caused the death of the daughter of his castellan at the Yburg, which is now ruined and haunted by her ghost.<ref>Knox, [https://books.google.com/books?id=usQ_AAAAYAAJ&q=Yburg&pg=PA167 pp.167–77].</ref>

In 1597, he was sent to Germany to recruit mercenaries on behalf of the Government of Spain.<ref>Friedrich Back, ''Die Evangelische Kirche im Lande zwischen Rhein, Mosel, Nahe und Glan: Bis zum Beginn des Dreißigjährigen Krieges'', Bonn: Adolph Mareus, 1872–1874, [https://books.google.com/books?id=l2ARAAAAYAAJ&q=Eduard+Fortunat+1597&pg=PA514 p. 518] (German)</ref> In 1598, he participated in his cousin Sigismund's attempt to regain Sweden from his uncle Charles IX and in the Battle of Stångebro. Edward was captured and briefly imprisoned by the Danes.<ref>von Chrismar, [https://books.google.com/books?id=TuMSAAAAYAAJ&q=Eduard+Fortunat+Stangbroo&pg=PA78 p. 123] (German).</ref>

He died in 1600 at Castle Kastellaun as a result of falling down a stone staircase, possibly while drunk.<ref>''Sharpe's London Magazine'', Volume 10 (1850), [https://books.google.com/books?id=OxAbAAAAYAAJ&q=Eduard+Fortunat p. 315].</ref>

== Children ==

* Anna Maria Lukretia (1592–1654) * William (1593–1677), later the Margrave of Baden * Hermann Fortunatus (1595–1665) * Albrecht Karl of Baden-Baden (1598–1626)

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortunatus, Edward}} Category:1565 births Category:1600 deaths Category:People from Richmond, London Edward Edward Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from Lutheranism Category:Burials at Stiftskirche, Baden-Baden