Christian Louis, Count of Waldeck


Count Christian Louis of Waldeck was from 1645 Count of Waldeck-Wildungen and from 1692 Count of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

Life

He was born in Waldeck, the eldest son of the Count Philip VII of Waldeck-Wildungen and his wife Anna Catherine of Sayn-Wittgenstein and is the ancestor of all living Princes and Counts of Waldeck. The Arolsen princely house stems from his first marriage, while the Waldeck-Bergheim line, which resides in Bergheim near Bad Wildungen and died out in the male line in 1966, stems from his second marriage via his son Josias I.
After his father's death in 1645 Christian Louis inherited the county of Waldeck-Wildungen. His education and the regency until 1660 were in the hands of his mother and Henry Wolrad, a cousin of his father. Christian Louis later resided mostly at Christiansburg Castle, which he had built in Kleinern, near Wildungen.
On 12 June 1685, he closed an inheritance treaty with his cousin Count George Frederick of Waldeck-Eisenberg, which introduced the primogeniture in the house of Waldeck. When George Frederick died in 1692, Christian Louis inherited Waldeck-Eisenberg, thereby reuniting Waldeck in one hand for the first time since 1397. With Waldeck-Eisenberg, he also inherited the County of Pyrmont. In 1695, he moved his residence to Bad Arolsen and in 1696, he moved the county's Chancellary from Korbach to Mengeringhausen.
Christian Louis inherited a claim to a share of the County of Rappoltstein in the Alsace from his first wife. He could not enforce this claim, but he nevertheless added the arms of Rappoltstein to his coat of arms and he and his successors added "Count of Rappoltstein" to their titles.
Christian Louis was a successful soldier and rose to the rank of Field Marshal. He died in Bad Arolsen, aged 71.
During his reign, witch trials took place in Wildungen from 1650 to 1664, and again from 1660 to 1662. Witch hunts had happened before in Waldeck, from 1629 to 1632 under Count Christian I.

Marriages and issue

Christian Louis married on 2 July 1658 with Countess Anna Elisabeth of Rappoltstein . With her, he had the following children:
On 6 June 1680 in Nice, he married Countess Johannette of Nassau-Idstein, daughter of John, Count of Nassau-Idstein. With her, he had the following children: