One of the divisions of the Margraviate of Baden, 1515-1771; its name indicating that it was that part of Baden whose capital was Baden. It was the share of the senior line of the Margraves, which remained Roman Catholic. They held the central parcel of lands around the town of Baden, to which were added, in 1535, the outlying territories of the County of Sponheim, which lay to the northwest, beyond the Rhine.The Margraves ran into such financial difficulties in the late 16th century that they were temporarily deprived of their lands, 1594-1622. With the death of the last Margrave of Baden-Baden in 1771, Baden was reunited.
The double name continued to be used for the spa town after 1771, and in 1931 Baden-Baden became its official name. It is now a Stadtkreis in Baden-Württemberg.