Born in 1818 in Trier in what is today Germany, Karl Marx was one of nine children. His father, Heinrich, was a lawyer; his mother, born Henrietta Pressburg, was from Holland. His parents were Jewish, but, about a year before Marx was born, his father—probably due to his career—was baptized in the Evangelical Established Church. Marx himself was baptized when he was six years old.
In 1843 Marx married Jenny von Westphalen after a seven-year engagement. The two had seven children together, four of whom died before reaching adolescence. Marx and his family lived in poverty, particularly during his time in London from 1850 to 1864, when he was supported financially by family and friends. He has been characterized as an affectionate father but one willing to sacrifice his family for the principles he developed in his writings.