Category Archives: Anhalt Royals

Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg, Duchess of Anhalt

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg, Duchess of Anhalt; source: Wikipedia

Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg was the wife of Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt. She was born Princess Antoinette Charlotte Marie Josephine Karoline Frida on April 17, 1838, in Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany, to Prince Eduard of Saxe-Altenburg and his first wife, Princess Amalie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Antoinette had three full siblings:

Antoinette also had two half-siblings from her father’s second marriage to Princess Luise Caroline Reuss of Greiz:

Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt. source: Wikipedia

In Altenburg on April 22, 1854, Antoinette married the future Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt. He was the son of Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt and Princess Friederike of Prussia. The couple had six children:

Antoinette, Duchess of Anhalt. source: Wikipedia

At the age of 70, four years after the death of her husband, Antoinette, The Dowager Duchess of Anhalt died in Berchtesgaden, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria, on October 13, 1908, and was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum (link in German) in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. In 1958, the remains of members of the House of Anhalt were removed from the Ducal Mausoleum secretly by night for political reasons (Dessau was then in Communist East Germany) and reburied in the Ziebigker Cemetery in Dessau in a common grave, marked only by a simple wooden cross. In 2019, Antoinette’s remains were moved a second time and reinterred in the Marienkirche (link in German) in Dessau, the traditional burial site of the Dukes of Anhalt-Dessau dating back to the 15th century. The Marienkirche was destroyed during World War II and has since been rebuilt.

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Anhalt Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Anhalt: Leopold IV Friedrich, the first Duke of Anhalt inherited three duchies: the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau from his grandfather, the Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen from a distant cousin, and the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg from another distant cousin. The three duchies were united as the Duchy of Anhalt on August 30, 1863.

Joachim Ernst was the last Duke of Anhalt. He came to the throne in September 1918 when he was 17-years-old. As he was underage, his father’s brother Prince Aribert of Anhalt served as Regent. With the German Empire crumbling at the end of World War I, Aribert abdicated on Joachim Ernst’s behalf on November 12, 1918. Today the territory that encompassed the Duchy of Anhalt is in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

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Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt. source: Wikipedia

Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt was born in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, on April 29, 1831. Named Leopold Friedrich Franz Nikolaus, he was born a Prince of Anhalt-Dessau to the future Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt and Princess Friederike of Prussia. Friedrich had three sisters:

After his initial education at home, Friedrich studied in Bonn and Geneva. In 1851, he became a First Lieutenant in the 1st Foot Guard Regiment in the Prussian Army, serving in Potsdam and then in Dessau.

Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg. source: Wikipedia

On April 22, 1854, Friedrich married Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg, the daughter of Prince Eduard of Saxe-Altenburg and Princess Amalie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. The couple had six children:

By the time of his marriage, Friedrich’s title was Prince of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen, as the duchies of Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen had been merged together in 1853. Ten years later, after his father also inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg, the duchies were united as the Duchy of Anhalt.

Throughout this time, Friedrich continued with his military career. In 1864, he served on the staff of his brother-in-law, Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, during the Second Schleswig War. He served during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-1871, taking part in the Siege of Toul and battles at Beaumont and Sedan. In January 1871, he was present at the Palace of Versailles for the proclamation of King Wilhelm I of Prussia as the German Emperor.

Four months later, Friedrich became the reigning Duke of Anhalt following his father’s death. Still influential within the Prussian military, he was promoted to General of Infantry in 1873 and then Chief of the No. 93 Infantry Regiment in 1876.

The Dessau Mausoleum. photo: by M_H.DE – Own Work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11824559

The day after suffering a stroke, Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt died, aged 73, in Ballenstedt, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on January 24, 1904.  Friedrich was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum (link in German) in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. In 1958, the remains of members of the House of Anhalt were removed from the Ducal Mausoleum secretly by night for political reasons (Dessau was then in Communist East Germany) and reburied in the Ziebigker Cemetery in Dessau in a common grave, marked only by a simple wooden cross. In 2019, Friedrich’s remains were moved a second time and reinterred in the Marienkirche (link in German) in Dessau, the traditional burial site of the Dukes of Anhalt-Dessau dating back to the 15th century. The Marienkirche was destroyed during World War II and has since been rebuilt.

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Anhalt Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau

by Scott Mehl    © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Friederike Luise Wilhelmine Amalie of Prussia was the wife of the future Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt. She was born in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on September 30, 1796 to Prince Ludwig Karl of Prussia and Duchess Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and had two older siblings:

  • Prince Friedrich of Prussia (1794-1863) – married Princess Luise of Anhalt-Bernburg, had issue
  • Prince Karl of Prussia (1795-1798) – died in childhood

Friederike’s father died when she was just three months old. His father King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia provided the family with an income and a residence at Schönhausen Palace outside of Berlin. Two years later, in December 1798, Friederike’s mother remarried to Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels, with whom she was already expecting a child. From this marriage Friederike had six half-siblings:

  • Princess Caroline of Solms-Braunfels (born and died 1799)
  • Prince Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels (1801–1868), married Countess Maria Anna Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, had nine children
  • Princess Sophie of Solms-Braunfels (born and died 1803)
  • Princess Auguste Luise of Solms-Braunfels (1804–1865), married Prince Albert of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had four children
  • Prince Friedrich of Solms-Braunfels (1807–1867), married Baroness Louise of Landsberg-Velen, had one child
  • Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels (1812–1875), married (1) morganatically Louise Beyrich, had three children  (2) Princess Sophie of Loewenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, had five children

The family moved once again, in 1815. Having been widowed the previous year, Friederike’s mother married a third time. This time, her husband was her first cousin, Prince Ernst August of the United Kingdom, Duke of Cumberland. The family lived in Hanover, and Friederike gained one more half-sibling:

Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt; Credit – Wikipedia

In Berlin on April 18, 1818, Friederike married Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau. The Prussian court had arranged the marriage, and they had been formally engaged since May 1816. In addition to two stillborn sons, Friederike and Leopold had four children:

Having become Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau at the time of her marriage, Friederike also became Duchess of Anhalt-Köthen in November 1847 when her husband inherited that duchy.

Friederike, the Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau and Duchess of Anhalt-Köthen, died in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany on January 1, 1850, and was buried in the Marienkirche (link in German) in Dessau. When the church was destroyed by bombing during World War II, the Duchess’s remains were moved to the Berenhorst crypt in the Historical Cemetery in Dessau.

Three years after her death, the Dessau and Köthen duchies were joined as one – the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen, and in 1863, were merged with the last remaining Anhalt duchy – Anhalt-Bernburg – becoming the unified Duchy of Anhalt, with her husband becoming the first reigning Duke.

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Anhalt Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Anhalt: Leopold IV Friedrich, the first Duke of Anhalt inherited three duchies: the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau from his grandfather, the Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen from a distant cousin, and the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg from another distant cousin. The three duchies were united as the Duchy of Anhalt on August 30, 1863.

Joachim Ernst was the last Duke of Anhalt. He came to the throne in September 1918 when he was 17-years-old. As he was underage, his father’s brother Prince Aribert of Anhalt served as Regent. With the German Empire crumbling at the end of World War I, Aribert abdicated on Joachim Ernst’s behalf on November 12, 1918. Today the territory that encompassed the Duchy of Anhalt is in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

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Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold IV Friedrich was the first Duke of Anhalt, reigning from 1863 until 1871. He was born Prince Leopold Friedrich of Anhalt-Dessau on October 1, 1794, in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the eldest son of Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau and Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg. Leopold Friedrich had six siblings:

At the time of his birth, his grandfather was the reigning Duke of Anhalt-Dessau. Leopold Friedrich became heir-apparent upon his father’s death in 1814, and became the reigning Duke of Anhalt-Dessau upon his grandfather’s death three years later, on August 9, 1817.

Friederike Wilhelmine of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

The following year, on April 18, 1818, Leopold Friedrich married Princess Friederike of Prussia. She was the daughter of Prince Friedrich Ludwig Karl of Prussia and Duchess Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

The couple had four children:

On November 27, 1847, Leopold IV Friedrich inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen upon the death of a distant cousin. After nearly six years as the reigning Duke of two separate duchies, they were united in May 1853 as the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen. Ten years later, he also inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg from another distant cousin. With all of the Anhalt duchies back under one ruler, they were united as the Duchy of Anhalt on August 30, 1863.

The Marienkirche, before World War II. photo: Von Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R98992 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5368827

Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt, died in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, on May 22, 1871, and was buried in the Marienkirche (link in German) in Dessau. When the church was destroyed by bombing during World War II, the Duke’s remains were moved to the Berenhorst crypt in the Historical Cemetery in Dessau.

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Anhalt Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Elisabeth of Anhalt, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

source: Wikipedia

Elisabeth of Anhalt, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz source: Wikipedia

Princess Elisabeth Marie Friederike Amalie Agnes of Anhalt was born on September 7, 1857, at the Wörlitz Palace near Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, to Hereditary Prince Friedrich of Anhalt (later Duke Friedrich I of Anhalt) and Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg. She had five siblings:

Elisabeth’s christening was held on October 1, 1857, at the Wörlitz Church. She had the following godparents:

Her childhood was spent at the Hereditary Princely Palace in Dessau and the Wörlitz Palace, where she was educated privately by the family’s tutor and her governess. In 1871, her father succeeded as reigning Duke of Anhalt, and the family moved to the Residence Palace in Dessau.

Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. source: Wikipedia

Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz source: Wikipedia

Several years later, in 1876, she first met her future husband, the future Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He was the son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Augusta of Cambridge. The two were second cousins once removed through their mutual descent from Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. They met again later that year when Adolf Friedrich was visiting some mutual relatives, and they became engaged on December 29, 1876. They married at the Dessau Palace in the Duchy of Anhalt, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, on April 17, 1877, and had four children:

Quickly adapting to her role as Hereditary Grand Duchess, Elisabeth found a great ally in her mother-in-law, with whom she shared many interests. The two often hosted musical concerts and promoted numerous artists and musicians. She used her public profile to bring attention to causes that were important to her, including nature and flowers, becoming an honorary member of the Association for the Protection of Birds. After becoming Grand Duchess in 1904 following her father-in-law’s death, Elisabeth continued to support her causes while taking on a much more public role. Following the death of her youngest son in 1910, she established the Duke Karl Borwin Memorial Home in Neustrelitz, to provide a home for orphans and children in need.

Following her husband’s death in 1914, she remained the first lady of Mecklenburg-Strelitz during the reign of her unmarried son and became very active with the Red Cross during World War I. Following the abolition of the monarchy in 1918, Elisabeth remained in Neustrelitz, taking up residence in the Park House which she had inherited earlier that year from her son. After the new government took over Neustrelitz Palace, Elisabeth continued to fight for compensation for the loss of the family’s property. Remaining active right up until her death, Elisabeth remained in Neustrelitz, often hosting visits from her daughters and grandchildren, and staying in close contact with relatives throughout Europe. Her last public appearance was on July 19, 1933, when she attended a ceremony at the Hohenziertz Palace commemorating the death of Queen Luise of Prussia, who had been born a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

The following day, on July 20, 1933, Grand Duchess Elisabeth died in Neustrelitz, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Following her funeral, her remains were placed in the New Crypt at the Johanniterkirche in Mirow, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, alongside her husband and sons.

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Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

The second wife of Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg, Princess Adelheid-Marie was born on December 25, 1833, in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. She was the eldest of the three daughters of Prince Friedrich Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau and Princess Marie Luise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel.  Her mother Princess Marie Luise Charlotte was the elder sister of Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel, the wife of King Christian IX of Denmark. Therefore, Adelheid-Marie was the first cousin of Princess Louise and King Christian IX’s children: King Frederick VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King George I of Greece, Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia, Thyra, Crown Princess of Hanover, and Prince Valdemar.

Adelheid-Marie’s sisters:

On 23 April 1851, Princess Adelheid-Marie married Adolphe, then Duke of Nassau. Six years earlier, Adolphe’s first wife Grand Duchess Elisabeth Mikhailovna of Russia had died in childbirth along with her daughter. Adolphe and Adelheid-Marie had five children, but only two lived to adulthood:

The Duchy of Nassau supported the Austrian Empire in the Austro-Prussian War (1866). After Austria lost the war, the Duchy of Nassau was annexed to Prussia and Adolph lost his duchy. Adolph made an agreement with Prussia for a severance payment and was also able to keep several of his palaces.

During its history, Luxembourg has been a part of a number of countries. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Luxembourg was made a Grand Duchy and united with The Netherlands. In 1839, following the Belgian Revolution, the Treaty of London partitioned territories and created the new Kingdom of Belgium and the new Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was still united with the Netherlands and King Willem I of the Netherlands was still the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. This rule continued until King Willem III of the Netherlands died in 1890. His successor was his daughter Wilhelmina, who could not inherit the throne of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg due to the Salic Law which prevented female succession. Through the Nassau Family Pact, Adolph became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Adelheid-Marie became the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg on November 23, 1890.

Adolphe and Adelheid-Marie; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Adolphe died on November 17, 1905, at the age of 88. Adelheid-Marie survived him by 11 years dying on November 24, 1916, at the age of 82 in Königstein im Taunus, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Hesse, Germany. She was buried with her husband at the burial chapel of Schloss Weilburg, the former residence of the House of Nassau and Dukes of Nassau-Weilburg.

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