Anhalt-Dessau was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and later a duchy of the German Confederation . Ruled by the House of Ascania , it was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst , and finally merged into the re-united Duchy of Anhalt in 1863. The capital of the state was Dessau in present-day Saxony-Anhalt .
27-565: The Principality of Anhalt arose in 1212 under its first ruler Henry I , son of the Saxon duke Bernhard III . Named after Anhalt Castle , the ancestral seat of the Ascanian dynasty near Harzgerode , the principality experienced a number of partitions throughout its centuries-long existence. The Anhalt territory was divided among the sons of Prince Henry I into the principalities of Anhalt-Aschersleben , Anhalt-Bernburg and Anhalt-Zerbst in 1252. In
54-640: Is located in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt and lies southwest of Quedlinburg , between Friedrichsbrunn , Gernrode , Harzgerode and Thale . The Ramberg massif has a number of summits, the highest of which is the Viktorshöhe at 582 m above sea level (NN) . In the vicinity of the Viktorshöhe are the two natural monuments , the Kleine Teufelsmühle and Große Teufelsmühle , two granite tors that are shrouded in legend. Also within
81-598: The Augsburg Confession in 1530, and after the Battle of Mühlberg in 1547 was placed under Imperial ban and deprived of his lands by Emperor Charles V . After the peace of Passau in 1552 he bought back his principality, but as he was childless he surrendered it in 1562 to his kinsmen the princes of Anhalt-Dessau. Ernest I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (d. 1516) left three sons, John V , George III , and Joachim , who ruled their lands together for many years, and who favoured
108-767: The Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire the duchies became fully independent. The extinction of the Köthen line in 1853 and the Bernburg line in 1863, resulted in those states merging with Anhalt-Dessau to form the united Duchy of Anhalt. Ramberg (Harz) The Ramberg , also called the Ramberg Massif , is a granite massif, about 30 square kilometres in area, in the eastern part of the Harz Mountains of central Germany. It
135-654: The Early modern period , Anhalt was divided several times amongst various lines of the dynasty until the dissolution of the Empire in 1806, when Napoleon elevated the remaining states of Anhalt-Bernburg , Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen to duchies. The Anhalt territory stretched from the Harz mountain range in the west to the Elbe River and beyond to the Fläming Heath in the east. Upon
162-680: The Harz mountains near Harzgerode and appears to have been among the first to assume the title of a "Count of Anhalt". He was the father of Albert the Bear , who temporarily was appointed Margrave of the Saxon Eastern March (or March of Lusatia ) by the Saxon duke Lothair of Supplinburg and struggled for the ducal title himself. Albert could not prevail against the Welf duke Henry the Lion , nevertheless he conquered
189-541: The Lutheran doctrine, which thus became dominant in Anhalt. About 1546 the three brothers divided their principality and founded the lines of Zerbst , Plötzkau and Dessau. This division, however, was only temporary, as the acquisition of Köthen , and a series of deaths among the ruling princes, enabled Joachim Ernest , a son of John V, to unite the whole of Anhalt under his rule in 1570. The first united principality of Anhalt
216-552: The Saale ; the land between this river and the Elbe is particularly fertile. East of the Elbe, the land is mostly a flat sandy plain, with extensive pine forests, interspersed with bog-land and rich pastures. The Elbe is the chief river, intersecting the eastern portion of the former duchy, from east to west, and at Rosslau is met by the Mulde . The navigable Saale takes a northerly direction through
243-583: The Saxon ducal title in 1112, Otto was enfeoffed with the Duchy of Saxony, which, however, he had to renounce shortly afterwards, as Lothair and Henry had reconciled. On the eve of the 1115 Battle of Welfesholz , Otto campaigned the lands of the Polabian Slavs , gaining large estates around Zerbst up to the Hevelli lands ruled by the Hevelli princes. Until his death in 1123, Count Otto had Anhalt Castle built in
270-512: The 1315 loss of Anhalt-Aschersleben , the lands around Ballenstedt formed a western exclave . The area of the later duchy was 906 sq mi (2,300 km ). In the west, the land is undulating and in the extreme northwest, where it forms part of the Harz mountains, hilly, with the Ramberg (Harz) peak as the tallest point at 1,900 ft (579 m). From the Harz the country gently shelves down to
297-512: The 16th century, however, owing to the death or abdication of several princes, the family had become narrowed down to the two branches of Anhalt-Köthen and Anhalt-Dessau (issued both from Anhalt-Dessau in 1471). Wolfgang of Anhalt , called the Confessor , who became prince of Anhalt-Köthen in 1508, was the second ruler in the world to introduce the Reformation to his country. He was a co-signer of
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#1732851389805324-618: The Eastphalian territories, while the Westphalian and Engern parts of Saxony fell under the control of the Prince-Archbishops of Cologne . The County of Anhalt finally arose upon the death of Duke Bernhard in 1212, when his sons divided their heritage. The younger Albert I became Duke of Saxony, while the elder Henry I went on to rule the Ascanian lands, now definitely separated from Saxony, as Count of Anhalt. In 1218, Henry I assumed
351-645: The central portion of the territory and receives, on the right, the Fuhne and, on the left, the Wipper and the Bode . The climate is generally mild, less so in the higher Harz regions to the south-west. From the 9th century onward, the western parts of the later Anhalt territory up to the Elbe and Saale rivers were included in the Schwabengau region of Eastphalia , the eastern part of
378-499: The course of the partition, Prince Siegfried I , the youngest son of Henry I, received the lands around Köthen , Dessau , and Zerbst . His son and successor Prince Albert I took his residence at Köthen Castle in 1295. In 1396, the surviving sons of Prince John II of Anhalt-Zerbst again divided their heritage. The elder Sigismund I became Prince of Anhalt-Dessau and took his residence at Dessau, while his younger brother Albert IV went on to rule as Prince of Anhalt-Köthen. Upon
405-484: The death of Sigismund's son Prince George I of Anhalt-Dessau in 1474, the principality was again divided with Anhalt-Köthen . Anhalt-Dessau was partitioned for a second time in 1544 with Anhalt-Zerbst and Anhalt-Plötzkau being created. From 1561 until 1603 Anhalt-Dessau was under the rule of the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, and in 1603 Anhalt-Dessau was recreated, being raised to a duchy in 1807. Anhalt-Köthen became extinct on
432-605: The death of the Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, 23 November 1847, and its territories were united to Anhalt-Dessau by Patent of 22 May 1853. Following the death of the last Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg on 19 August 1863, all of the Anhalt lands came under the rule of the Duke of Anhalt-Dessau who then took the new title of Duke of Anhalt for the newly created Duchy of Anhalt . To Anhalt-Zerbst 1561 . Raised to Duchy 1807 . Renamed Duchy of Anhalt 1863 . Principality of Anhalt The Principality of Anhalt ( German : Fürstentum Anhalt )
459-425: The disturbed state of European politics. In 1665, the branch of Anhalt-Köthen became extinct, and according to a family compact this district was inherited by Lebrecht, Prince of Anhalt-Plötzkau , who surrendered Plötzkau to Bernburg, and took the title of prince of Anhalt-Köthen. In the same year the princes of Anhalt decided that if any branch of the family became extinct its lands should be equally divided between
486-476: The doctrines of Martin Luther . The growth of Prussia provided Anhalt with a formidable neighbour, and the long-delayed establishment of primogeniture by all branches of the family prevented further divisions of the principality. In 1806, Napoleon elevated the remaining states of Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen to duchies; in the meantime, Anhalt-Plötzkau and Anhalt-Zerbst had ceased to exist. With
513-495: The eastern territories of the former Northern March , which had been lost in the 983 Great Slav Rising , where he established the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1157. When he died in 1170, his younger son Count Bernhard inherited the Ascanian home territories around Anhalt Castle and after the deposition of Henry the Lion by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa finally became Duke of Saxony in 1180. However, he effectively only ruled over
540-469: The medieval Duchy of Saxony. In the 11th century, it came under the rule of Count Esico of Ballenstedt (died 1059 or 1060), mentioned in a 1036 deed issued by Emperor Conrad II at Tilleda . Possibly a descendant of the Saxon margrave Odo , he owned large allodial lands around Ballenstedt in the Schwabengau as well as in the adjacent Gau Serimunt in the former Saxon Eastern March . Count Esico
567-400: The remaining branches. This arrangement was carried out after the death of Frederick Augustus, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst in 1793, and Zerbst was divided between the three remaining princes. During these years the policy of the different princes was marked, perhaps intentionally, by considerable uniformity. Once or twice Calvinism was favoured by a prince, but in general the house was loyal to
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#1732851389805594-426: The territory of Anhalt-Bernburg in two separate pieces. The last prince of the original line of Anhalt-Bernburg died in 1468 and his lands were inherited by the princes of the sole remaining line, that of Anhalt-Zerbst . The territory belonging to this branch of the family had been divided in 1396, and after the acquisition of Bernburg Prince George I made a further partition of Zerbst (Zerbst and Dessau). Early in
621-465: The title of a prince and thereby was the real founder of the princely House of Anhalt . On Henry's death in 1252, his three sons partitioned the principality and founded, respectively, the lines of Aschersleben , Bernburg and Zerbst . The family ruling in Aschersleben became extinct in 1315, and this district was subsequently incorporated in the neighboring Bishopric of Halberstadt , thus dividing
648-691: Was a State of the Holy Roman Empire , located in Central Germany , in what is today part of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt . Under the rule of the House of Ascania , the Anhalt territory was split off the German stem duchy of Saxony in 1212 and granted to Count Henry I , who was raised to the rank of a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1218. Ruled by Ascanian princes from the High Middle Ages to
675-489: Was ravaged during the Thirty Years' War , and in the earlier part of this struggle Christian I of Anhalt-Bernburg took an important part. In 1635 an arrangement was made by the various princes of Anhalt, which gave a certain authority to the eldest member of the family, who was thus able to represent the principality as a whole. This proceeding was probably due to the necessity of maintaining an appearance of unity in view of
702-403: Was short-lived, and in 1603 it was split up into the mini states of Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Köthen, Anhalt-Zerbst and Anhalt-Plötzkau. Joachim Ernest died in 1586, and his five sons ruled the land in common until 1603, when owing to the lack of primogeniture , Anhalt was again divided, and the lines of Dessau, Bernburg, Plötzkau, Zerbst and Köthen were re-founded. The principality
729-658: Was succeeded by his son Adalbert II of Ballenstedt , who also appeared as a count in the Saxon Nordthüringgau and further territories in the Eastern March. Adalbert joined the Saxon Rebellion against King Henry IV and was slain in a feud with Egeno II of Konradsburg in 1080. His son Count Otto the Rich appeared as a "Count of Ballenstedt" from 1106. When Emperor Henry V temporarily deprived Lothair of Supplinburg of
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