House of Ascania

The House of Ascania is an Old Saxon reigning family historically documented since the 11th century. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession. Their ancestral seats, Ballenstedt, Anhalt, Aschersleben, and Bernburg, are located in the present-day Anhalt region in Saxony-Anhalt. The ruins of Anhalt Castle are situated in the Harz Mountains northeast of Harzgerode. The name "Askanier" derives from the Latinization of their seat at Aschersleben. Since the late 17th century, only the Anhalt branch has survived. Albert the Bear became Duke of Saxony in 1138 and, with the control of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1150, the first Margrave in the formerly Slavic settlement area. In 1180, eastern parts of the Stem Duchy of Saxony passed to the Askanier Bernhard of Saxony. As Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg, the family received hereditary electoral dignity in 1356. The family ruled Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Köthen, Anhalt-Zerbst, Anhalt-Plötzkau, and Anhalt-Aschersleben. Alexius Friedrich Christian of Anhalt-Bernburg was the first of the Anhalt princes to gain the title of Duke in April 1806. The ducal title was adopted in Anhalt-Köthen and Anhalt-Dessau in 1807. Since 1863, only the Dessau line has existed, with Aribert of Anhalt abdicating in 1918 due to the November Revolution in the Duchy of Anhalt. Since 1963, Eduard, Prince of Anhalt has been the head of the family.

History Overview

From the Beginnings to Before 1212

The Askanier are documented as Counts of Ballenstedt, originating from an area now part of the Harz district in Saxony-Anhalt. From the outset, the family held possessions in the present-day districts of Salzlandkreis and Anhalt-Bitterfeld. Ballenstedt, Aschersleben, and ultimately Anhalt Castle were the most significant ancestral seats, with Ballenstedt as the eponymous seat in the 11th and 12th centuries. These possessions, along with further holdings in present-day Anhalt, led to the emergence of several Anhalt principalities in the 13th century. Due to numerous land divisions, concentrated ownership in a single hand was the exception over the centuries.

The earliest known Askanier, Esico of Ballenstedt, is reported in older literature to have built Anhalt Castle. The ruins of Anhalt Castle are located on a spur of the Great Hausberg on the right bank of the Selke. The origins and earlier history of the Ballenstedt family are unknown.

The family name, derived from Anhalt Castle, is still used by members of the house today. The term "Askanier" became a common designation for the Counts of Aschersleben starting in the 14th century. The Margraves of Brandenburg, Dukes of Saxony, and all other lines are also referred to as Askanier.

Family history often begins in literature with an Askanier whose name is unknown. Traditionally, this figure is still referred to as Adalbert, though it is agreed that the name is merely speculative based on his grandson. He was married to Hidda, a daughter of Hodo I, Margrave of the Ostmark. Their children are typically listed as Esico, Theoderich, Ludolf, Uta, and Hazecha.

Esico of Ballenstedt is the first named ancestor and exercised comital rights. He is mentioned in contemporary documents, such as a diploma issued by Emperor Conrad II on October 26, 1036, at the Pfalz Tilleda (comitatu Esiconis, translated as "in the county of Esico"). His clan was based in the eastern Saxon Schwabengau, which is why they are classified in the Sachsenspiegel as part of the Swabian ancient nobility. The Schwabengau (Suavia) was a county located east of Quedlinburg.

The primary source for the genealogy of the early Askanier is the chronicle of the Annalista Saxo, written in the mid-12th century. According to it, Esico was maternally a grandson of Margrave Hodo († 993) and inherited several allodial estates in the Schwabengau and Serimuntgau after the death of his uncle Siegfried († c. 1030). The name of Esico's father is unknown; only in much later genealogies was he assigned the name Adalbert (I), as the Saxon annalist names the Count Adalbert (II), murdered around 1080, as Esico's son. On the present-day Schlossberg of Ballenstedt, Esico established the collegiate church St. Pancratius und Abundus, consecrated in 1046 in the presence of King Henry III. He was advocate of the monasteries Nienburg and Hagenrode.

Adalbert II of Ballenstedt, son of Esico and his wife Matilda, was a count in the Nordthüringgau and is mentioned in connection with the Nizizi and Serimunt counties. It is presumed that his mother was the daughter of Duke Herman of Swabia. He married Adelheid, daughter and heiress presumptive of Count Otto I of Weimar-Orlamünde, Margrave of Meissen, and had two sons, Otto the Rich and Siegfried. Adalbert was killed around 1080 by Egeno II of Konradsburg. While speculations about the motive exist, the reasons remain unclear. A seal depicting Adalbert exists, representing the earliest known stylized depiction of an Askanier.

The Saxon annalist referred to Esico, Adalbert II, and Otto the Rich as "Counts of Ballenstedt," but this title is historically verified only for Otto (Ottoni comiti de Ballenstide) in 1106. Thus, it is confirmed that he named himself after Ballenstedt Castle in the eastern Harz. Otto was briefly Duke of Saxony in 1112. He married Eilika, daughter of Duke Magnus of Saxony. Through this, he acquired Billung allodial estates and later received the Duchy of Saxony from the emperor. The count died in 1123 and was buried in Ballenstedt. His widow Eilika lived in Halle and Bernburg after his death. Otto the Rich and his son Albert the Bear converted the Ballenstedt collegiate church into a Benedictine monastery in 1123. His brother Siegfried was Count of Weimar-Orlamünde and Palatine of the Rhine.

Albert the Bear was the first significant family member and the most prominent Askanier in the Middle Ages. A contemporary and rival of Henry the Lion (Welfs) and Conrad the Great (Wettins), he significantly advanced the German settlement of Slavic border marks and founded the Margraviate of Brandenburg on the territory of the former Nordmark. He briefly served as Duke of Saxony before becoming Margrave of Brandenburg, establishing his family's power in the Saxon eastern marches. His extensive territorial possessions were divided among his sons Otto, Herman, Bernhard, and Adalbert. This created the four main Askanier branches at the time: Brandenburg (until 1320), Weimar-Orlamünde (until 1486), Saxe-Wittenberg (until 1422), Saxe-Lauenburg (until 1689), and Anhalt (to the present). Albert is referred to as a Count of Aschersleben, indicating that the title "Counts of Aschersleben" emerged in the 12th century. He was first documented as comes Asscherslovensis on August 8, 1147, during a court session he presided over. Whether Albert used this title himself is unclear, but he referred to himself as Margrave of Brandenburg in a document dated October 3, 1157 ("Adelbertus dei gratia marchio in Brandenborch"). The epithet "the Bear" was used in contemporary sources. Albert the Bear died in November 1170 and was almost certainly buried in the Ballenstedt house monastery. The bear is the heraldic animal of Anhalt. His son Bernhard used various Latin variants of Count of Aschersleben and later Duke of Saxony. The Gelnhausen Charter of 1180 included the division of the Stem Duchy of Saxony. In this arrangement, Bernhard was enfeoffed with the eastern part, which continued to bear the name Saxony. He received the ducal title the following year after the Erfurt Reichstag.

From 1212 to 1603

After the death of Bernhard III, Duke of Saxony, in February 1212 in Bernburg, his eldest son Henry received the Anhalt house estates between the Lower Harz and the lower Mulde River, while his brother Albert inherited the Duchy of Saxony. Their father Bernhard III inherited the County of Aschersleben from Adalbert, who had no male heirs. Although Albert held a higher title, Henry's possessions were securely in the family's hands. Part of the County of Anhalt was also allodial property. The division of 1212 marks the beginning of Anhalt's independent development, with Henry I as its first ruler. It is likely that he controlled a relatively cohesive area around Aschersleben, Ballenstedt, and Anhalt Castle, with a narrow connection to larger eastern complexes around Bernburg, Köthen, Wörbzig, Dessau, and Wörlitz, extending to the right bank of the Elbe around Coswig. Henry I of Anhalt appeared as Count of Askanien (comes Aschariae) in a document issued on November 4, 1213. Ascharia is a term used by the document's issuer. Henry I was also the first to be called Prince in or of Anhalt (comes Ascharie et princeps in Anahalt) and was also Count of Aschersleben. The prince was considered cruel, as he mistreated Abbot Gernot at Nienburg. In the early 14th century, family members used Anhalt as their designation, regardless of whether they held Anhalt Castle.

In the 13th century, the Anhaltiner were among the elite in their region, i.e., the Anhalt area. However, their significance declined sharply in the 14th and 15th centuries, as evidenced by their reduced imperial political influence and marriage alliances. Like other imperial princes, the Askanier benefited from the Statutum in favorem principum, enacted in 1231 at the Worms Hoftag, which regulated the sovereign rights of princes. The first formation of lines in the present-day Anhalt region occurred through the land division of 1252 among the sons of Henry I of Anhalt. Henry II founded the Aschersleben line, Bernhard I the Bernburg line, and Siegfried I the Köthen line. Alongside Köthen, Dessau and Coswig were part of this Principality. Dessau later gained significance as a residence. Ballenstedt belonged to Anhalt-Aschersleben and gave the Askanier their name as Counts of Ballenstedt. The family ruled the Principality of Anhalt-Aschersleben until 1315. The Askanier acquired the lordship of Zerbst in 1307 from the lords of Barby, which was last administered by Anhalt-Köthen; the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst was established in 1396.

Anhalt-Köthen was divided among the sons of John II, son of Albert II of Anhalt-Zerbst. The brothers Sigmund I, Albert III, and Waldemar III initially ruled jointly. Waldemar III died soon after, and in 1396, the Sigmundian line (Zerbst) and Albertine line (Köthen) emerged. Sigmund I received the land on the right bank of the Elbe, while Albert III received the land on the left bank. Albert III's sons Waldemar IV, Adolf I, and Albert IV had significant disputes with their cousin George I of Anhalt-Zerbst regarding possessions. The possessions were later redistributed. The Sigmundian line eventually gained partial ownership of the Albertine line, which ended at the beginning of the 16th century. The Bernburg branch expired in 1468, and its possessions passed to the Sigmundian line.

The Sigmundian line split again in 1474 into the older Dessau line (Anhalt-Dessau; Ernestine-Dessau branch) and the so-called older Köthen line (Anhalt-Köthen), here used to refer to the Waldemarian-Köthen branch. The death date of George I is used, though some sources cite the earlier division by him in 1471. The latter line expired with Wolfgang of Anhalt-Köthen in 1566, and the possessions had already passed to the older Dessau line in 1562. Wolfgang was the son of Waldemar VI of Anhalt-Köthen and grandson of George I. The older Köthen line acquired part of the Zerbst lands in 1508, which also passed to the older Dessau line. Around 1500, the Magdeburg Archbishop attempted to subordinate the principality to his own sphere of influence, which would have meant the loss of imperial immediacy. Through the Imperial Reform starting in 1500, imperial circles were created in the Holy Roman Empire. The principalities were part of the Upper Saxon Circle. Wolfgang of Anhalt-Köthen introduced the Reformation in 1525 and was a leading figure among Protestant princes. He signed the Augsburg Confession in 1530, was a co-founder of the Schmalkaldic League in 1531, and participated in the Schmalkaldic War in 1546.

In the mid-16th century, progressive legislation modernized administration. The older Dessau line split in 1546 into the Zerbst, Dessau, and Plötzkau branches. John V received the Zerbst lands, Joachim Dessau, and George III Plötzkau.

Since Wolfgang of Anhalt-Köthen († 1566) from the older Köthen line died childless, his lands passed to Joachim Ernst of Anhalt, son of John IV and part of the older Dessau line. Joachim Ernst unified all possessions in 1570 and moved his seat of government to Dessau.

From 1603 to the present

In 1603, another division created the younger lines of Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Köthen, and Anhalt-Zerbst. John George I became Prince of Anhalt-Dessau and received the town, office, and castle of Dessau with Schloss Lippene, the towns of Raguhn and Jeßnitz, and the offices of Wörlitz, Sandersleben, and Freckleben. Christian I ruled Anhalt-Bernburg with the town, office, and castle of Bernburg, Plötzkau, Hoym, Ballenstedt, Harzgerode, and Güntersberge. Rudolph founded the Anhalt-Zerbst line and held the town, office, and castle of Zerbst with Kermen, Lindau, Roßlau, and Coswig. Louis I established the Anhalt-Köthen branch and received the town, office, and castle of Köthen with Brambach, Wulfen, Nienburg, and the marks of Jeser, Baalberge, Warmsdorf with Kolbigh, and the Vorwerk Diebzig. August initially renounced land ownership for a settlement but, after renegotiations in 1611, received Plötzkau from the Bernburg share, though without sovereign rights.

The division of possessions was significant only within the overall principality. Externally, the principality spoke with one voice, remaining undivided. Anhalt-Plötzkau existed until the mid-17th century and then passed to Anhalt-Bernburg. Anhalt-Köthen expired in 1665. The Anhalt-Plötzkau line inherited this possession and renamed itself Anhalt-Köthen.

Emperor Francis II granted the Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg the right to be called "Duke" in 1806. In 1807, Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen were also elevated to duchies by Napoleon Bonaparte. The Zerbst branch died out in 1793, the Köthen line in 1847, and the Bernburg line in 1863. Thus, in 1863, the Duchy of Anhalt (Anhalt-Dessau line) was formed with Dessau as its residence, remaining the sole ruling territory until the abdication in 1918.

Less significant lines included Anhalt-Köthen-Pless (1755 to mid-19th century), Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg (1707–1812), and Anhalt-Harzgerode (1635–1709).

After the Askanier's abdication, Ballenstedt Castle remained the family's residence. Joachim Ernst, the last duke, married Elisabeth Strickrodt in March 1927; the marriage was dissolved in 1929. In October 1929, he married Edda-Charlotte von Stephani-Marwitz, producing the children Marie Antoinette, Anna Luise, Leopold Friedrich, Edda, and Eduard. Joachim Ernst was arrested by the Nazis in January 1944 and held for three months in Dachau near Munich. In September 1945, he was arrested by Soviet occupation forces and taken to NKVD special camp Nr. 2 near Weimar, where he died in February 1947. His rehabilitation by the Russian state occurred in 1992. From 1947, his son Leopold Friedrich was head of the house, and since 1963, his son Eduard has been.

The House of Anhalt today

Since 1963, Eduard has served as the head of the family. Born in 1941 in Ballenstedt, he succeeded his older brother Leopold Friedrich, who died in a traffic accident. Both are sons of Joachim Ernst, who was the last duke, still a minor in 1918. The family uses the traditional style of a reigning ducal family, "Highness," applied to both the head and other family members. Eduard, Prince of Anhalt, is the last male Askanier; the family will become extinct in the male line upon his death. The current head of the family and his three daughters are the only legitimate descendants of the Askanier in the agnatic line. Two morganatic lines, the Counts of Westarp and of Waldersee, descend from non-house-law-compliant marriages of two Anhalt princes. Eduard, Prince of Anhalt, is related to the British King Charles III and had initial contact with the Windsors in 1947 when his mother was invited to Buckingham Palace in London. Familial ties exist through his great-uncle Aribert of Anhalt, who was married to a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

In January 2010, the head of the house issued the "Dessau Declaration," amending the house law to introduce female succession. Thus, his eldest daughter, Julia Katharina, is designated as the future head of the House of Anhalt. This is a novelty within the German formerly reigning houses. Due to the unconventional nature of absolute primogeniture allowing a female successor, the non-noble marriage of the designated heiress, and questions about whether monarchical house laws can be amended after the monarchy's abolition, this decision is controversial among conservative representatives of so-called noble associations, and the daughters' descendants are not yet included in the Gotha Genealogical Handbook.

Heads of the House of Anhalt

• 1947–1963 Leopold Friedrich (* 1938; † 1963), son of Joachim Ernst
• Since 1963 Eduard (* 1941), brother

Territories of rule

General overview

Overview of land divisions

Note: The Albertine line expired with Adolph II of Anhalt-Köthen and Magnus of Anhalt, who renounced governance in 1508.

Rule in Anhalt

Anhalt-Aschersleben

The allodial estates of the Ascanians between the Harz and Elbe remained with the Anhalt line after the 1212 division. Henry II. was the son of Henry I. of Anhalt and founded the Anhalt-Aschersleben line in 1252. He received the territories of Aschersleben, Gernrode, Hecklingen, Ermsleben, and Wörbzig. The Anhalt-Aschersleben region also included Ballenstedt and Anhalt Castle. The Ascanians originated from this area. The principality passed to the Diocese of Halberstadt in 1315, and with it, to the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1648. The Bishop of Halberstadt enfeoffed Bernhard II. of Anhalt-Bernburg in December 1316, transferring Anhalt-Aschersleben as a fief to Anhalt-Bernburg.

Rulers of Anhalt-Aschersleben

Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg

Bernhard I. (* 1218; † 1287) was born as the son of Henry I. of Anhalt and founded the old Bernburg line. Prince Bernhard III. of Anhalt was the first in 1320 to call himself comes Ascanie. Nineteenth-century historiography then applied this term to all members of the family of the Counts of Ballenstedt and Aschersleben since the 11th century. After the death of Bernhard VI in 1468, George I. of Anhalt-Zerbst inherited the possessions. A castle complex in Bernburg is mentioned in 961 and 1138, though the former date is uncertain. Under Wolfgang of Anhalt-Köthen, the Wolfgangsbau was constructed at Bernburg Castle in 1538/1539, located at the site of the former hillfort.

Christian I. of Anhalt-Bernburg became the governor of the Upper Palatinate in 1595 in the service of Elector Frederick IV. of the Palatinate and resided in Amberg. He represented Frederick IV at the founding of the Protestant Union. In 1619, he had significant influence in the election of his employer Frederick V. of the Palatinate as King of Bohemia.

Emperor Francis II. elevated Prince Alexius Frederick Christian to Duke in April 1806. Anhalt-Bernburg passed to Leopold IV of Anhalt-Dessau after the reign of Alexander Charles (* 1805; † 1863).

Rulers of Anhalt-Bernburg

Principality of Anhalt-Köthen

Siegfried I. († 1298) was the son of Henry I of Anhalt and received Köthen; his territory was to the right of the Saale and partly to the right of the Elbe. In 1272, he founded the Augustinian nunnery at Coswig, whose collegiate church was St. Nicolai. In older literature, the Anhalt-Köthen line is sometimes referred to as the old Zerbst line. Siegfried's sons were Albert I., Henry, Siegfried II, and Hermann.

The Anhalt-Köthen line adopted the ducal title from 1807. Henry (* 1778; † 1847) was the last Duke of Anhalt-Köthen. The land passed to the lines of Anhalt-Bernburg (administered by Anhalt-Dessau) and Anhalt-Dessau. No division occurred due to the anticipated extinction of the Bernburg line and the subsequent inheritance by Anhalt-Dessau.

Rulers of Anhalt-Köthen

Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst

The possessions were administered jointly with Köthen and Dessau before 1396. John VI. publicly introduced the Lutheran confession in 1644, and Calvinist preachers were subsequently replaced. In May 1681, the foundation stone was laid for the main part of Zerbst Castle. The Zerbst line ceased in 1793, and the possessions passed to the other brothers in 1797. The Köthen line ended in 1847, and Köthen was unified with Dessau in 1853. After the Bernburg line also became extinct in 1863, the Duchy of Anhalt was formed under Leopold IV († 1871). Anhalt-Zerbst acquired the Lordship of Jever through inheritance in 1667.

Until 1797, Roßlau was a Quedlinburg fief held by the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, then passed to Anhalt-Köthen, where it formed the "New Köthen" part, and finally to Anhalt-Dessau in 1847.

• Zerbst Castle (historical photograph)
• Joachim Ernest ruled all of Anhalt from 1570.
• Coswig Castle, built 1667–1677 as a widow's residence
• Dornburg Castle, built from 1750 as a widow's residence for the dowager princess Joanna Elisabeth, mother of Catherine the Great

Rulers of Anhalt-Zerbst

Principality of Anhalt-Dessau

A separate cadet line of the princely house in Dessau emerged in 1474. Ernest († 1516) was born as the son of George I. of Anhalt-Zerbst and founded the Ernestine-Dessau line (Anhalt-Dessau). His brother Sigismund III. died in 1487 and was also a Prince of Anhalt-Dessau. The construction of the Dessau Palace is generally believed to have begun around 1530.

In 1660, John George II. succeeded his father John Casimir as regent. Under his rule, Großalsleben was added to the possessions. For his wife Henriette Catherine from the House of Orange-Nassau, Oranienbaum Palace was built east of Dessau from 1681. John George II was a brother-in-law of Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg.

Leopold III created the Wörlitz Park, an English landscape garden.

• Dessau Palace, photograph c. 1900
• Oranienbaum Palace, from 1683 summer residence of Henriette Catherine of Orange-Nassau, wife of Prince John George II
• Wörlitz Palace in the Wörlitz Park, built from 1769 to 1773 by Leopold III Frederick Franz
• Mosigkau Palace, built 1752–57 for Princess Anna Wilhelmine

Rulers of Anhalt-Dessau

Anhalt-Plötzkau

Anhalt-Harzgerode

Anhalt-Harzgerode emerged in 1635 from the division of Anhalt-Bernburg and reverted to it in 1709.

Duchy of Anhalt

The Zerbst line ceased in 1793, and its possessions passed to the other brothers in 1797. The Köthen line ended in 1847, and Köthen was unified with Dessau in 1853. When the Bernburg line became extinct in 1863, the Duchy of Anhalt was established under Duke Leopold IV Frederick († 1871). From this year, he held the title Duke of Anhalt, no longer Duke of Anhalt-Dessau.

In the federal resolution of June 14, 1866, the Duchy of Anhalt sided with Prussia, joined the North German Confederation in 1867, and the German Empire in 1871. The state parliament consisted of 36 deputies. The Duke appointed 2 deputies, 8 represented the highest-taxed landowners, 2 the highest-taxed merchants and industrialists, 14 represented the cities, and 10 represented rural areas.

The Duchy existed until the November Revolution in 1918, when workers and soldiers in Anhalt demonstrated and demanded change, which occurred peacefully. The Social Democrats called for the abdication of the ducal family. Prince Regent Aribert of Anhalt declared the abdication of the Ascanians on November 12, 1918, on behalf of the minor Duke Joachim Ernst.

On December 30, 1918, Aribert of Anhalt established the Joachim-Ernst Foundation, renamed the Dessau-Wörlitz Cultural Foundation in 1947. The foundation manages most of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm with several landscape parks.

Heads of State and Dukes

State Ministers or Chairmen of the State Ministry

• 1863–1868 Karl Friedrich Ferdinand Sintenis (* 1804; † 1868)
• 1868–1875 Alfred von Larisch (* 1819; † 1897)
• 1875–1892 Anton von Krosigk (* 1820; † 1892)
• 1892–1903 Kurt von Koseritz (* 1838; † 1916)
• 1903–1909 Johann (Hans) Nikolaus Michael Louis von Dallwitz (* 1855; † 1919)
• 1910–1918 Eduard Hermann Ernst von Laue (* 1855; † 1923)
• 1918 Max Gutknecht (* 1876; † 1935)

Rule Outside of Anhalt

The Anhalters also ruled outside their ancestral lands. At the beginning of the family history, the Ascanians were significant in the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Saxony.

Margraviate of Brandenburg

The noble family shaped the history of Brandenburg, as it is credited with the Formation of the Margraviate of Brandenburg. When the Slavic prince Pribislav died in 1150, his widow Petrissa handed over the land of the Hevelli around Brandenburg Castle to Albrecht the Bear, Count of Ballenstedt. In 1157, Albrecht definitively took possession of Brandenburg. He participated in Lothair of Supplinburg's Italian campaign in 1132/1133, where Lothair was crowned emperor by Pope Innocent II. In gratitude, Albrecht received the Nordmark, which later gave him power over the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Despite Albrecht's rule over the Margraviate of Brandenburg, only three visits by the margrave (1150, 1157, and 1170) have been documented in the mark. Otto I. († 1184) became the new Margrave of Brandenburg in 1170, and his descendants expanded the territory through an expansionist eastern policy. In connection with the Ascanians, a founding myth also emerged.

At the beginning of the 14th century, the mark extended to the later Prussian Province of Brandenburg and even into Pomerania. With Henry II the Child, the Brandenburg line became extinct in 1320. Emperor Louis IV of the House of Wittelsbach, an uncle of Henry II, reclaimed Brandenburg as a lapsed fief and granted it to his son Louis V in 1323, concluding the Brandenburg Interregnum. In 1348, a pretender known as the False Waldemar was enfeoffed with the Margraviate of Brandenburg.

Rulers of Brandenburg

Duchy of Saxony

The old Duchy of Saxony was transferred to Henry the Lion of the House of Welf in 1143. It was divided into the three provinces of Westphalia, Angria, and Eastphalia and lay mostly in the area of present-day Lower Saxony, Westphalia, and the western part of Saxony-Anhalt. The Ascanians briefly held the title of Duke of Saxony with Otto the Rich in 1112 and Albrecht the Bear from 1138 to 1142. Albrecht's mother, Eilika of Saxony, was the daughter of the Saxon Duke Magnus Billung of Saxony. This fact supported a claim to Saxony, just as the Welfs could present their own arguments. Thus, the family can also be considered a Saxon noble house.

The title of Duke of Saxony passed in 1180, after the deposition of Henry the Lion at the Diet of Gelnhausen, documented in the Gelnhausen Charter of April 13, 1180, to Bernhard III. of Saxony, the youngest son of Albrecht the Bear. However, he received only the eastern part, excluding Westphalia and Angria, which went to the Archbishop of Cologne Philipp I. von Heinsberg. Bernhard also held the counties of Aschersleben and Ballenstedt as well as Anhalt Castle, the ancestral lands. In the retained eastern part of the Duchy, he could only exercise actual power in parts of it. Bernhard divided his territories among his sons: the elder son Albert I. († 1261) received the Saxon Duchy, while the younger son Henry I. († 1252) received the Anhalt ancestral lands.

Albert II., son of Albert I, and the sons of his brother John I. conducted a division of the Ascanian Duchy of Saxony in 1296. Saxony-Wittenberg went to Albrecht II, and John II., Albrecht III, and Eric I. received Saxony-Lauenburg. The Saxony-Wittenberg line was significant, receiving the hereditary electoral dignity in 1356 through the Golden Bull. However, it became extinct in 1422, and Saxony-Wittenberg ("Electoral Saxony") was granted to the Wettins, causing the Ascanians to lose their status as electors.

• The Duchy of Saxony around the year 1000.
• Territory of the Ascanian Duchy of Saxony around 1235 (highlighted in green), consisting of parts of the former Duchy of Saxony around Wittenberg and at Lauenburg and the Hadeln area
• The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg around 1400.

Rulers of the Duchy of Saxony

Saxe-Wittenberg

Saxony-Lauenburg

The branch of John II., Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg in Bergedorf, now near Hamburg, and Mölln, ended in 1401 with his grandson Eric III.. Eric IV. received his lands, being Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg in Lauenburg and Ratzeburg. He thus held all the possessions and was a descendant of Eric I., who was Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg in Lauenburg and, after his brother Albrecht III's death in 1308, also in Ratzeburg. The Saxe-Lauenburg line ended with Julius Francis in 1689. The Welfs (from the neighboring Principality of Lüneburg line) succeeded them.

Weimar-Orlamünde

Siegfried I became the first Ascanian Count of Weimar-Orlamünde in 1112 after Ulrich II, Margrave of Carniola from the Weimar-Orlamünde house. He was the son of Adalbert II of Ballenstedt and his wife Adelaide, a daughter of Otto I, Margrave of Meissen . Albert I the Bear received the County of Weimar-Orlamünde in 1140. Hermann I († 1176) continued the Weimar-Orlamünde line. Following the inheritance division of 1264/65, Hermann III received the area around Orlamünde, and Otto III received the area around Weimar.

Orlamünde was sold to the Wettins on April 25, 1344. By 1467, the Ascanians no longer held any possessions, as the Wettins took over everything.

Rulers of Weimar-Orlamünde

Principality of Lüneburg

After the older House of Lüneburg died out with William II of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1369, the Lüneburg War of Succession began in 1370. In the same year, the Principality of Lüneburg was granted to Albrecht and Wenceslaus I of the Saxony-Wittemberg line by decree of Emperor Charles IV. Albrecht was the maternal grandson of William II of Brunswick-Lüneburg, while Wenceslaus I was Albrecht's uncle. The Ascanians were replaced in 1388 by Albrecht's stepsons from the House of Welf.

The rulers of the Principality of Lüneburg

• 1370–1385: Albrecht († 1385), son of Otto of Saxony-Wittenberg, ruled together with Wenzel I.
• 1370–1388: Wenceslaus I (* 1337; † 1388), son of Rudolf I of Saxony-Wittenberg, also Elector

Rulers of the House of Ascania

House of Ascania

Notable figures

Catherine the Great

The most famous Ascanian in modern times was the Russian Empress Catherine the Great (* 1729; † 1796), previously named Sophie Auguste Friederike. Her father, Christian August of Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, served as a high-ranking military officer in Prussian service, so she grew up primarily in Szczecin Castle, not Zerbst. In 1745, she married Karl Peter Ulrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, the future Russian Emperor Peter III. On this occasion, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy and took the name Yekaterina Alexeyevna in honor of Catherine I. After orchestrating her husband's deposition in 1762, during which he was murdered, she assumed sole rule over Russia, governing for 34 years. Her governing style is associated with enlightened absolutism; she also maintained contact with Voltaire, Cesare Beccaria, and Denis Diderot.

The Zerbst sub-branch of Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg was founded by her grandfather John Louis I, which inherited the main Anhalt-Zerbst line again in 1742.

Senior members of the House of Anhalt

The senior members managed the overall affairs of the Anhalt house per the 1603 division agreement.

• 1603–1618 John George I of Dessau (* 1567; † 1618), Prince
• 1618–1630 Christian I of Bernburg (* 1568; † 1630)
• 1630–1653 August of Plötzkau (* 1575; † 1653)
• 1653–1660 John Casimir of Dessau (* 1596; † 1660)
• 1660–1670 Frederick of Harzgerode (* 1613; † 1670)
• 1670–1693 John George II of Dessau (* 1627; † 1693)
• 1693–1718 Victor I Amadeus of Bernburg (* 1634; † 1718)
• 1718 Charles William of Zerbst (* 1652; † 1718)
• 1718–1721 Karl Frederick of Bernburg (* 1668; † 1721)
• 1721–1747 Leopold I of Dessau, known as "The Old Dessauer" (* 1676; † 1747)
• 1747–1755 August Louis of Köthen (* 1697; † 1755)
• 1755–1765 Victor II Frederick of Bernburg (* 1700; † 1765)
• 1765–1789 Karl George Lebrecht of Köthen (* 1730; † 1789)
• 1789–1796 Frederick Albert of Bernburg (* 1735; † 1796)
• 1796–1817 Leopold III of Dessau (* 1740; † 1817), henceforth dukes
• 1817–1834 Alexius Frederick Christian of Bernburg (* 1767; † 1834)
• 1834–1847 Henry of Köthen (* 1778; † 1847)
• 1847–1863 Leopold Frederick of Dessau (* 1794; † 1871)

Ascanian Abbesses

The Ascanians also held advocacy and protection rights over the monasteries of Nienburg/Saale and Gernrode. They later maintained a close connection with the Abbey of Gernrode. Abbess Sophia of Anhalt was the sister of Henry I, who received the family estates in 1212. The Gernrode abbesses, as imperial princesses of the Holy Roman Empire, held a seat at the Imperial Diets.

Gernrode Abbey

• 1044–1046 Hazecha of Ballenstedt, daughter of Adalbert of Ballenstedt
• 1221–1244 Sophia of Anhalt († 1244), daughter of Bernhard III of Saxony
• 1267–1296 Matilda I of Brunswick
• 1348–1374 Adelheid III of Anhalt
• 1445–1463 Mechthild II of Anhalt (* 1392; † 1463)
• 1469–1504 Scholastica of Anhalt (* 1451; † 1504), daughter of George I of Anhalt-Zerbst
• 1565–1569 Elisabeth III of Anhalt
• 1570–1577 Anna Maria of Anhalt (* 1561; † 1605), daughter of Joachim Ernest of Anhalt
• 1578–1581 Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt (* 1573; † 1616), daughter of Joachim Ernest
• 1586–1593 Dorothea Maria of Anhalt (* 1574; † 1617), daughter of Joachim Ernest
• 1593–1610 Sophia Elisabeth of Anhalt

Gandersheim Abbey

• 1485–1504 Agnes III of Anhalt (* 1445; † 1504), daughter of George I of Anhalt-Zerbst

Research activities

Since the 16th century, court historians of the Anhalt and Saxe-Lauenburg family branches sought to trace their patrons' descent. The Historie des Fürstenthums Anhalt by Johann Christoph Bekmann was published in 1710. Samuel Lenz released Samuelis Lentzii Becmannvs Envcleatvs, Svppletvs Et Continvatvs, Oder: Historisch-Genealogische Fürstellung des Hochfürstlichen Hauses Anhalt in 1757. Philipp Ernst Bertram and Johann Christoph Krause authored the Geschichte des Hauses und Fürstenthums Anhalt, published in 1780 and 1782. The Anhalt court archivist Otto von Heinemann published the Codex diplomaticus Anhaltinus starting in 1867, a collection of documents from 936 to 1400. In 1912 and 1913, the ducal archivist Hermann Wäschke published the three-volume Anhaltische Geschichte, a comprehensive history of Anhalt that became a standard work. Wäschke was appointed archive director and head of the Ducal House and State Archives in Zerbst in 1901. He also founded the Zerbst Historical Society, serving as its chairman for 23 years.

The Historical Commission for Saxony-Anhalt has established a permanent working group on Anhalt history. The Association for Anhalt Regional Studies, based in Köthen, has published a journal on Anhalt history since 1993. The Ducal Anhalt House Order of Albert the Bear, whose Grand Master is Eduard, Prince of Anhalt, honored historian Lutz Partenheimer in 2016 by admitting him as a knight to the house order. This recognition was for his research on Albert the Bear, the formation of the Margraviate of Brandenburg, and the House of Anhalt.

Armorial

The original arms of the house of Ascania, from their ancestors the Saxon counts of Ballenstedt, were "Barry of ten sable and or".

The Ascanian margrave Albert the Bear was invested with the Saxon ducal title in 1138; when he succeeded the Welf's Henry the Lion, who was deposed by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. In 1180, Albert's son Bernhard, Count of Anhalt received the remaining Saxon territories around Wittenberg and Lauenburg, and the ducal title. Legend, so unlikely to be true, goes that when he rode in front of the emperor, at the occasion of his investiture, he carried a shield with his escutcheon of the Ballenstedt coat of arms (barry sable and or). Barbarossa took the rue wreath he wore against the heat of the sun from his head, hanging it over Bernhard's shield and thus creating the Saxonian crancelin vert ("Barry of ten sable and or, a crancelin vert"). A more likely explanation is that it probably symbolized the waiver of the Lauenburg lands.

When upon German reunification the Free State of Saxony was re-established, the coat of arms was formally confirmed in 1991.

• Original Arms of counts of Ballenstedt
• Arms of Ascania impaled with the Mark of Brandenburg
• Arms of Ascania impaled with the Mark of Brandenburg

• Arms of the Arch-Marshal/prince elector of the Saxons of the Holy Roman Empire
• Arms of the Elector/Duke of Saxony (Saxe-Wittenburg)

• Principality of Anhalt in the 15th century
• Principalities of Anhalt in the 17th century
• Principality of Anhalt-Köthen in the 18th century
• Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst in the 19th century
• Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Anhalt
• Achievement of the Duchy of Anhalt

The chivalric order was the House Order of Albert the Bear (German: Hausorden Albrechts des Bären or Der Herzoglich Anhaltische Hausorden Albrechts des Bären) which was founded in 1836 as a joint House Order by three dukes of Anhalt from separate branches of the family: Henry, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau, and Alexander Karl, Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg.

The namesake of the order, Albert the Bear, was the first Margrave of Brandenburg from the House of Ascania. The origin of his nickname "the Bear" is unknown.

• Collar of the Order of Albert the Bear
• Star of the Order of Albert the Bear
• House Order of Albert the Bear

Ascanian Buildings

• Ballenstedt Castle
• Bernburg Castle
• Köthen Castle
• Zerbst Castle
• Dessau Palace
• Wörlitz Palace
• Oranienbaum Palace
• Dornburg Castle
• Coswig Castle
• Mosigkau Palace
• Schaumburg Castle
• Großkühnau Palace

Name bearers through adult adoption

In addition to those born into the Ascanian family, there are a significant number of individuals adopted as adults who bear the name. The number of adopted individuals and their family members with the same surname far exceeds that of born Ascanians. Among the adoptees, Frédéric, Prince of Anhalt, adopted in 1980 in Germany by Marie-Auguste, Princess of Anhalt, is particularly notable. Frédéric, Prince of Anhalt, has adopted six adults in Los Angeles, who thereby bear the name Prince of Anhalt. The head of the Ascanian family, Eduard, Prince of Anhalt, generally rejects such adult adoptions and does not consider the adoptees part of the family.

Adult adoption in Germany differs from the adoption of a minor in that, per § 1770(1) of the BGB, only a kinship relationship with the adopting person is established, not with their family. Typically, the kinship with biological parents remains intact. In the U.S. state of California, adult adoption is straightforward, and, as in Germany, a personal relationship between the parties is required.

Bibliography

• Anhaltischer Heimatbund e.V.: 800 Jahre Anhalt: Geschichte, Kultur, Perspektiven [800 Years of Anhalt: History, Culture, Perspectives]. Dößel 2012.
• Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels (GHdA) Fürstl. Häuser XIX (2011)
• Lorenz Friedrich Beck: Herrschaft und Territorium der Herzöge von Sachsen-Wittenberg (1212–1422) [Rule and Territory of the Dukes of Saxony-Wittenberg (1212–1422)] (=Bibliothek der Brandenburgischen und Preußischen Geschichte. Volume 6). Potsdam 2000.
• Werner Freitag, Michael Hecht (eds.): Die Fürsten von Anhalt. Herrschaftssymbolik, dynastische Vernunft und politische Konzepte in Spätmittelalter und Früher Neuzeit [The Princes of Anhalt. Symbolism of Rule, Dynastic Reason, and Political Concepts in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period]. Halle 2009, ISBN 978-3-89812-199-6.
• Thomas Gehrlein: Das Haus Anhalt-Askanien mit seinen Linien Bernburg, Dessau, Köthen, Plötzkau und Zerbst: 1000 Jahre Gesamtgeschichte mit Stammfolgen [The House of Anhalt-Ascanians with its Lines Bernburg, Dessau, Köthen, Plötzkau, and Zerbst: 1000 Years of Comprehensive History with Genealogies]. Werl 2017.
• Michael Hecht: Die Erfindung der Askanier. Dynastische Erinnerungsstiftung der Fürsten von Anhalt an der Wende vom Mittelalter zur Neuzeit [The Invention of the Ascanians. Dynastic Memory Foundation of the Princes of Anhalt at the Transition from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period]. In: Zeitschrift für historische Forschung. Volume 33, 2006, pp. 1–32.
• Gerd Heinrich (1980). "Ascanians". Lexikon des Mittelalters, I: Aachen bis Bettelordenskirchen (in German). Stuttgart and Weimar: J. B. Metzler. col. 1109–1112. ISBN 3-7608-8901-8.
• Britta Kägler, Michael Hecht: Dynastien und Hochadel: Die anhaltischen Askanier / Die bayerischen Wittelsbacher [Dynasties and High Nobility: The Anhalt Ascanians / The Bavarian Wittelsbachers]. In: Werner Freitag, Michael Kißener, Christine Reinle, Sabine Ullmann (eds.): Handbuch Landesgeschichte [Handbook of Regional History]. Berlin 2018, pp. 268–302.
• Walter Leisering: Zur Geschichte der Askanier. Ein Tabellenbuch mit 200 Abbildungen und historischen Anhalt-Karten [On the History of the Ascanians. A Table Book with 200 Illustrations and Historical Anhalt Maps]. Dessau 1998.
• Jörg Meyn: Vom spätmittelalterlichen Gebietsherzogtum zum frühneuzeitlichen "Territorialstaat". Das askanische Herzogtum Sachsen 1180–1543 [From the Late Medieval Territorial Duchy to the Early Modern "Territorial State". The Ascanian Duchy of Saxony 1180–1543] (=Schriftenreihe der Stiftung Herzogtum Lauenburg. Volume 20). Hamburg 1995.
• Lutz Partenheimer: Albrecht der Bär. Gründer der Mark Brandenburg und des Fürstentums Anhalt [Albert the Bear. Founder of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Principality of Anhalt]. 2nd edition. Böhlau, Köln / Weimar / Wien 2003, ISBN 3-412-16302-3.
• Lutz Partenheimer and Moritz Niens: Die Chronik der Markgrafen von Brandenburg (aus dem Hause der Askanier, 13. Jahrhundert) [The Chronicle of the Margraves of Brandenburg (from the House of the Ascanians, 13th Century)]. Nach der Edition Georg Sellos (1888) Latin-German. Becker, Potsdam 2022, Paperback: ISBN 978-3-88372-391-4 (Black-and-white reproductions of the two surviving 14th-century manuscripts), Hardcover: ISBN 978-3-88372-387-7 (Color reproductions of the two surviving 14th-century manuscripts).
• Ralf Regener: Der Sturz der Askanier 1918 in Anhalt. Bedingungen, Verlauf und Nachwirkungen des Untergangs einer kleinstaatlichen deutschen Monarchie [The Fall of the Ascanians 1918 in Anhalt. Conditions, Course, and Aftermath of the Collapse of a Small German Monarchy]. Dessau-Roßlau 2013.
• Mathias Tullner: Geschichte Sachsen-Anhalts [History of Saxony-Anhalt]. Beck, München 2008, ISBN 978-3-406-57286-9.
• Hermann Wäschke: Die Askanier in Anhalt: Genealogisches Handbuch [The Ascanians in Anhalt: Genealogical Handbook]. Dessau 1904.

External links

• – official website
• Marek, Miroslav. . Genealogy.EU. (first page of a series)
• (subscription required) (genealogy of the Houses of Ascania and Brandenburg, including the most likely ancestry of the 11th-century House of Ascania)
• (subscription required) (an alternate possible ancestry of the 11th-century House of Ascania)