Anhalt-Bernburg

Principality (Duchy) of Anhalt-Bernburg

Fürstentum (Herzogtum) Anhalt-Bernburg (German)

State of the Holy Roman Empire (until 1806)
State of the Confederation of the Rhine (1806–13)
State of the German Confederation (from 1815)

1252–1468

1603–1863


19th century flag of Anhalt duchies	19th century arms of Anhalt duchies

Anhalt territories in 1853, Anhalt-Bernburg in green

Capital

Bernburg

Languages

Upper Saxon

Government

Principality

Historical era

Middle Ages

•

Partitioned from Anhalt

1252

•

Inherited by Anhalt-Dessau

1468

•

Repartitioned from Anhalt

1603

•

Anhalt-Zeitz-Hoym partitioned away

1718–1812

•

Raised to duchy

1803

•

Anhalt re-united

1863

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Principality of Anhalt

Duchy of Anhalt

Today part of

Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Anhalt-Bernburg was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and a duchy of the German Confederation ruled by the House of Ascania with its residence at Bernburg in present-day Saxony-Anhalt. It emerged as a subdivision from the Principality of Anhalt from 1252 until 1468, when it fell to the Ascanian principality of Anhalt-Dessau. Recreated in 1603, Anhalt-Bernburg finally merged into the re-unified Duchy of Anhalt upon the extinction of the line in 1863.

History

Bernburg Castle

It was created in 1252, when the Principality of Anhalt was partitioned among the sons of Henry I into Anhalt-Aschersleben, Anhalt-Bernburg and Anhalt-Zerbst. Bernburg was allotted to Henry's second son Bernhard I. When the line of Anhalt-Aschersleben became extinct in 1315, Prince Bernhard II of Anhalt-Bernburg claimed their territory, he could however not prevail against his cousin Albert, Bishop of Halberstadt.

After the ruling family became extinct upon the death of Prince Bernhard VI in 1468, Anhalt-Bernburg was inherited by Prince George I of Anhalt-Dessau. With Anhalt-Dessau it was inherited by Prince Joachim Ernest of Anhalt-Zerbst in 1561, who unified all Anhalt lands under his rule in 1570.

Re-united Anhalt was again divided in 1603 among Prince Joachim Ernest's sons into the lines of Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Köthen, Anhalt-Plötzkau, Anhalt-Bernburg and Anhalt-Zerbst. His second son Prince Christian I took his residence at Bernburg. Christian's younger son Frederick established the separate Principality of Anhalt-Harzgerode in 1635, which existed until 1709. Prince Victor Amadeus of Anhalt-Bernburg inherited Anhalt-Plötzkau in 1665. Upon his death in 1718 his lands were further divided and the Principality of Anhalt-Zeitz-Hoym was created for his second son Lebrecht, which was reunited with Anhalt-Bernburg in 1812.

In 1803 Prince Alexius Frederick Christian of Anhalt-Bernburg was elevated to the rank of a duke by Emperor Francis II of Habsburg. His son Duke Alexander Karl however died without issue in 1863, whereafter Anhalt-Bernburg was inherited by Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau, re-uniting all Anhalt lands under his rule.^[1]

Princes of Anhalt-Bernburg, 1252–1468

1252–1287 Bernhard I
1287–1291 John I, son, co-regent with his brother
- 1287–1323 Bernhard II
1323–1348 Bernhard III, son of Bernhard II
1348–1354 Bernhard IV, son
1354–1374 Henry IV, brother
1374–1404 Otto III, brother
1404–1420 Bernhard V, son of Henry IV, co-regent with his cousin
- 1404–1415 Otto IV, son of Otto III
1420–1468 Bernhard VI, brother of Otto IV, left no male heirs

To Anhalt-Dessau

Princes of Anhalt-Bernburg, 1603–1807

1603–1630 Christian I, second son of Prince Joachim Ernest of Anhalt
1630–1656 Christian II, son
1656–1718 Victor Amadeus, son
1718–1721 Karl Frederick, son
1721–1765 Victor Frederick, son
1765–1796 Frederick Albert, son
1796–1803 Alexius Frederick Christian, son

Raised to duchy

Dukes of Anhalt-Bernburg, 1803–1863

1803–1834 Alexius Frederick Christian
1834–1863 Alexander Karl, son, died without issue

To re-united Anhalt

Notes

↑ Hertslet 1875, p. 275.

References

Hertslet, Edward (1875), The map of Europe by treaty; showing the various political and territorial changes which have taken place since the general peace of 1814, London: Butterworths

Upper Saxon Circle (1512–1806) of the Holy Roman Empire

Electorates	Brandenburg Saxony

Ecclesiastical	Cammin

Secular	Anhalt Bernburg Dessau Köthen Zerbst Barby Hatzfeld-Gleichen Pomerania Further Hither Querfurt Reuss Elder Junior Saxe-Altenburg Saxe-Coburg Saxe-Eisenach Saxe-Gotha Saxe-Weimar Schwarzburg Rudolstadt Sondershausen

Prelates	Gernrode Quedlinburg Abbey Walkenried Abbey

Counts / Lords	Hohnstein Lohra / Klettenberg Mansfeld Schönburg (Saale) Stolberg Stolberg Wernigerode Rossla

Circles est. 1500: Bavarian, Swabian, Upper Rhenish, Lower Rhenish–Westphalian, Franconian, (Lower) Saxon Circles est. 1512: Austrian, Burgundian, Upper Saxon, Electoral Rhenish · Unencircled territories

States of the Confederation of the Rhine (1806–13)

Rank elevated
by Napoleon

Kingdoms	Bavaria Saxony Württemberg

Grand Duchies	Baden Hesse

Duchies	Nassau

States created

Kingdoms	Westphalia

Grand Duchies	Berg Frankfurt¹ Würzburg

Principalities	Aschaffenburg² Leyen Regensburg²

Pre-existing
states

Saxon duchies	Coburg-Saalfeld Gotha-Altenburg Hildburghausen Meiningen Weimar³ Eisenach³ Weimar-Eisenach⁴

Other duchies	Anhalt (Bernburg Dessau Köthen) Arenberg Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg

Principalities	Hohenzollern Hechingen Sigmaringen Isenburg Liechtenstein Lippe-Detmold Reuss Ebersdorf Greiz Lobenstein Schleiz Salm⁵ Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg Rudolstadt Sondershausen Waldeck

¹ from 1810
² until 1810
³ until 1809
⁴ from 1809
⁵ until 1811

States of the German Confederation (1815–66)

Empires	Austria¹

Kingdoms	Prussia¹ Bavaria Saxony Hanover Württemberg

Electorates	Hesse-Kassel

Grand Duchies	Baden Hesse-Darmstadt Luxembourg Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Duchies	Anhalt Bernburg² Dessau² Köthen³ Brunswick Holstein Limburg⁴ Nassau Saxe-Lauenburg Ernest Altenburg⁵ Coburg-Saalfeld⁶ Coburg-Gotha⁵ Gotha-Altenburg⁶ Hildburghausen⁶ Meiningen

Principalities	Hesse-Homburg Hohenzollern Hechingen⁷ Sigmaringen⁷ Liechtenstein Lippe Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) Reuss-Greiz (Elder Line) Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg Rudolstadt Sondershausen Waldeck and Pyrmont

City-states	Bremen Frankfurt Hamburg Lübeck

¹ w/o areas listed under other territories ² Merged with Anhalt from 1863 ³ until 1847 ⁴ from 1839 ⁵ from 1826 ⁶ until 1826 ⁷ until 1850 ⁸ 1849–60 ⁹ as of 1849 ¹⁰ until 1837 ¹¹ until 1829 ¹² until 1848/57 ¹³ until 1848 ¹⁴ as of 1848 ¹⁵ as of 1829 ¹⁶ as of 1864

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