Christian II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg
Encyclopedia
Christian II of Anhalt-Bernburg (Amberg
, 11 August 1599 – Bernburg
, 22 September 1656), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Bernburg
.
He was the second (but eldest surviving) son of Christian I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg by his wife Anna, daughter of Arnold III, Count of Bentheim-Steinfurt-Tecklenburg-Limburg.
with his cousin John Casimir of Anhalt-Dessau
accompanied by two tutors, Markus Friedrick Howell and Peter von Sebottendorf. Shortly after, he began his Grand Tour
to France
, Italy
, and England
.
In 1618, at the age of nineteen, Christian recorded the horror of the beginning of the Thirty Years' War
; in his diary, he wrote that his duty to fight was "ma fatal destinée." For him, the war began at the Battle of White Mountain
(1620), when his father was defeated and banished from the Empire
. Christian was taken captive with the two regiments under his command. Nonetheless, he soon obtained the favor of Emperor Ferdinand II
, who permitted him to return to Bernburg
in 1621.
His uncle Louis of Anhalt-Köthen
made him a member of the Fruitbearing Society
.
After the death of his father in 1630 Christian succeeded him in Anhalt-Bernburg, which at that time was devastated by war. During the first year of his reign, Bernburg was plundered by troops under the Danish General Heinrich Holk
and an epidemic fever killed almost 1,700 inhabitants. In 1636 Schloss Bernburg was almost taken by the marauding troops, but the great courage of the seventy-year-old Hofmarschall Burkhard von Erlach prevented this.
His 14 volumes of diaries are preserved; they provide a valuable source of information about the course of the Thirty Years' War.
on 28 February 1625 Christian married his cousin Eleonore Sophie (b. Sonderburg, 14 February 1603 - d. Ballenstedt
, 5 January 1675), daughter of John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön, by his second wife Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt
(sister of his father Christian I) and also by birth a princess of Denmark
as a granddaughter in the male line of King Christian III
. They had fifteen children:
Amberg
Amberg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. Population: 44,756 .- History :...
, 11 August 1599 – Bernburg
Bernburg
Bernburg is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the district of Salzlandkreis. It is situated on the river Saale, approx. 30 km downstream from Halle. The town is dominated by its huge Renaissance castle featuring a museum as well as a popular, recently updated bear pit in its...
, 22 September 1656), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Bernburg
Anhalt-Bernburg
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...
.
He was the second (but eldest surviving) son of Christian I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg by his wife Anna, daughter of Arnold III, Count of Bentheim-Steinfurt-Tecklenburg-Limburg.
Life
Christian received an excellent education in his early years and could speak French and Italian fluently. During the years 1608-1609 he studied in GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
with his cousin John Casimir of Anhalt-Dessau
John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau....
accompanied by two tutors, Markus Friedrick Howell and Peter von Sebottendorf. Shortly after, he began his Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In 1618, at the age of nineteen, Christian recorded the horror of the beginning of the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
; in his diary, he wrote that his duty to fight was "ma fatal destinée." For him, the war began at the Battle of White Mountain
Battle of White Mountain
The Battle of White Mountain, 8 November 1620 was an early battle in the Thirty Years' War in which an army of 30,000 Bohemians and mercenaries under Christian of Anhalt were routed by 27,000 men of the combined armies of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor under Charles Bonaventure de Longueval,...
(1620), when his father was defeated and banished from the Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. Christian was taken captive with the two regiments under his command. Nonetheless, he soon obtained the favor of Emperor Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
, who permitted him to return to Bernburg
Bernburg
Bernburg is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the district of Salzlandkreis. It is situated on the river Saale, approx. 30 km downstream from Halle. The town is dominated by its huge Renaissance castle featuring a museum as well as a popular, recently updated bear pit in its...
in 1621.
His uncle Louis of Anhalt-Köthen
Louis I, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen
Louis I of Anhalt-Köthen , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the unified principality of Anhalt. From 1603, he was ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Köthen...
made him a member of the Fruitbearing Society
Fruitbearing Society
The Fruitbearing Society was a German literary society founded in 1617 in Weimar by German scholars and nobility to emulate the idea of the Accademia della Crusca in Florence and similar groups already thriving in Italy, to be followed in later years also in France and Britain...
.
After the death of his father in 1630 Christian succeeded him in Anhalt-Bernburg, which at that time was devastated by war. During the first year of his reign, Bernburg was plundered by troops under the Danish General Heinrich Holk
Heinrich Holk
Heinrich Holk was a Danish-German mercenary in both Christian IV of Denmark's and Albrecht von Wallenstein's service during the Thirty Years' War....
and an epidemic fever killed almost 1,700 inhabitants. In 1636 Schloss Bernburg was almost taken by the marauding troops, but the great courage of the seventy-year-old Hofmarschall Burkhard von Erlach prevented this.
His 14 volumes of diaries are preserved; they provide a valuable source of information about the course of the Thirty Years' War.
Marriage and issue
In AhrensbökAhrensbök
Ahrensbök is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approx. 17-km northwest of Lübeck, and 45-km southeast of Kiel.-History:...
on 28 February 1625 Christian married his cousin Eleonore Sophie (b. Sonderburg, 14 February 1603 - d. Ballenstedt
Ballenstedt
Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipality includes the villages of Badeborn and Oppenrode...
, 5 January 1675), daughter of John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön, by his second wife Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt
Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt
Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt was a Princess of Anhalt by birth, an Abbess of Gernrode, and by marriage Electress of Saxony and later Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön....
(sister of his father Christian I) and also by birth a princess of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
as a granddaughter in the male line of King Christian III
Christian III of Denmark
Christian III reigned as king of Denmark and Norway. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...
. They had fifteen children:
- Beringer (b. SchüttorfSchüttorfSchüttorf is a town in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in southwesternmost Lower Saxony near the Dutch border and the boundary with Westphalia . The town of Schüttorf forms with the surrounding communities the Joint Community of Schüttorf. It is the district’s oldest town...
, 21 April 1626 - d. Bernburg, 17 October 1627). - Sophie (b. Bernburg, 11 September 1627 - d. Bernburg, 12 September 1627).
- Joachim Ernest (b. Ballenstedt, 13 June 1629 - d. Ballenstedt, 23 December 1629).
- Christian, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg (b. Bernburg, 2 January 1631 - d. Bernburg, 20 June 1631).
- Erdmann Gideon, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg (b. HarzgerodeHarzgerodeHarzgerode is a town in the district of Harz in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.-Geography:Its localities include:*Harzgerode*Alexisbad*Dankerode*Güntersberge*Königerode*Mägdesprung*Neudorf*Schielo*Silberhütte*Siptenfelde*Straßberg...
, 21 January 1632 - d. Bernburg, 4 April 1649). - Bogislaw (b. Harzgerode, 7 October 1633 - d. Harzgerode, 7 February 1634).
- Victor Amadeus, Prince of Anhalt-BernburgVictor Amadeus, Prince of Anhalt-BernburgVictor Amadeus of Anhalt-Bernburg , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Bernburg....
(b. Harzgerode, 6 October 1634 - d. Bernburg, 14 February 1718). - Eleonore Hedwig (b. Bernburg, 28 October 1635 - d. GandersheimBad GandersheimBad Gandersheim is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district of Northeim. , it had a population 10,572.Bad Gandersheim has many half-timbered houses and is located on the German Framework Road .- Geography :...
, 10 September 1685). - Ernestine Auguste (b. PlönPlönPlön is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides...
, 23 December 1636 - d. Bernburg, 5 October 1659). - Angelika (b. Bernburg, 6 June 1639 - d. QuedlinburgQuedlinburgQuedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994 the medieval court and the old town was set on the UNESCO world heritage list....
, 13 October 1688). - Anna Sophia (b. Bernburg, 13 September 1640 - d. Sonnenwalde, 25 April 1704), married on 20 September 1664 to George Frederick, Count of Solms-Sonnenwalde.
- Karl Ursinus (b. Bernburg, 18 April 1642 - d. ParmaParmaParma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, 4 January 1660). - Ferdinand Christian (b. Bernburg, 23 October 1643 - d. Ballenstedt, 14 March 1645).
- Marie (b. Ballenstedt, 25 January 1645 - d. Bernburg, 5 January 1655).
- Anna Elisabeth (b. Bernburg, 19 March 1647 - d. BernstadtBernstadtBernstadt may refer to:*Bernstadt auf dem Eigen, a town in Saxony, Germany*Bernstadt , a municipality in Baden-Württemberg, Germany*East Bernstadt, Kentucky, a place in Kentucky, United States...
, 3 September 1680), married on 13 March 1672 to Christian Ulrich I, Duke of Württemberg-OelsChristian Ulrich I, Duke of Württemberg-OelsDuke Christian Ulrich I of Württemberg-Oels was Duke of the Oels-Württemberg.- Descent :...
.