John V, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
Encyclopedia
John V of Anhalt-Zerbst was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau
. From 1544, he assumed rule of the re-created principality of Anhalt-Zerbst
.
John was the second (but eldest surviving) son of Ernest I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
, by his wife Margarete, daughter of Henry I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels
, and granddaughter of George of Poděbrady
, King of Bohemia
.
and Joachim I
inherited Anhalt-Dessau as co-rulers according to the family law of the House of Ascania. During their first years of rule, their mother Margarete served as regent.
The brothers shared the government of the principality for almost twenty-eight years, until 1544, when they decided to divide up their territories. John received Zerbst
, thereby reviving the old principality of Anhalt-Zerbst that became extinct in 1396 with the creation of Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen.
on 15 February 1534, John married Margarete (b. 29 September 1511 - d. aft. 3 December 1577), daughter of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg, and widow of George I, Duke of Pomerania
. Margarete's stepson, the new Duke of Pomerania, Philip I, had to pay her a lifetime annuity of 1200 guilders from his personal treasure in order to cover the cost of her dowry.
From her marriage to George I, Margarete had a posthumous daughter, Georgia. The latter remained under the custody of her half-brother Philip I until 1543, when he finally sent her to live with her mother and stepfather. Because Georgia was a Pomeranian princess by birth, one of the conditions of her stay in Zerbst was that she had to be educated according to the legal views and customs of her native land.
The union with the widowed daughter of the Elector of Brandenburg was a high honor for John, and he decided to celebrate the wedding with great pomp. But by that time, he was in poor health; finally, in 1544, he suffered a stroke. His relations with Margarete worsened during the following years; in 1550 John ordered the temporary arrest of his wife, but she fled.
John and Margarete had six children:
Anhalt-Dessau
Anhalt-Dessau was a principality and later a duchy located in Germany. It was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. The capital of the state was Dessau. Anhalt-Dessau experienced a number of partitions throughout its existence with Anhalt-Köthen being...
. From 1544, he assumed rule of the re-created principality of Anhalt-Zerbst
Anhalt-Zerbst
Anhalt-Zerbst was a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is bounded by the districts Potsdam-Mittelmark and Wittenberg, the city of Dessau and the districts of Köthen, Schönebeck and Jerichower Land.- History :...
.
John was the second (but eldest surviving) son of Ernest I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Ernest I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Ernest I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau....
, by his wife Margarete, daughter of Henry I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels
Henry I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels
Henry the Elder of Münsterberg was an Imperial Count and Count of Kladsko. He was also Duke of Silesian duchies Münsterberg and Oels and 1465–1472 Duke of Opava...
, and granddaughter of George of Poděbrady
George of Podebrady
George of Kunštát and Poděbrady , also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad , was King of Bohemia...
, King of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
.
Life
Upon the death of his father in 1516, John and his brothers George IIIGeorge III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
George III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau...
and Joachim I
Joachim I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Joachim I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau...
inherited Anhalt-Dessau as co-rulers according to the family law of the House of Ascania. During their first years of rule, their mother Margarete served as regent.
The brothers shared the government of the principality for almost twenty-eight years, until 1544, when they decided to divide up their territories. John received Zerbst
Zerbst
Zerbst is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until the administrative reform of 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the Anhalt-Zerbst district. Since the 1 January 2010 local government reform, Zerbst has about 24,000 inhabitants.It is not clear when was it founded;...
, thereby reviving the old principality of Anhalt-Zerbst that became extinct in 1396 with the creation of Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen.
Marriage and issue
In DessauDessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
on 15 February 1534, John married Margarete (b. 29 September 1511 - d. aft. 3 December 1577), daughter of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg, and widow of George I, Duke of Pomerania
George I, Duke of Pomerania
George I of Pomerania was a Duke of Pomerania from the House of Griffins.- Life :George was the eldest son of Duke Bogislaw X of Pomerania and his second wife Anna Jagiellonica, a daughter of King Casimir IV of Poland. He was named after his uncle and godfather, Duke Georg the Bearded of Saxony,...
. Margarete's stepson, the new Duke of Pomerania, Philip I, had to pay her a lifetime annuity of 1200 guilders from his personal treasure in order to cover the cost of her dowry.
From her marriage to George I, Margarete had a posthumous daughter, Georgia. The latter remained under the custody of her half-brother Philip I until 1543, when he finally sent her to live with her mother and stepfather. Because Georgia was a Pomeranian princess by birth, one of the conditions of her stay in Zerbst was that she had to be educated according to the legal views and customs of her native land.
The union with the widowed daughter of the Elector of Brandenburg was a high honor for John, and he decided to celebrate the wedding with great pomp. But by that time, he was in poor health; finally, in 1544, he suffered a stroke. His relations with Margarete worsened during the following years; in 1550 John ordered the temporary arrest of his wife, but she fled.
John and Margarete had six children:
- Karl I, Prince of Anhalt-ZerbstKarl I, Prince of Anhalt-ZerbstKarl I of Anhalt-Zerbst , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst....
(b. Dessau, 17 November 1534 - d. Zerbst, 4 May 1561). - Joachim Ernest, Prince of AnhaltJoachim Ernest, Prince of AnhaltJoachim Ernest of Anhalt , was a German prince of the House of Ascania, ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, and from 1570 sole ruler of all the Anhalt lands....
(b. Dessau, 21 October 1536 - d. Dessau, 6 December 1586). - Marie (b. Dessau, 1 December 1538 - d. Rosslau, 25 April 1563), married on 25 August 1559 to Albert X, Count of Barby-Mühlingen.
- Bernhard VII, Prince of Anhalt-ZerbstBernhard VII, Prince of Anhalt-ZerbstBernhard VII of Anhalt-Zerbst , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst....
(b. Dessau, 17 March 1540 - d. Dessau, 1 March 1570). - Margarete (b. Dessau, 18 August 1541 - d. Zerbst, 25 July 1547).
- Elisabeth (b. Dessau, 15 October 1545 - d. BarbyBarby-Places:England*Barby, Northamptonshire, a village in EnglandGermany*Barby, Germany, a town in Saxony-Anhalt, GermanyFrance*Barby, Ardennes, a village in Champagne-Ardennes, France*Barby, Savoie, a village in Rhône-Alpes, France...
, 26 September 1574), married on 19 July 1570 to Wolfgang II, Count of Barby-Mühlingen.