Princess Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau
Encyclopedia
Princess Frederica Amalia Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau (24 June 1824 – 23 October 1897) was the eldest daughter of Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt
by his wife Frederica Wilhelmina of Prussia. She was a member of the House of Ascania, and by her marriage to Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, Duchess consort of Saxe-Altenburg.
was a child of Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
by his wife Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg
. Her mother Princess Frederica was the daughter of Prince Louis Charles of Prussia
(brother of King Frederick William III of Prussia
) by his wife Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
.
Agnes was an older sister of Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt
and Maria Anna, Princess Frederick Charles of Prussia
. Through Maria Anna, Agnes was an aunt of Elisabeth Anna, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg
and Louise Margaret, Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn.
As their only son died as an infant, the duchy would be inherited by their cousin Ernst upon Ernst I's death in 1908.
Like many noblewomen of her time, she took an interest in charity, especially in nursing and the care of troops wounded in the Franco-German war.
In 1878 on the 25th anniversary of the couple's marriage, Ernst gave his wife the miniature newly-created Knight's Cross First Class of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, the so-called "Princesses Cross". On the occasion of the anniversary, the Ernst-Agnes-Stiftung (Ernst-Agnes Foundation) was established.
Agnes died on 23 October 1897, at the age of 73. In the city of Altenburg
, Agnesplatz is named after her. She is buried in the Herzogin-Agnes-Gedächtniskirche (Duchess Agnes Memorial Church).
Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt
Leopold IV Frederick, Duke of Anhalt was a German prince of the House of Ascania.From 1817 until 1853 he was ruler of the duchy of Anhalt-Dessau and from 1847 until 1853 also ruler of the duchy of Anhalt-Köthen...
by his wife Frederica Wilhelmina of Prussia. She was a member of the House of Ascania, and by her marriage to Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, Duchess consort of Saxe-Altenburg.
Family
Agnes' father Duke LeopoldLeopold IV, Duke of Anhalt
Leopold IV Frederick, Duke of Anhalt was a German prince of the House of Ascania.From 1817 until 1853 he was ruler of the duchy of Anhalt-Dessau and from 1847 until 1853 also ruler of the duchy of Anhalt-Köthen...
was a child of Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Frederick of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and heir to the principality of Anhalt-Dessau....
by his wife Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg
Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg
Landgravine Christiane Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, full German name: Christiane Amalie, Landgräfin von Hessen-Homburg was a member of the House of Hesse-Homburg and a Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg by birth...
. Her mother Princess Frederica was the daughter of Prince Louis Charles of Prussia
Prince Louis Charles of Prussia
Prince Louis Charles of Prussia was the second son and third child of Frederick William II of Prussia and Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt.-Marriage and issue:...
(brother of King Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
) by his wife Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , Duchess of Cumberland and later Queen of Hanover , was the consort of Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, the fifth son and eighth child of George III and Queen Charlotte.She was born in the Altes Palais of Hanover as the fifth...
.
Agnes was an older sister of Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt
Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt
Frederick I was a German prince of the house of Ascania who ruled the Duchy of Anhalt from 1871 to 1904.-Early life:...
and Maria Anna, Princess Frederick Charles of Prussia
Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau
Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau was a princess from the House of Ascania. She was the third child of Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt and Frederica Wilhelmina of Prussia.-Family:...
. Through Maria Anna, Agnes was an aunt of Elisabeth Anna, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg
Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia
Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia was a German princess. She was the second child of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia and Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau...
and Louise Margaret, Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn.
Marriage
On 28 April 1853, Agnes married Ernst of Saxe-Altenburg. He was a son of Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Altenburg later that year. They had two children:- Princess Marie Friederike Leopoldine Georgine Auguste Alexandra Elisabeth Therese Josephine Helene SophiePrincess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (1854–1898)Princess Marie Friederike Leopoldine Georgine Auguste Alexandra Elisabeth Therese Josephine Helene Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg was the wife of Prince Albert of Prussia, Regent for the duchy of Brunswick.-Family:...
(2 August 1854 - 8 October 1898), married on 19 April 1873 to Prince Albrecht of Prussia. - Prince Georg Leopold Ernst Joseph Alexander Friedrich Ludwig Johann Albert (1 February 1856 - 29 February 1856).
As their only son died as an infant, the duchy would be inherited by their cousin Ernst upon Ernst I's death in 1908.
Life
Agnes was regarded as a talented painter.Like many noblewomen of her time, she took an interest in charity, especially in nursing and the care of troops wounded in the Franco-German war.
In 1878 on the 25th anniversary of the couple's marriage, Ernst gave his wife the miniature newly-created Knight's Cross First Class of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, the so-called "Princesses Cross". On the occasion of the anniversary, the Ernst-Agnes-Stiftung (Ernst-Agnes Foundation) was established.
Agnes died on 23 October 1897, at the age of 73. In the city of Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...
, Agnesplatz is named after her. She is buried in the Herzogin-Agnes-Gedächtniskirche (Duchess Agnes Memorial Church).
Author
She was the author of Ein Wort an Israel ("A Word to Israel") (Leipzig, 1893), a book which dealt with antisemitism and Christianity in Germany. The book, published 1893 in German as Ein Wort an Israel as no. 37-38 of the academic series Institutum Judaicum zu Leipig. Schriften, was also translated into Italian as Una parola ad Israele.Ancestry
Sources
- Schoeppl, Heinrich Ferdinand: Die Herzoge von Sachsen-Altenburg. Bozen 1917, Neudruck Altenburg 1992.