Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt

Leopold IV Frederick, Duke of Anhalt (b. Dessau, 1 October 1794 - d. Dessau, 22 May 1871) was a German Prince member of the House of Ascania, ruler of the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau and since 1863 the first ruler of the united Duchy of Anhalt.

He was the eldest son of Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau by his wife Christiane Amalie, daughter of Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg.

Life

With the death of his father in 1814 he became heir to the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau and succeeded as Duke on 9 August 1817 following the death of his grandfather Leopold III.cite book | title = Almanach de Gotha | date = 1867 | pages = 3 ]

During the revolutions of 1848 he was forced to award a constitution to Dessau on 29 October 1848 which was lifted, however, on 4 November 1849 and was replaced only in October 1859 with a new landscape order. [de]

On 27 November 1847 he inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen from his distant cousin Duke Henry. As a result of treaty with Anhalt-Bernburg from May 1853 his Duchies was joined together and named Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen, this was made because the eventual inheritance of Leopold over all the Anhalt Duchies seems inevitable. The death of another distant cousin Duke Alexander Karl on 19 August 1863 resulted in the ruling line of the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg becoming extinct and Leopold inherited that Duchy. On 30 August he assumed the title Duke of Anhalt.

He was succeeded by his son Frederick following his death. [cite news | title =Duke of Anhalt is dead | pages =7 | publisher =New York Times | date =1904-01-25 ]

Marriage and Issue

In Berlin on 18 April 1818 Leopold married with Fredericka Wilhelmine Louise Amalie (b. Berlin, 30 September 1796 - d. Dessau, 1 January 1850), daughter of Prince Frederick Louis Charles of Prussia (brother of King Frederick William III of Prussia) by his wife Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; through her mother's last marriage, she was a half-sister of King George V of Hanover. They had six children: [ [http://www8.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/cgi-bin/stoyan/l1/LANG=span/INDEX=I216733 Chronological dates of rulers of Anhalt] ] [ [http://genealogy.euweb.cz/ascania/ascan7.html#L4 Complete Genealogy of the House of Ascania] ]
#Fredericka Amalie Auguste (b. Dessau, 28 November 1819 - d. Dessau, 11 December 1822).
#Fredericka Amalie Agnes (b. Dessau, 24 June 1824 - d. Hummelshain, 23 October 1897), married on 28 April 1853 to Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg.
#A son (b. and d. Dessau, 3 August 1825); he was either stillborn or died shortly after the birth.
#A son (b. and d. Dessau, 3 November 1827); he was either stillborn or died shortly after the birth.
#Leopold Frederick I Franz Nikolaus, Duke of Anhalt (b. Dessau, 29 April 1831 - d. Ballenstedt, 24 January 1904).
#Maria Anna (b. Dessau, 14 September 1837 - d. Friedrichroda, 12 May 1906), married on 29 November 1854 to Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia.

References

-
-