Eduard Georg Wilhelm Maximilian (18 April 1861 – 13 September 1918) was a German prince of the

House of Ascania The House of Ascania () was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Principality of Anhalt, Anhalt. The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ' ...

and the penultimate ruler of the

Duchy of Anhalt The Duchy of Anhalt () was a historical German duchy. The duchy was located between the Harz Mountains in the west and the River Elbe and beyond to the Fläming Heath in the east. The territory was once ruled by the House of Ascania, and is now ...

from April to September 1918.Ralf Regener: Der Sturz der Askanier 1918 in Anhalt. Bedingungen, Verlauf und Nachwirkungen des Untergangs einer kleinstaatlichen deutschen Monarchie, Dessau-Roßlau 2013

Early life

Prince Eduard was born at

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

, the capital of the Duchy of Anhalt, in 1861 as the third son of Duke Friedrich I of Anhalt (1831–1904) and his wife Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg (1838–1908). As Eduard's eldest brother, Leopold, died without male offspring in 1886, and the next brother,

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

, had no issue, Eduard became

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...

and Hereditary Prince following the death of their father, Duke Friedrich I, in 1904.

Reign

Eduard succeeded his brother Duke Friedrich II of Anhalt on 21 April 1918, but his brief reign came to an end five months later with his own death on 13 September 1918. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son Prince Joachim Ernst under the

regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of Eduard's younger brother, Prince Aribert.

Marriage and children

Duke Eduard married Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg (1873–1953) in

Altenburg Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...

on 6 February 1895. She was a daughter of Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg and his wife Princess Augusta of Saxe-Meiningen. They had six children before divorcing in 1918. *Princess Friederike of Anhalt (1896-1896) *Prince Leopold of Anhalt (1897–1898) * Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt (1898–1983) married in 1916

Prince Joachim of Prussia Prince Joachim Franz Humbert of Prussia (17 December 1890 – 18 July 1920) was the youngest son and sixth child of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, by his first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He committed suicide at age 29. Prince Joa ...

* Prince Joachim Ernst of Anhalt (1901–1947) *Prince Eugen Friedrich Ernst August Heinrich Adolf Aribert of Anhalt (1903–1980) married Anastasia Jungmeier (b. 25 July 1901,

Straubing Straubing (; Central Bavarian: ''Strauwing'') is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the Districts of Germany, district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Ba ...

– d. 20 February 1970,

Vevey Vevey (; ; ) is a town in Switzerland in the Vaud, canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Leman, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the Vevey (district), district of the same name until 200 ...

) on 2 October 1935. Albeit he claimed to be his brother Joachim's immediate successor, the latter considered his marriage a morganatic one. **Princess Anastasia of Anhalt (b. 22 December 1940) married in 1962 Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen *Prince Wolfgang of Anhalt (b. 12 July 1912, Schloss Ballenstedt – d. 10 April 1936)

Ancestry

References

1861 births 1918 deaths People from Dessau-Roßlau People from Anhalt-Dessau House of Ascania Dukes of Anhalt German people of French descent Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog Royal reburials {{Germany-royal-stub