Gisela Agnes of Rath (9 October 1669, in Kleinwülknitz, now part of Köthen – 12 March 1740, in Nienburg) was Duchess of

Anhalt-Köthen Anhalt-Köthen was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by the House of Ascania. It was created in 1396 when the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst was partitioned between Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen. The first creation lasted until 1562 ...

by marriage from 1692. In 1694, she was created Countess of Nienburg. From 1704 to 1715, she was

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of Anhalt-Köthen for her underage son.

Life

Gisela Agnes was a member of an ancient aristocratic

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

family. Her parents were Balthasar William of Rath-Kleinwülknitz (1629-1695) and Magdalene Dorothea of Wuthenau (1640-1694). Her paternal grandfather was

Wilhelm von Rath Wilhelm von Rath (1585 – 27 April 1641) was a German scholar and a military officer. His name, in the dative case (after "von"), may be rendered as "Rathen". Biography Rath was born in Klein-Wülknitz, Anhalt, and came from an old noble family ...

; he had commanded the army of Prince

Louis I Louis I may refer to: * Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor * Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140) * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois ( ...

of Anhalf-Köthen during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. The heir to the throne, the young Prince Emmanuel Lebrecht of Anhalt-Köthen fell in love with her. His mother, Princess Eleonore, tried to end this relationship, because Gisela Agnes was considered lower nobility, and unsuitable to marry a ruling Prince. She sent Gisela Agnes to her sister in

Stadthagen Stadthagen () is the capital of the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km east of Minden and 40 km west of Hanover. The city consists of the districts Brandenburg, Enzen-Hobbensen, Hörkamp-L ...

. However, immediately after Emmanuel Lebrecht had assumed government, he "quietly" married her, on 30 September 1692. This was a

morganatic marriage Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

. Moreover, Prince Emmanuel Lebrecht was a

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

and Gisela Agnes was

. The marriage sparked vehement protest from both the Reformed church and the princely family. Nevertheless, children from this marriage were officially recognized as potential heirs to the throne by the Princes of Anhalt in 1698 and by the emperor in 1699. The later Dukes of Anhalt-Köthen all descend from the "unequal" marriage.

Regency

During his lifetime, her husband had arranged that after his death, she would act as

for their son

Leopold Leopold may refer to: People * Leopold (given name) * Leopold (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Leopold (''The Simpsons''), Superintendent Chalmers' assistant on ''The Simpsons'' * Leopold Bloom, the protagonist o ...

. So when he died in 1704, she took up the regency. She supported the Lutherans in the principality and founded the St. Agnus church, the first Lutheran church in Köthen. A large portrait of her by

Antoine Pesne Antoine Pesne () (29 May 1683 – 5 August 1757) was a French-born court painter of Prussia. Starting in the manner of baroque, he became one of the fathers of rococo in painting. His work represents a link between the French school and the F ...

is still on display in the church. Only a few years later,

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

would become a member of this congregation. In 1711, she founded the ''Gisela Agnes Stift'', a secular convent for single noble ladies. In 1714, a court orchestra was founded, formally by her, but financed by her son Leopold. Initially, the orchestra was composed mainly of former members of the court orchestra in Berlin, which had been dissolved the previous year. The first conductor was the opera composer

Augustin Reinhard Stricker Augustin Reinhard Stricker (c. 1675 – between 1718 and 1723) was a German baroque composer, conductor and tenor singer. He was Johann Sebastian Bach's predecessor as Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthe ...

. In 1717, he was replaced by Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1694, Emperor Leopold I elevated Gisela Agnes to "Countess of Nienburg". In 1699, Emmanuel Lebrecht gave her the castle, city and district of Nienburg as a personal possession for life. When the regency ended in 1715, Gisela Agnes withdrew to Nienburg, where she continued to support Lutheranism. She became friends with the theologian and poet

August Hermann Francke August Hermann Francke (; 22 March 1663 – 8 June 1727) was a German Lutheran clergyman, theologian, philanthropist, and Biblical scholar. Biography Born in Lübeck, Francke was educated at the Illustrious Gymnasium in Gotha before he studie ...

, who even visited her on her widow seat. On 24 January 1716, her daughter Eleonore Wilhelmine married in Niehburg to Duke Ernest Augustus I of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. It is widely believed that her son Leopold first met the composer Bach during the wedding celebrations. Gisela Agnes died in Nienburg on 12 March 1740 and was buried in the princely crypt in the St. Jacob church in Köthen.

Issue

Gisela Agnes and Emmanuel Lebrecht had six children: # Augustus Lebrecht (24 May 1693 in Köthen – 25 October 1693 in Köthen), who died before the recognition of the marriage of his parents as equal and lawful; for this reason, he was never recognized as Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Köthen. #

Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen (29 November 1694 – 19 November 1728) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Köthen. Today, he is best remembered for employing Johann Sebastian Bach as his Kapellmeister ...

29 November 1694 in Köthen – 29 September 1728 in Köthen). # Eleonore Wilhelmine (7 May 1696 in Köthen – 30 August 1726 in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

), married on 15 February 1714 to Prince Frederick Erdmann of

Saxe-Merseburg The Duchy of Saxe-Merseburg was a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and con ...

(1691-1714), and secondly on 24 January 1716 to

Ernest Augustus I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Ernest Augustus I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (German: ''Ernst August I''; 19 April 1688 – 19 January 1748), was a duke of Saxe-Weimar and, from 1741, of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Biography He was the second but eldest surviving son of Johann Ernst ...

. #

Augustus Louis, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen Augustus Louis of Anhalt-Köthen (9 June 1697 in Köthen – 6 August 1755 in Köthen), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Köthen. He was the third (second surviving) son of Emmanuel Lebr ...

(9 June 1697 in Köthen – 6 August 1755 in Köthen). # Gisela Auguste (24 July 1698 in Köthen – 3 September 1698 in Köthen). # Christiane Charlotte (12 January 1702 in Köthen – 27 January 1745 in Köthen).

References

* Paul Ehrhardt: ''Gisela Agnes — Bach. Bilder aus Köthens Vergangenheit'', Köthen, 1935 * Thorsten Heese: ''Gisela Agnes von Anhalt-Köthen, geb. von Rath — die Fürstinmutter des Bach-Mäzens'', in: ''Cöthener Bach-Hefte'', vol. 10, 2002, p. 141-180 * Friedrich Heine: ''Neues über Gisela Agnes'', in the series ''Beiträge zur Anhaltischen Geschichte'', vol. 18, Köthen 1913 * Gottlieb Krause: ''Ein Brief des Fürsten Leopold zu Anhalt-Dessau an die verwitwete Fürstin Gisela Agnes zu Anhalt-Köthen'', in: ''Mitteilungen des Vereins für Anhaltische Geschichte'', vol. 1, 1877, p. 482 * Katrin Rawert: ''Regentin und Witwe. Zeitliche Herrschaft und das Verhältnis zwischen Gisela Agnes von Anhalt-Köthen und ihren Kindern'', in: Eva Labouvie (ed.): ''Adel in Sachsen-Anhalt. Höfische Kultur zwischen Repräsentation, Unternehmertum und Familie'', Cologne, 2007, p. 49-77.

Fiction

* Friedrich Heine: ''Gisela Agnes, ein kulturhistorischer Roman'', Schettler, Köthen, 1909 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gisela Agnes Of Rath Princes of Anhalt Regents of Germany German duchesses German princesses 1669 births 1740 deaths 17th-century German people 18th-century German people Morganatic spouses of German royalty 18th-century women rulers