Joachim I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (

Dessau Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßlau ...

, 7 August 1509 –

, 6 December 1561), was a German prince of the

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

and ruler of the principality of

Anhalt-Dessau Anhalt-Dessau was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and later a duchy of the German Confederation. Ruled by the House of Ascania, it was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, and finally merged into th ...

. After 1544 he served as the first ruler of the re-created Anhalt-Dessau. He was the fourth (but third surviving) son of

Ernest I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau Ernest I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (died Dessau, 12 June 1516), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau. He was the second son of George I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, yet the first born by his four ...

, by his wife Margarete, daughter of

Henry I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels Henry the Elder of Münsterberg (also called ''Henry I of Münsterberg'', ''Henry I of Oels''; cz, Jindřich starší z Minstrberka or ; german: Heinrich der Ältere von Münsterberg or ; 1448 – 1498, Kłodzko) was an Imperial Count and Count ...

and granddaughter of

George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad ( cs, Jiří z Poděbrad; german: Georg von Podiebrad), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the ...

, King of

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

Life

After the death of his father in 1516, Joachim and his older brothers

John V John V may refer to: * Patriarch John V of Alexandria or John the Merciful (died by 620), Patriarch of Alexandria from 606 to 616 * John V of Constantinople, Patriarch from 669 to 675 * Pope John V (685–686), Pope from 685 to his death in 686 * J ...

and

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

became the new rulers of the Anhalt-Dessau. During the first years of their reign, their mother acted as regent. In 1544 the brothers agreed to a formal division of the principality. Joachim retained

, this time as sole ruler. The re-created Anhalt-Dessau was much smaller than the earlier principality, however, due to the assignment of many territories to John V and George III. After his death, unmarried and childless, Joachim was succeeded by his nephews, the rulers of Anhalt-Zerbst. {{Authority control Princes of Anhalt-Dessau 1509 births 1561 deaths