Siegfried I ( – 25 March 1298), a member 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 ...

, ruled as the first Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst from 1252 until his death.

Life

Siegfried was the youngest son of Prince Henry I of Anhalt by his wife Irmgard, daughter of the

Ludovingian The Ludovingians or Ludowingians (german: Ludowinger) were the ruling dynasty of Thuringia and Hesse during the 11th to 13th centuries. Their progenitor was Louis the Bearded who was descended from a noble family whose genealogy cannot be pre ...

landgrave Hermann I of Thuringia. His father had received the

Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...

territory upon the death of Duke Bernhard III of Saxony in 1212 and was raised to the rank of a

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors o ...

six years later. In 1247, after the death of the Thuringian landgrave

Henry Raspe Henry Raspe (; – 16 February 1247) was the Landgrave of Thuringia from 1231 until 1239 and again from 1241 until his death. In 1246, with the support of the Papacy, he was elected King of the Romans, King of Germany in Anti-king, opposition t ...

, younger brother of his mother Irmgard and last male heir of the Ludovinger dynasty, Siegfried interfered in the succeeding

War of the Thuringen Succession The War of the Thuringian Succession (German: ''Thüringisch-hessischer Erbfolgekrieg'') (1247–1264) was a military conflict over a successor to the last Landgrave of Thuringia for control of the state of Thuringia (now in modern-day Germany). ...

. During the conflict, the young prince occupied the

County palatine In England, Wales and Ireland a county palatine or palatinate was an area ruled by a hereditary nobleman enjoying special authority and autonomy from the rest of a kingdom. The name derives from the Latin adjective ''palātīnus'', "relating to ...

(German: ''Pfalzgrafschaft''), by right of his mother. Later he renounced the county in favor of the Wettin margrave

Henry III of Meissen Henry III, called Henry the Illustrious (''Heinrich der Erlauchte'') (c. 1215 – 15 February 1288) from the House of Wettin was Margrave of Meissen and last Margrave of Lusatia (as Henry IV) from 1221 until his death; from 1242 also Landgrav ...

in exchange for a monetary compensation. Map of Anhalt (1259)

After the death of his father in 1252, in accordance with the family law of the Ascanian dynasty, Siefgried and his elder brothers Henry II and

Bernhard Bernhard is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar (1604–1639), Duke of Saxe-Weimar *Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen (1901–1984), head of the House of Saxe-Meiningen 1946 ...

divided the Anhalt lands. Siegfried received the eastern estates around Köthen. His style ''Count of Köthen-Dessau'' (used from 1253) likewise derived from the territories he received as his inheritance. In 1273 he even stood as a candidate in the

Imperial election The election of a Holy Roman Emperor was generally a two-stage process whereby, from at least the 13th century, the King of the Romans was elected by a small body of the greatest princes of the Empire, the prince-electors. This was then followed ...

, though the princes eventually elected Count

Rudolf of Habsburg Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death. Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which h ...

king. In 1290 Siegfried renounced his rule to become a preaching monk (German: ''Predigermönch''). As a result, his eldest son Prince Albert I of Anhalt became the actual ruler in the Köthen and

Zerbst Zerbst () is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until an administrative reform in 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the former Anhalt-Zerbst district. Geography Zerbst is situated in the Anhalt-Wittenberg regio ...

estates, although the former prince retained his rank until his death. Siegfried died at Köthen Castle in 1298.

Marriage and issue

On 17 October 1259, Siegfried married

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

(Karin), daughter of Birger Magnusson, later known as

Birger jarl Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, whi ...

, Regent of Sweden, by his wife Princess

Ingeborg Eriksdotter of Sweden Ingeborg Eriksdotter ( – 17 June 1254) was a Swedish princess and duchess, daughter of King Eric X of Sweden, eldest sibling of King Eric XI of Sweden, wife of Birger Jarl, and mother of Kings Valdemar and Magnus III of Sweden. Biography ...

, sister of King

Eric XI of Sweden Eric "XI" the Lisp and Lame Swedish: ''Erik Eriksson'' or ''Erik läspe och halte''; Old Norse: ''Eiríkr Eiríksson'' (1216 – 2 February 1250) was king of Sweden in 1222–29 and 1234–50. Being the last ruler of the House of Eric, he stood ...

. At the time of the wedding, the bride's older brother was King Waldemar of Sweden by right of their mother. They had ten children: #

Albert I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst Albert I (born c. 1258; died 17 August 1316) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and the second ruler of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst from 1298 until his death. Life He was the eldest son of Prince Siegfried I of Anhalt-Zerbst, by ...

(d. 17 August 1316). #Henry (d. 13 December 1340 / 28 March 1341?), Provost of

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...

. #Siegfried (d. 25 February 1317), a canon in

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...

. #Hermann (d. aft. 24 June 1328), a Teutonic knight, ''Comtur'' at

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 ...

in 1327. #Agnes (d. aft. 17 August 1316), Abbess of Coswig. #Hedwig (d. aft. 24 February 1319), Abbess of Coswig. #Elisabeth (d. aft. 17 August 1316), a nun in Coswig. #Judith (d. aft. 17 August 1316), a nun in Coswig. #Konstanze (d. aft. 17 August 1316), a nun in Coswig. #Sophie (d. aft. 9 January 1290), married Ludwig of Hakeborn. {{DEFAULTSORT:Siegfried I, Prince Of Anhalt-Zerbst Princes of Anhalt-Zerbst 1230s births 1298 deaths Year of birth uncertain House of Ascania