Waldemar I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (died 7 January 1368) was a German

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

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 ''Schlo ...

and ruler of the principality of

Anhalt-Zerbst Anhalt-Zerbst was a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts Potsdam-Mittelmark (Brandenburg) and Wittenberg, the city of Dessau and the districts of Köthen, Schönebeck and Jerichower ...

. He was the youngest son of

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 ...

, by his second wife Agnes, daughter of

Conrad, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal Margrave Conrad I of Brandenburg ( – 1304) was a member of the House of Ascania and a co-ruler of Brandenburg. Life Conrad I was the fourth of six children of Margrave John I of Brandenburg and his wife Sophia, daughter of King Valdemar ...

Life

After the death of his father in 1316, the young Waldemar and his older brother Albert II were put under the custody of their maternal uncle Waldemar, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal. When both brothers reached adulthood, they ruled the principality of

jointly. Waldemar made his residence in Dessau and Albert in

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 regi ...

or Köthen. In 1359 Waldemar's nephew Albert III was also made co-ruler by his father Albert II, but he soon died. Three years later (in 1362), Albert II died and Waldemar became co-ruler with his youngest nephew John II. Six years later, Waldemar died, leaving his only son Waldemar II as the new co-ruler with John II.

Marriages and Issue

On 22 June 1344 Waldemar married Elisabeth (d. aft. 30 May 1351), daughter of Rudolf I, Elector of Saxony, and Duke of Saxe-Wittemberg. Her paternal grandmother Agnes of Habsburg was a daughter of Rudolph I, Holy Roman Emperor. The spouses were distantly related: Elisabeth's great-grandfather

Albert I, Duke of Saxony Albert I (; c. 1175 – 7 October 1260) was a Duke of Saxony, Angria, and Westphalia; Lord of Nordalbingia; Count of Anhalt; and Prince-elector and Archmarshal of the Holy Roman Empire. Even though his grandfather Albert the Bear had held the Sax ...

, was a brother of

Henry I, Count of Anhalt Henry I ( 1170 – 1252), a member of the House of Ascania, was Count of Anhalt from 1212 and the first ruling Anhalt prince from 1218 until his death. Life He was the oldest son of Count Bernhard of Anhalt probably by his first wife Judith (o ...

, Waldemar's great-great-grandfather. They had six children: #

Waldemar II, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst Waldemar II, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (died bef. 24 August 1371) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst Anhalt-Zerbst was a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north a ...

(d. bef. 24 August 1371). #Beate (d. ca. 1379), a nun at Coswig (1375). #Sophie (d. aft. 6 January 1412), a nun at Coswig (1375). #Agnes (d. aft. 1375), a nun at Coswig (1375). #Judith (d. aft. 1375), a nun at Coswig (1375). #(?) Gertrude (d. ca. 1371). In 1365 Waldemar married for a second time to Beatrice (d. 1387), legitimized daughter of Obizzo III d'Este, Lord of Ferrara and Modena by his second wife and former mistress Lippa Ariosto. This union was childless. Princes of Anhalt-Zerbst 1368 deaths Year of birth unknown {{Germany-royal-stub