Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau (14 September 1837, Dessau – 12 May 1906,

Friedrichroda Friedrichroda () is a town in the district of Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. It is situated at the north foot of the Thuringian Forest, 21 km by rail southwest of the town of Gotha. It is surrounded by fir-clad hills and possesses numerous han ...

) was a princess from 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 ...

. She was the third child of

Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt Leopold IV Frederick, Duke of Anhalt (1 October 1794 – 22 May 1871) was a German prince of the House of Ascania. From 1817 until 1853 he was ruler of the duchy of Anhalt-Dessau and from 1847 until 1853 also ruler of the duchy of Anhalt-Köthen ...

and Princess Frederica of Prussia.

Family

Maria Anna's paternal grandparents were

Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau Frederick of Anhalt-Dessau (27 December 1769 – 27 May 1814), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and heir to the principality (and from 1807 the duchy) of Anhalt-Dessau. He was born in Dessau, the only surviving child of Leopold III, ...

and

Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg , title = Hereditary Princess of Anhalt-Dessau , image = Johann Friedrich August Tischbein - Christiane Amalie Erbprinzessin von Anhalt-Dessau.jpg , caption = , reign = , coronation = , predecessor = , successor = , ...

. Her maternal grandparents were

Prince Louis Charles of Prussia , house =Hohenzollern , father =Frederick William II of Prussia , mother =Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt , birth_date = , birth_place =Berlin, Prussia , death_date = , death_place ...

(brother of King Frederick William III of Prussia) and

Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Frederica Louise Caroline Sophie Alexandrina of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (german: Friederike Louise Caroline Sophie Alexandrine; 3 March 1778 – 29 June 1841) was a German princess who married successively Prince Louis Charles of Prussia, Prince ...

. Maria Anna was a younger sister of

Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt , image = Friedrich I Anhalt.jpg , caption = Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt , succession = Duke of Anhalt , reign = 22 May 1871 – 24 January 1904 , coronation = , predecessor = Leopold IV , successor ...

and Agnes, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg.

Marriage and issue

On 29 November 1854 she married her second cousin

Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia 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. The ...

. He was a grandson of Frederick William III of Prussia by his father

Prince Charles of Prussia Prince Frederick Charles Alexander of Prussia (german: Friedrich Karl Alexander; 29 June 1801 – 21 January 1883) was a younger son of Frederick William III of Prussia. He served as a Prussian general for much of his adult life and became the fi ...

. They had five children: Their marriage was unhappy. After the birth of their fourth daughter, Prince Frederick Charles reportedly beat his wife for not producing a son. According to one source, it was only by the entreaties of

Emperor Wilhelm I William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the f ...

that a separation never occurred. Maria Anna was considered by contemporaries to be one of the loveliest women of her generation.Radziwill, pp. 102-03. She possessed a remarkable talent for music and painting, and often advised young girls when they first entered society. Maria Anna was almost completely deaf, which according to her friend

Princess Catherine Radziwill Princess Catherine Radziwiłł ( pl, Katarzyna Radziwiłłowa; 30 March 1858 – 12 May 1941)Olive_Schreiner.html" ;"title="n response to Olive Schreiner">Schreiner’s book ''Trooper Peter Halkett of Mashonaland'' (1897) * ''My Recollectio ...

, "caused her to show extreme timidity and embarrassment whenever she found herself in company".Radziwill, p. 103. Radziwill went on to say however that "when aria Annawas alone with you, and not disturbed by the noise of many conversations around her, she became quite charming, and really witty".

Later life

Her husband Prince Frederick Charles died on 15 June 1885. After his death, Maria Anna left Berlin for Italy, staying mainly in Naples, Rome, and Florence. Rumors soon emerged that Maria Anna contracted 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 ...

to Capt. von Wagenheim, one of her equerries. In 1889, their only son Prince Frederick married Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, a sister of Empress Augusta Viktoria. Maria Anna died on 12 May 1906 in

Ancestry

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Anna Of Anhalt-Dessau, Princess House of Ascania House of Hohenzollern Princesses of Anhalt-Dessau Prussian princesses 1837 births 1906 deaths People from Dessau-Roßlau