Adolph II, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, also Anhalt-Zerbst (16 October 1458 – 24 March 1526) was a German prince of the

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

and ruler of the principality of

Anhalt-Köthen Anhalt-Köthen was a Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, 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. T ...

. A Roman Catholic Bishop of Merseburg, he remained until his death a staunch opponent of

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

Life

Adolph was the fifth and youngest son of Adolph I, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, by his wife Cordula, daughter of Albert III, Count of Lindau-Ruppin.Helbig, Herbert, "Adolf" in: Neue Deutsche Biographie 1 (1953), p. 85
online
In 1471 he began his studies at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

and in 1475 was elected Rector. Because he and his brothers had decided to become priests, their father Adolph I drew up a succession contract with the Anhalt-Dessau branch of the House of Ascania, headed by

George I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau George I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau ( – 21 September 1474), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau. He was the second son of Sigismund I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, by his wife Judith, daughter ...

, to secure the existence of the principality. The contract stipulated that Adolph I would rule jointly with George's son Waldemar VI, and that Adolph I's half-brother Albert VI was to become co-ruler with Waldemar after Adolph's death. Upon the death of Albert VI, Adolph II and his brother

Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

succeeded their uncle as co-rulers of Anhalt-Köthen with their cousins Philip and Waldemar VI. Adolph used the title "Lord of Zerbst" to identify the portion of the principality in which he resided. Despite his spiritual office, Adolph participated in the government of his principality for several years; only in 1508 did he formally renounce his rights along with his brother Magnus.''

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB; ) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences between 1875 and 1912 in 56 volumes, printed in Lei ...

'', vol. 1, p. 120, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1875: "Adolf (Fürst von Anhalt-Zerbst)"
online
In 1488 Adolph II became Provost of

Magdeburg Cathedral Magdeburg Cathedral (), officially called the Cathedral of Saints Maurice and Catherine (), is a Protestant Church in Germany, Lutheran cathedral in Germany and the oldest Gothic architecture, Gothic cathedral in the country. It is the proto-cat ...

, then was ordained as a priest two years later (in 1490). In 1507 was accepted by Bishop Thilo of Merseburg as his

Coadjutor The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

and succeeded him in 1514 as Bishop of Merseburg. His administration over the Bishopric of Merseburg was prudent and kind. Besides his administrative duties, he also preached and taught. Although he fundamentally accepted the justification by faith doctrine proclaimed by Luther, he rejected all intervention in the existing Church order. In 1520 he ordered the burning of Luther's books and forbade the reading of the reformed Bible translation in 1522. In 1523 Adolph petitioned Duke George of Saxony for the expulsion of the Lutheran minister Sebastian Fröschel from

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

. In May 1525 he was in Leipzig, where he consecrated the Nikolaikirche, when Protestant disturbances broke out in Merseburg, reinforcing his opposition to the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

. He died in March the following year while en route to Leipzig to encourage his nephew, Prince George, to still more rigorous anti-Protestant measures. He is buried in Merseburg Cathedral.''Die Bischöfe des Heiligen Römischen Reiches 1448 bis 1648'', ed. Erwin Ganz, Duncker & Humblot: Berlin, 2nd edn. 2023, pp. 3–4

Life

References

Further reading