Adolph II, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen (16 October 1458 – 24 March 1526, in

Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a dioces ...

), 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 ''Schlo ...

and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Köthen. A Roman Catholic

Bishop of Merseburg The Bishopric of Merseburg was an episcopal see on the eastern border of the medieval Duchy of Saxony with its centre in Merseburg, where Merseburg Cathedral was constructed. The see was founded in 967 by Emperor Otto I at the same time in the same ...

, he remained until his death a staunch opponent of

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

. He was the fifth and youngest son of

Adolph I, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen Adolph I, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen (died Zerbst, 28 August 1473), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Köthen. He was the eldest son of Albert IV, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, by his first wife Elisa ...

, by his wife Cordula, daughter of

Albert III, Count of Lindau-Ruppin Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

Life

In 1471 Adolph began his studies at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), 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 Decemb ...

and in 1475 was elected

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

. 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 this brother Magnus. In 1488 Adolph II became Provost of

Magdeburg Cathedral Magdeburg Cathedral (german: Magdeburger Dom), officially called the Cathedral of Saints Maurice and Catherine (german: Dom zu Magdeburg St. Mauritius und Katharina), is a Protestant cathedral in Germany and the oldest Gothic cathedral in the cou ...

, then was ordained as a priest two years later (in 1490). In 1507 was accepted by Bishop Thilo of Merseburg as his Coadjutor and succeeded him in 1514 as

. 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 German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

. On 3 May 1525 he was forced to flee after Protestant disturbances in Leipzig. Adolph died ten months later. {{DEFAULTSORT:Adolph 02, Prince Of Anhalt-Kothen Princes of Anhalt-Köthen 1458 births 1526 deaths Prince-bishops in the Holy Roman Empire Roman Catholic bishops of Merseburg