Emmanuel of Anhalt-Köthen (6 October 1631, in

Plötzkau Plötzkau is a municipality in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Ru ...

– 8 November 1670, in Köthen), 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 ''Schloss ...

and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Plötzkau. From 1665, he was ruler of the principality of

Anhalt-Köthen Anhalt-Köthen was a 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. The first creation lasted until 1562 ...

. He was the third and youngest son of

Augustus, Prince of Anhalt-Plötzkau Augustus of Anhalt-Plötzkau (Dessau, 14 July 1575 – Plötzkau, 22 August 1653), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the unified principality of Anhalt. From 1603, he was ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Plötzkau. ...

, by his wife Sibylle, daughter of

John George I, Count of Solms-Laubach John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

Life

In 1653, after the death of his father, Emmanuel inherited Plötzkau jointly with his older brothers Ernest Gottlieb and Lebrecht. They also had the responsibility of acting as regents over Anhalt-Köthen on behalf of the infant Prince William Louis. In practice, it was Emmanuel and Lebrecht who exercised the regency while Ernest Gottlieb remained as sole ruler of Plötzkau for only seven months until his own death, after which Emmanuel and Lebrecht served as co-rulers. Their regency over Köthen lasted until 1659, when William Louis was proclaimed of age and began his own government over the principality. The death of William Louis in 1665 without heirs changed the distribution of the existing Anhalt principalities: Emmanuel and Lebrecht received Köthen, and their former principality of Plötzkau was returned to

Anhalt-Bernburg Anhalt-Bernburg was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and a duchy of the German Confederation ruled by the House of Ascania with its residence at Bernburg in present-day Saxony-Anhalt. It emerged as a subdivision from the Principality of ...

, from which it was originally extracted. The death of Lebrecht without heirs in 1669 left Emmanuel as sole ruler of Anhalt-Köthen until his death, almost exactly one year later.

Marriage and issue

Ilsenburg Ilsenburg () is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. It is situated under the north foot of the Harz Mountains, at the entrance to the Ilse valley with its little river, the Ilse, a tributary of the Oker, about six north ...

on 23 March 1670 Emmanuel married Anna Eleonore (b. Ilsenburg, 26 March 1651 - d. Köthen, 27 January 1690), daughter of Henry Ernest, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode and niece of Sophie Ursula, the widow of his brother Lebrecht. On Emmanuel's death, his wife was three months pregnant. She was declared regent over Köthen until the birth of the child; if she had a boy, he could succeed his father, but if the child was a girl, the other principalities would divide the Köthen lands. On 20 May 1671, six months after the death of her husband, the Dowager Princess Anna Eleonore gave birth to a son, named Emmanuel Lebrecht, who immediately became the new ruler of Anhalt-Köthen under the regency of his mother. {{DEFAULTSORT:Emmanuel, Prince of Anhalt-Kothen Princes of Anhalt-Köthen Princes of Anhalt-Plötzkau 1631 births 1670 deaths