Frederick II (; 19 August 185621 April 1918) was the Duke of Anhalt from 1904 until 1918.

Early life

He was born in

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

in 1856, he was the second son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Anhalt-Dessau and his wife Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg. His father succeeded as Duke of Anhalt on 22 May 1871 and Frederick became

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

and Hereditary Prince following the death of his elder brother Leopold on 2 February 1886.

Marriage

Frederick was married on 2 July 1889 at

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

to Princess Marie of Baden (26 July 186529 November 1939). She was a daughter of

Prince Wilhelm of Baden Margrave Wilhelm of Baden (8 April 1792 in Karlsruhe – 11 October 1859 in Karlsruhe) was the second son of Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden and his second wife, Louise Caroline of Hochberg, Luise Karoline, Baroness Geyer von Geyersberg ...

and his wife Princess Maria of Leuchtenberg, as well as an elder sister of

Prince Maximilian of Baden Maximilian, Margrave of Baden (''Maximilian Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm''; 10 July 1867 – 6 November 1929),Almanach de Gotha. ''Haus Baden (Maison de Bade)''. Justus Perthes (publishing company), Justus Perthes, Gotha, 1944, p. 18, (French). al ...

, 8th Chancellor of Germany. The marriage produced no issue.

Reign

On 24 January 1904, Frederick succeeded his father as Duke of Anhalt. During his reign he was known for his love of music and maintained a Court Theatre which became celebrated throughout Europe. He was Grand Master of the

Order of Albert the Bear The House Order of Albert the Bear (German: ''Hausorden Albrechts des Bären'' or ''Der Herzoglich Anhaltische Hausorden Albrechts des Bären'') was founded in 1836 as a joint House Order by three dukes of Anhalt from separate branches of the fam ...

and a Knight of the

Order of the Black Eagle The Order of the Black Eagle () was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I of Prussia, Friedrich I, King in Prussia, the ...

. In 1914, during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he instituted the Friedrich Cross as a decoration for merit in time of war. He died at

Ballenstedt Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Geography It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipal area comprises the vi ...

Castle on 21 April 1918. As his marriage to Marie of Baden was without issue, he was succeeded as duke by his younger brother

Eduard Eduard Model Accessories is a Czech manufacturer of plastic models and finescale model accessories. History Formed in 1989 in the city of Most, Eduard began in a rented cellar as a manufacturer of photoetched brass model components. Follo ...

Honours and arms

; German orders and decorations''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt'' (1894) "Genealogie des Herzoglichen Hauses" pp. 3-4 ; Foreign orders and decorations

Ancestry

References

1856 births 1918 deaths People from Dessau-Roßlau People from Anhalt-Dessau House of Ascania Dukes of Anhalt German people of French descent Corps students Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Takovo Royal reburials {{Germany-royal-stub