Henry II, Prince of Anhalt-Aschersleben (1215 – 12 June 1266) 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-Aschersleben.
He was the eldest son of
Henry I, Count of Anhalt (who was raised to the rank of prince in 1218), by his wife Irmgard, daughter of
Hermann I, Landgrave of Thuringia
Hermann I (died 25 April 1217), Landgrave of Thuringia and (as Hermann III) Count Palatine of Saxony, called ''the Hard'', was the second son of Louis II, Landgrave of Thuringia (''the Iron''), and Judith of Hohenstaufen, the sister of Emperor ...
.
Life
Henry was co-ruler of the principality of Anhalt with his father from 1244. After his father's death in 1252 the Anhalt state was divided between him and his brothers. Henry took over the old family areas of
Aschersleben,
Hecklingen,
Ermsleben and
Wörbzig.
Through his mother, Henry was related to the Landgraves of Thuringia; in 1247 he intervened in the
War of the Thuringian Succession and spoke out in support of an alliance with
Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (his brother-in-law), who in return promised to give him some Thuringian lands. He was defeated and captured in battle near
Besenstedt in 1263, but was released shortly after. He soon renewed his war against Thuringia. In 1265 he was captured again and forced to renounce completely his claims to lands in Thuringia.
In 1257, Henry supported King
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, Kingdom of León, León and Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the April 1257 Imperial election, election of 1 ...
as German King and led military actions against the monasteries and archbishops of
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river.
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
and bishops of
Halberstadt
Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...
as well as his brothers and cousins. In 1266 he raised Aschersleben to the rank of a city.
Marriage and issue
In 1245 Henry married Matilda (d. Gernrode?, 25 October / 1 December? 1297), daughter of
Otto the Child, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and
Matilda of Brandenburg and great-granddaughter of
Otto I of Brandenburg, older brother of
Bernhard of Anhalt, Henry's grandfather.
They had two sons:
#
Otto I, Prince of Anhalt-Aschersleben (d. 25 June 1304).
#
Henry III, Prince of Anhalt-Aschersleben (d. 9 November 1307).
On Henry's death his sons were still minors and his widow Matilda assumed the regency of the principality until 1270, when they reached adulthood. Shortly after, Matilda took the veil and became Abbess of
Gernrode for almost twenty years, from 1275 to 1296.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry Ii, Prince Of Anhalt-Aschersleben
Princes of Anhalt-Aschersleben
1215 births
1266 deaths
Place of birth unknown