John Augustus, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (29 July 1677 in

Zerbst Zerbst () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until an administrative reform in 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the former Anhalt-Zerbst district. Geography Zerbst is sit ...

– 7 November 1742 in Zerbst), 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-Zerbst Anhalt-Zerbst was a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts Potsdam-Mittelmark (Brandenburg) and Wittenberg, the city of Dessau and the districts of Köthen, Schönebeck and Jerichower Lan ...

. He was the eldest son of Karl William, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, by his wife

Sophie Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Soph ...

, daughter of

August, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels Augustus of Saxe-Weissenfels (13 August 1614 in Dresden – 4 June 1680 in Halle), was a Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt of the House of Wettin and administrator of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg. He was the fourth (but second surviving) son ...

Life

In 1718, after the death of Karl William, John Augustus became prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. John Augustus married Fredericka (b.

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

, 24 March 1675; d.

Karlsbad Karlsbad may refer to: *Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic (formerly known by its German name Karlsbad) *Karlsbad (Baden), Germany *Melluži Melluži is a residential area and neighbourhood in the city of Jūrmala, Latvia Latvia, officially the ...

, 28 May 1709), daughter of

Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (15 July 1646 – 2 August 1691), was a duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. He was born in Gotha, the fourth but eldest surviving son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg and Elisabeth Sophie of Sax ...

, on 25 May 1702 in Zerbst. They had no children. He married a second time to Hedwig Fredericka (b. Weiltingen, 18 October 1691; d. Zerbst, 14 August 1752), daughter of Frederick Ferdinand, Duke of Württemberg-Weiltingen (a grandson of

Julius Frederick, Duke of Württemberg-Weiltingen Duke Julius Frederick of Württemberg-Weiltingen (3 June 1588 in Montbéliard – 25 April 1635 in Strasbourg), was the first duke of Württemberg-Weiltingen. Early life Born into an illustrious House of Württemberg, Julius Frederick was t ...

), on 8 October 1715 in Zerbst. This union was also childless. Since John Augustus died without issue, the elder line of Anhalt-Zerbst became extinct. On his death, he was succeeded by his first cousins, the princes of Anhalt-Dornburg.

Ancestry

References

* Ferdinand Siebigk: '' Johann August, Fürst von Anhalt-Zerbst''. In:

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 ...

(ADB). Band 14, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1881, S. 118 f. {{DEFAULTSORT:Augustus, John, Prince Of Anhalt-Zerbst

John Augustus John Augustus (c. 1785 – June 21, 1859) was an American boot maker and penal reformer. He is credited with coining the English term "probation" and is called the "Father of Probation" in the United States because of his pioneering efforts to c ...

1677 births 1742 deaths