Rudolph of Anhalt-Zerbst (

Harzgerode Harzgerode is a town in the district of Harz in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Geography Harzgerode lies in the lower eastern part of the Harz mountain range on the Selke River, south of Quedlinburg. It is connected to Gernrode and Quedlinburg via ...

, 28 October 1576 –

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 ...

, 30 July 1621), 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 unified

Principality of Anhalt The Principality of Anhalt () was a Imperial State, State of the Holy Roman Empire, located in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany, in what is today part of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt. Under the rule of the House of Ascania, ...

. From 1603, he was 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 ...

. Rudolph was the fifth son of

Joachim Ernest, Prince of Anhalt Joachim Ernest of Anhalt (21 October 1536 – 6 December 1586), was a German prince of the House of Ascania, ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst from 1551, and from 1570 sole ruler of all the Anhalt lands. Life Early life Joachim Ernes ...

, but third-born son by his second wife Eleonore, daughter of

Christoph, Duke of Württemberg Christoph of Württemberg (12 May 1515 – 28 December 1568), ruled as Duke of Württemberg from 1550 until his death in 1568. Life Born in 1515, Christoph was the son of Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg and Sabina of Bavaria. In November 1515 ...

Life

In 1586, after the death of his father, Rudolph inherited the principality of Anhalt jointly with his half- and full brothers, but because he was still a minor, his older brother John George I acted as regent. By the accounts of contemporary witnesses, Rudolph was an eager pupil and student. In 1596 the twenty-year-old prince was invited to the coronation of King

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. His Grand Tour began in 1600 when he arrived in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. With his younger brother Louis, Rudolph spent a year in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. On 21 November 1601 he was admitted to the

University of Siena The University of Siena (, abbreviation: UNISI), located in Siena, Tuscany, holds the distinction of being Italy's first publicly funded university as well as one of the oldest, originally established as ''Studium Senese'' in 1240. As of 2022, it ...

. A year later, in 1602, the prince left

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

(where he had lived for some time) and returned to Dessau. In 1603, a formal division of the principality of Anhalt was agreed upon by Rudolph and his surviving brothers. He received

, where his main residence was, and supported there the renovation of the ''Gymnasium Francisceum'', beginning with the addition of a library. In 1618, Rudolph joined the

Fruitbearing Society The Fruitbearing Society (German Die Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft, lat. ''Societas Fructifera'') was a German literary society founded in 1617 in Weimar by German scholars and nobility. Its aim was to standardize vernacular German and promote it ...

Marriages and issue

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...

on 29 December 1605 Rudolph married Dorothea Hedwig (born Wolfenbüttel, 3 February 1587 – d. Zerbst, 16 October 1609), daughter of

Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Henry Julius (; 15 October 1564 – 30 July 1613), a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruling Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel from 1589 until his death. He also served as administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of ...

. They had four daughters: #Stillborn daughter (Zerbst, October? 1606). # Dorothea (born Zerbst, 25 September 1607 – d.

Hitzacker Hitzacker is a town in the Lüchow-Dannenberg district of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Elbe, approx. 8 km north of Dannenberg, and 45 km east of Lüneburg. The 2007 population of Hitzacker was 4,982, and its po ...

, 26 September 1634), married on 26 October 1623 to Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. # Eleonore (born Zerbst, 10 November 1608 – d. Osterholm, 2 November 1681), married on 15 February 1632 to Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg. #Stillborn daughter (Zerbst, 16 October 1609). The death of his wife caused Rudolph to fall into a deep depression, according to contemporary witnesses. In

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places * Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony * Ol ...

on 31 August 1612 Rudolph married for a second time to Magdalene (born Oldenburg, 6 October 1585 – d. Coswig, 14 April 1657), heiress of

Jever Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland (district), Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer, Jever Pilsener, which is produced there. The city is also a popular holiday res ...

and daughter of

John VII, Count of Oldenburg Count John VII of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst (nicknamed "the Dike Builder"; 9 September 1540 in Oldenburg – 12 November 1603 in Oldenburg) was a member of the House of Oldenburg and was the ruling Count of County of Oldenburg from 1573 until his ...

; only when Rudolph met her did he find a way out of his depression. They had two children: #Elisabeth (born Zerbst, 1 December 1617 – d. Oldenburg, 3 June 1639). #

John VI, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst John VI of Anhalt-Zerbst (Zerbst, 24 March 1621 – Zerbst, 4 July 1667), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. He was the only son of Rudolph, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, by his second wife M ...

(born Zerbst, 24 March 1621 – d. Zerbst, 4 July 1667).

Notes

References

* Franz Kindscher: '' Rudolf''. 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 29, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, S. 519–523. *
Genealogical database by Herbert Stoyan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudolph, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst 1576 births 1621 deaths People from Harzgerode Rulers of Anhalt House of Ascania Princes of Anhalt-Zerbst Royal reburials