Alexius Friedrich Christian (Anhalt-Bernburg)
Alexius Frederick Christian, Duke (Duke since 1807) of Anhalt-Bernburg (* 12. June 1767 in Ballenstedt , † 24. March 1834 ) was a German reigning prince of the House of Ascania .
Life
Alexius was born as the only son of Prince Friedrich Albrecht and his wife Louise Albertine von Holstein-Plön and, like his only sister Pauline, received an excellent education.
After the death of his father in 1796, he took office. The territory of Anhalt-Bernburg grew in 1797 by a third of the extinct Zerbster line , the offices Coswig and Mühlingen , in 1809 by retiring German Order Coming Buro and 1812 after extinction of Anhalt-Bernburg-Hoymer line by the Office Hoym and some in Prussia lying exclaves .
Alexius took care of the improvement of the school system, built and enlarged many churches and schools. He showed particular interest in expanding the road network, especially in the newly acquired parts of the country. He also paid great attention to mining and metallurgy. He had several larger construction projects carried out, e.g. B. the later re-destroyed Saale bridge in Bernburg (Saale) , as well as 1826/27 today's Bernburg Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Theater . He also founded the Alexisbad in Selketal in 1810 and later the Beringer Bad near Gernrode on Prussian territory. In 1812 he had the Prince Friedrich Albrecht monument erected for his father in Mägdesprung .
He was religiously tolerant and enlightened and in 1820 he achieved the union of the two Protestant creeds in his country. In 1826 his country joined the German Customs Union . In 1828 he began the separations and basic relief, and in 1829 he founded a general civil servants', widows' and orphans' fund.
From Franz II. , The German king and Roman emperor, he received the ducal title for himself and his descendants in 1806. After the end of the Holy Roman Empire, like his cousins in Dessau and Köthen , he joined the Rhine Confederation in 1807 . A contingent of his troops fought for Napoleon in Tyrol , Spain , Russia , Danzig and near Kulm . On December 1, 1813, he left the Confederation of the Rhine and sent his troops with his allies to Belgium and France in 1814 and 1815 . On June 8, 1815, he joined the German Confederation .
After the death of Duke Leopold Friedrich Franz von Anhalt-Dessau in 1817, the senior of the house, he took over the guardianship of the underage Duke Ludwig August von Anhalt-Köthen at the same time and managed it until his death in 1818.
Marriages and offspring
On November 29, 1794, Alexius married the daughter of the Elector of Hessen-Kassel, Marie Friederike von Hessen-Kassel (1768–1839). He had four children with her, two of whom died shortly after birth:
- Katharine Wilhelmine (* / † 1796)
- Luise (1799-1882)
- ⚭ 1817 Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig of Prussia (1794–1863)
- Friedrich Amadeus (* / † 1801)
- Alexander Carl (1805–1863), Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg
- ⚭ 1834 Princess Friederike of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1811–1902).
Because of the progressive mental illness of his wife, which she also passed on to the two surviving children, Duke Alexius divorced on August 6, 1817. In the same year he morganatically married Louise Dorothea Friederike von Sonnenberg (1781-1818), who had been called "von Hoym" since the marriage. After her untimely death in 1819 he was again married in a left-hand marriage to her sister Ernestine Charlotte von Sonnenberg (1789–1845), who was then also called Frau von Hoym.
Honors
In his honor, his daughter Luise and her husband placed the Alexius Cross at Mägdesprung in 1837 . The Herzog-Alexius-Erbstollen in the Selketal is named after him.
medal
- Knight of the Hesse-Casselian House Order of the Golden Lion November 27, 1794
literature
- Ferdinand Siebigk: Alexius Friedrich Christian . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 1, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1875, p. 338.
- Reinhold Specht: Alexius Friedrich Christian. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 1, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1953, ISBN 3-428-00182-6 , p. 198 ( digitized version ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Landgräflisch Hessen-Casselischer Staats- und Adress-Calender (1800) SX
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Friedrich Albrecht |
Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg from 1807 Duke 1796–1834 |
Alexander Carl |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Alexius Friedrich Christian |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Anhalt-Bernburg, Alexius Friedrich Christian, Prince of (full name); Anhalt-Bernburg, Alexius Friedrich Christian, Duke of (full name, from 1807) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 12, 1767 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ballenstedt |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 24, 1834 |
| Place of death | Ballenstedt |