August Christian (Anhalt-Koethen)
August Christian Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt-Koethen (born November 18, 1769 in Koethen ( Anhalt-Koethen ), † May 5, 1812 there ) was a ruling German sovereign from the house of the Ascanians .
Life
August Christian was a son of Prince Karl Georg Lebrecht von Anhalt-Köthen .
In 1798 he was a staff captain in the "Grawert" infantry regiment No. 47 of the Prussian army and on September 9, 1800, he moved to the same position in the "Möllendorff" infantry regiment No. 25 . On April 2, 1803 he received permission to enter imperial service, on May 15, 1803 he became a Prussian major general of the army and received the Order of the Red Eagle .
He is also said to have been Austrian Lieutenant General Field Marshal from May 15, 1803 . On January 31, 1805 he was made a Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle . The next knight after him was Napoleon Bonaparte.
Since 1792 Prince August Christian was married to Friederike (1777-1821), daughter of Prince Friedrich August von Nassau-Usingen and Princess Louise von Waldeck . The childless marriage was divorced again in 1803.
On April 18, 1806, Prince August Christian, whom Napoleon addressed as "Monsieur d'Anhalt" , officially accepted the ducal office.
August Christian was an ardent admirer of Napoleon and on December 28, 1810 issued a "Constitution" which came into force on January 1, 1811 and consisted of 19 articles, introducing the Code Napoleon and ordering a new judicial constitution based on the Westphalian and French models.
On June 20, 1811, the Jews in the city and country of Köthen were granted the same rights as Christians by a princely decree by August Christian. However, they had to take on non-Jewish family names.
On his death in 1812, rule and title passed to his underage nephew Ludwig August Friedrich Emil , the son of his brother Ludwig, who had died before him . Due to the Anhalt house laws, this was under the tutelage of the then senior of the House of Anhalt, Duke Leopold III. von Anhalt-Dessau , who immediately ended the reforms introduced and restored the old constitution.
August Christian was buried under an oak tree in the Köthener palace gardens.
Individual evidence
literature
- Kurt von Priesdorff : Soldier leadership . Volume 3, Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt Hamburg, undated [Hamburg], undated [1937], DNB 367632780 , p. 136, no. 1041.
- Hermann Laundry : Anhalt history. 3 vols. Köthen: Schulze 1912-13.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Karl Georg Lebrecht |
Prince of Anhalt-Köthen 1789 - 1806 |
|
|
Duke of Anhalt-Köthen 1806 - 1812 |
Ludwig |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | August Christian |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | August Christian Friedrich |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prince of Anhalt-Koethen |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 18, 1769 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Koethen |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 5, 1812 |
| Place of death | Koethen |