Rudolf (Anhalt-Zerbst)
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Rudolf von Anhalt-Zerbst (born October 28, 1576 in Harzgerode ; † August 20, 1621 in Zerbst ) from the Ascanians was a prince of Anhalt-Zerbst .
Life
Rudolf was the fifth son of Prince Joachim Ernst von Anhalt (1536–1586) from his second marriage to Eleonore (1552–1618), daughter of Duke Christoph von Württemberg .
Judging by contemporary witnesses, Rudolf was an avid pupil and student. In 1597 the twenty-year-old was invited to Copenhagen for the wedding of the Danish King Christian IV . In 1600 his Grand Tour took him to Rome , where he met Pope Clement VIII , and on to Sicily . With his brother Prince Ludwig I. He spent a year in Florence . On November 21, 1601 enrolled Rudolf at the university in Siena . A year later, in 1602, he returned to Dessau via Switzerland . From 1603 he lived at the Zerbster Hof and supported the local high school Francisceum for the whole of the city , mainly by donating a library.
After joint government, Rudolf and his brothers divided the state of Anhalt in 1606: Johann Georg became Prince of Anhalt-Dessau , Christian Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg , Ludwig Prince of Anhalt-Köthen and a few years later August Prince of Anhalt-Plötzkau . Rudolf received the principality of Zerbst with the offices of Kermen, Lindau , Roßlau and Coswig .
Rudolf made some buildings in Zerbst and improved the residential palace . In 1618 Rudolf was accepted into the Fruit Bringing Society by his brother Ludwig . In the Köthener society book you can find him under number 12 with his company name der Süße . As a motto it was intended for sucking and as an emblem five sticks of sugar cane on a plate . As a law of rhyme, Prince Rudolf wrote:
- The Zuckerrörelein are sweet to suck out
- than happened to me
- Since I crowned life, received for my adornment.
Rudolf died in Zerbst at the age of 44 and was buried in the local Bartholomäikirche.
Marriages and offspring
Rudolf married Dorothea Hedwig (1587–1609), daughter of Duke Heinrich Julius von Braunschweig- Wolfenbüttel on December 29, 1605 in Wolfenbüttel , with whom he had the following children:
- Daughter (* / † 1606)
- Dorothea (1607-1634)
- ⚭ 1623 Duke August the Younger of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1579–1666)
- Eleanor (1608–1681)
- ⚭ 1632 Duke Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Norburg (1581–1658)
- Daughter (* / † 1609)
On August 31, 1612 Magdelene (1585–1657), daughter of Count Johann VII of Oldenburg, became his second wife. Magdalene's brother bequeathed the Jever estate to the Anhalt-Zerbst family in 1667 . From his marriage to Magdalene, Rudolf had the following children:
- Elisabeth (1617–1639)
- Johann VI. (1621–1667), Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
- ⚭ 1649 Princess Sophie Auguste of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf (1630–1680)
literature
- Franz Kindscher : Rudolf . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 29, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, pp. 519-523.
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Johann Georg I. |
Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst 1606–1621 |
Johann |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rudolf |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Anhalt-Zerbst, Rudolf von (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 28, 1576 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Harzgerode |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 20, 1621 |
| Place of death | Zerbst |