John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Encyclopedia
John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (17 November 1627 – 7 August 1693) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau
. A member of the Fruitbearing Society
, he also served as a Field marshal
of Brandenburg-Prussia
.
He was born at Dessau
, the second (but eldest and only surviving) son of John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
, by his first wife Agnes, daughter of Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
.
, which had been controlled by Brandenburg-Prussia since 1648.
John George made his military career in the service of the Prussian army
; the Elector Frederick William named him a Generalfeldmarschall
in 1670. After France
invaded Frederick William's Duchy of Cleves
, John George negotiated a treaty in Vienna
in June 1672 between Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
, and Frederick William, by which each pledged to provide 12,000 troops to uphold the borders of the Peace of Westphalia
in the face of French aggression. John George was chosen to lead the largely unsuccessful campaign, which led Georg von Derfflinger
to temporarily resign in protest.
While campaigning against the French for control of Alsace
in 1674, most of Frederick William's army went into winter quarters in Franconia
n Schweinfurt
. As viceroy (Statthalter), John George commanded the troops remaining in Brandenburg. King Louis XIV of France
convinced King Charles XI of Sweden
to invade Brandenburg; after dispersing John George's small force, the Swedish
troops went into winter quarters as well. The Prince of Dessau took part in Frederick William's retaliatory campaign in 1675, which resulted in the Battle of Fehrbellin
.
In 1683 John George travelled to Passau
, ostensibly to discuss Brandenburg's involvement in the Ottoman wars
with the emperor Leopold, although his main aim was to advise against another French war. The prince reaffirmed Brandenburg's alliance with Austria
. He died in Berlin
.
(b. The Hague
, 10 February 1637 - d. Schloss Oranienbaum, 3 November 1708), daughter of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
. They had ten children:
Anhalt-Dessau
Anhalt-Dessau was a principality and later a duchy located in Germany. It was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. The capital of the state was Dessau. Anhalt-Dessau experienced a number of partitions throughout its existence with Anhalt-Köthen being...
. A member of the Fruitbearing Society
Fruitbearing Society
The Fruitbearing Society was a German literary society founded in 1617 in Weimar by German scholars and nobility to emulate the idea of the Accademia della Crusca in Florence and similar groups already thriving in Italy, to be followed in later years also in France and Britain...
, he also served as a Field marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
of Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
.
He was born at Dessau
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
, the second (but eldest and only surviving) son of John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau....
, by his first wife Agnes, daughter of Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
-External links:...
.
Life
After the death of his father on 15 July 1660, John George took over the government of Anhalt-Dessau. He also inherited his family's claim on AscherslebenAschersleben
Aschersleben is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 22 km east of Quedlinburg, and 45 km northwest of Halle .-Pre-20th century:...
, which had been controlled by Brandenburg-Prussia since 1648.
John George made his military career in the service of the Prussian army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
; the Elector Frederick William named him a Generalfeldmarschall
Generalfeldmarschall
Field Marshal or Generalfeldmarschall in German, was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used...
in 1670. After France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
invaded Frederick William's Duchy of Cleves
Duchy of Cleves
The Duchy of Cleves was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and the town of Wesel, bordering the lands of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster in the east and the Duchy of Brabant in the west...
, John George negotiated a treaty in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in June 1672 between Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
, and Frederick William, by which each pledged to provide 12,000 troops to uphold the borders of the Peace of Westphalia
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the...
in the face of French aggression. John George was chosen to lead the largely unsuccessful campaign, which led Georg von Derfflinger
Georg von Derfflinger
Georg von Derfflinger was a field marshal in the army of Brandenburg-Prussia during and after the Thirty Years' War .-Early years:...
to temporarily resign in protest.
While campaigning against the French for control of Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
in 1674, most of Frederick William's army went into winter quarters in Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
n Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
. As viceroy (Statthalter), John George commanded the troops remaining in Brandenburg. King Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
convinced King Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period in Swedish history known as the Swedish empire ....
to invade Brandenburg; after dispersing John George's small force, the Swedish
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
troops went into winter quarters as well. The Prince of Dessau took part in Frederick William's retaliatory campaign in 1675, which resulted in the Battle of Fehrbellin
Battle of Fehrbellin
The Battle of Fehrbellin was fought on June 18, 1675 between Swedish and Brandenburg-Prussian troops. The Swedes, under Count Waldemar von Wrangel , had invaded and occupied parts of Brandenburg from their possessions in Pomerania, but were repelled by the forces of Frederick William, the Great...
.
In 1683 John George travelled to Passau
Passau
Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north....
, ostensibly to discuss Brandenburg's involvement in the Ottoman wars
Long War
Long War can refer to:*Long War , a war between the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire from 1593 to 1606*Long War , a concept describing several wars from 1914 to 1990 as one long war...
with the emperor Leopold, although his main aim was to advise against another French war. The prince reaffirmed Brandenburg's alliance with Austria
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
. He died in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Marriage and issue
In Groningen on 9 September 1659 John George married Henriette KatharinaHenriette Catherine of Nassau
Henriette Catherine of Nassau was a daughter of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange and his wife Amalia of Solms-Braunfels. Henriette was a member of the House of Orange-Nassau .- Family :...
(b. The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, 10 February 1637 - d. Schloss Oranienbaum, 3 November 1708), daughter of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
Frederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:...
. They had ten children:
- Amalie Ludovika (b. BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, 7 September 1660 - d. Dessau, 12 November 1660). - Henriette Amalie (b. Cölln an der SpreeCöllnIn the 13th century Cölln was the sister town of Old Berlin , located on the southern Spree Island in the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Today the island is located in the historic core of the central Mitte locality of modern Berlin...
, 4 January 1662 - d. Cölln an der Spree, 28 January 1662). - Frederick Casimir, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (b. Cölln an der Spree, 8 November 1663 - d. Cölln an der Spree, 27 May 1665).
- Elisabeth Albertine (b. Cölln an der Spree, 1 May 1665 - d. Dessau, 5 October 1706), Abbess of HerfordHerfordHerford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford.- Geographic location :...
(1680–1686); married on 30 March 1686 to Henry of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of BarbyHeinrich of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of BarbyHeinrich of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby , was a German prince of the House of Wettin and count of Barby....
. - Henriette Amalie (b. KleveKleveKleve , is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century onwards, Kleve was capital of a county and later a duchy...
, 26 August 1666 - d. Oranienstein an der Lahn, 18 April 1726), married on 26 November 1683 to Henry Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz. - Louise Sophie (b. Dessau, 15 September 1667 - d. Dessau, 18 April 1678).
- Marie Eleonore (b. Dessau, 14 March 1671 - d. Dessau, 18 May 1756), married on 3 September 1687 to Prince Jerzy Radziwiłł, Duke of Olyka.
- Henriette Agnes (b. Dessau, 9 September 1674 - d. Dessau, 18 January 1729).
- Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-DessauLeopold I, Prince of Anhalt-DessauLeopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau. He was also a Generalfeldmarschall in the Prussian army...
(b. Dessau, 3 July 1676 - d. Dessau, 9 April 1747). - Johanna CharlottePrincess Johanna Charlotte of Anhalt-DessauJohanna Charlotte of Anhalt-Dessau was a princess of Anhalt-Dessau from the House of Ascania by birth and Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt by marriage...
(Dessau, 6 April 1682 - d. Herford, 31 March 1750), Abbess of HerfordHerford AbbeyHerford Abbey was the oldest women's religious house in the Duchy of Saxony. It was founded as a house of secular canonesses in 789, initially in Müdehorst by a nobleman called Waltger, who moved it in about 800 onto the lands of his estate Herivurth which stood at the crossing of a number of...
(1729–1750); married on 25 January 1699 to Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt.