Leopold II of Anhalt-Dessau
Encyclopedia
Leopold II Maximilian, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (25 December 1700 – 16 December 1751), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau
; he also was a Prussian
general.
Leopold was the second son of Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
, by his morganatic wife Anna Louise Föse.
.
At only nine years of age, he accompanied his father on his military duties for the Prussian army. In 1715 he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel
-in-Chief of the Infantry Regiment No. 27 of Stendal
. In 1733 he led the Prussian forces stationed in the city of Mühlhausen
in Thuringia
during the First Silesian War.
The death in 1737 of his elder brother, the Hereditary Prince William Gustav
, made Leopold the new heir of Dessau. The late prince was already married and had nine children, but his wife was of non-noble birth; for this reason, the issue of the marriage was barred from succession. After the death of his father in 1747, Leopold inherited Anhalt-Dessau.
Leopold was one of the best subordinate generals who served under Frederick the Great of Prussa
. He distinguished himself in the capture of Glogau in 1741 and at the battles of Mollwitz
, Chotusitz
(where he was made Generalfeldmarschall
on the field of battle), Hohenfriedberg
, and Soor
.
He died at Dessau in 1751. In 1752 Frederick the Great named the newly founded village Leopoldshagen
(est. 1748) in his honour.
on 25 May 1737 Leopold married Gisela Agnes
(b. Köthen, 21 September 1722 - d. Dessau, 20 April 1751), daughter of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen. They had seven children:
Leopold also sired an illegitimate son by one Anna Luise Franke: Gustav Adolf von Heideck.
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...
; he also was a Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
general.
Leopold was the second son of Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Leopold 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...
, by his morganatic wife Anna Louise Föse.
Life
Leopold was born at DessauDessau
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:...
.
At only nine years of age, he accompanied his father on his military duties for the Prussian army. In 1715 he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
-in-Chief of the Infantry Regiment No. 27 of Stendal
Stendal
Stendal is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of Stendal District and unofficial capital of the Altmark. Its population in 2001 was 38,900. It is located some west of Berlin and around east of Hanover...
. In 1733 he led the Prussian forces stationed in the city of Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen is a city in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Unstrut-Hainich district, and lies along the river Unstrut. Mühlhausen had c. 37,000 inhabitants in 2006.-History:...
in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
during the First Silesian War.
The death in 1737 of his elder brother, the Hereditary Prince William Gustav
William Gustav of Anhalt-Dessau
William Gustav of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and heir to the principality of Anhalt-Dessau....
, made Leopold the new heir of Dessau. The late prince was already married and had nine children, but his wife was of non-noble birth; for this reason, the issue of the marriage was barred from succession. After the death of his father in 1747, Leopold inherited Anhalt-Dessau.
Leopold was one of the best subordinate generals who served under Frederick the Great of Prussa
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
. He distinguished himself in the capture of Glogau in 1741 and at the battles of Mollwitz
Battle of Mollwitz
The Battle of Mollwitz was fought by Prussia and Austria on April 10, 1741, during the early stages of the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the first battle of the new Prussian King Frederick II, in which both sides made numerous military blunders but Frederick the Great still managed to...
, Chotusitz
Battle of Chotusitz
The Battle of Chotusitz, or Chotusice, sometimes called the Battle of Czaslau, was fought on May 17, 1742 in Bohemia between the Austrians under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine and the Prussians under Frederick the Great. The battle was a part of the War of the Austrian Succession sometimes...
(where he was made 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...
on the field of battle), Hohenfriedberg
Battle of Hohenfriedberg
The Battle of Hohenfriedberg or Hohenfriedeberg, also known as the battle of Striegau, now Dobromierz, was one of the crowning achievements of Frederick the Great...
, and Soor
Battle of Soor
The Battle of Soor saw Frederick the Great's Prussian army defeat an Austro-Saxon army led by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine during the War of the Austrian Succession...
.
He died at Dessau in 1751. In 1752 Frederick the Great named the newly founded village Leopoldshagen
Leopoldshagen
Leopoldshagen is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.-History:The place was founded in 1748. In 1752 King Frederick II of Prussia named the village in honour of his late general Leopold II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau ....
(est. 1748) in his honour.
Marriage and issue
In BernburgBernburg
Bernburg is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the district of Salzlandkreis. It is situated on the river Saale, approx. 30 km downstream from Halle. The town is dominated by its huge Renaissance castle featuring a museum as well as a popular, recently updated bear pit in its...
on 25 May 1737 Leopold married Gisela Agnes
Gisela Agnes of Anhalt-Köthen
Gisela Agnes of Anhalt-Köthen was a princess of Anhalt-Köthen by birth and by marriage Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau.- Life :...
(b. Köthen, 21 September 1722 - d. Dessau, 20 April 1751), daughter of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen. They had seven children:
- Leopold III Frederick Franz, Prince and (from 1807) Duke of Anhalt-DessauLeopold III, Duke of Anhalt-DessauLeopold III Frederick Franz, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau , known as "Prince Franz" or "Father Franz", was a German prince of the House of Ascania...
(b. Dessau, 10 August 1740 - d. Luisium bei Dessau, 9 August 1817). - Louise Agnes Margarete (b. Dessau, 15 August 1742 - d. Dessau, 11 July 1743).
- Henrietta Katharina Agnes (b. Dessau, 5 June 1744 - d. Dessau, 15 December 1799), married on 26 October 1779 to John Justus, Freiherr von Loën.
- Marie Leopoldine (b. Dessau, 18 November 1746 - d. DetmoldDetmoldDetmold is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of about 74,000. It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947...
, 15 April 1769), married on 4 August 1765 to Simon August, Count of Lippe-DetmoldSimon August, Count of Lippe-DetmoldSimon August, Count of Lippe , ruled the County of Lippe-Detmold from 1734 until 1782.He was the son of Simon Henry Adolph and Johanna Wilhelmine of Nassau-Idstein. Simon August ruled until 1747 under the guardianship of his mother...
. - John George (b. Dessau, 28 January 1748 - d. ViennaViennaVienna 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...
, 1 April 1811). - CasimireCasimire of Anhalt-DessauCasimire of Anhalt-Dessau was a princess of Anhalt-Dessau by birth and Countess of Lippe-Detmold by marriage.- Life :...
(b. Dessau, 19 January 1749 - d. Detmold, 8 November 1778), married on 9 November 1769 to Simon August, Count of Lippe-DetmoldSimon August, Count of Lippe-DetmoldSimon August, Count of Lippe , ruled the County of Lippe-Detmold from 1734 until 1782.He was the son of Simon Henry Adolph and Johanna Wilhelmine of Nassau-Idstein. Simon August ruled until 1747 under the guardianship of his mother...
, widow of her sister. - Albert Frederick (b. Dessau, 22 April 1750 - d. Dessau, 31 October 1811), married on 25 October 1774 to Henriette of Lippe-Weissenfeld; the union was childless.
Leopold also sired an illegitimate son by one Anna Luise Franke: Gustav Adolf von Heideck.