Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt

Frederick II
Duke of Anhalt

Frederick II, Duke of Anhalt
Duke of Anhalt
Reign	24 January 1904 – 21 April 1918
Predecessor	Frederick I
Successor	Eduard

Spouse	Princess Marie of Baden
Full name
Leopold Friedrich Eduard Karl Alexander
House	House of Ascania
Father	Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt
Mother	Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg
Born	August 19, 1856(1856-08-19) Dessau, Anhalt
Died	April 21, 1918(1918-04-21) (aged 61) Ballenstedt, Anhalt

Frederick II (German: Herzog Friedrich II von Anhalt) (19 August 1856 - 22 April 1918) was the Duke of Anhalt from 1904 until 1918.

1 Early life
2 Marriage
3 Reign
4 Ancestry
5 References

Early life

He was born in Dessau in 1856 as the second son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Anhalt-Dessau and his wife Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg.^[1] In 1863 his grandfather Leopold IV became Duke of the united Duchy of Anhalt following the death of the last Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg. His father succeeded as Duke of Anhalt on 22 May 1871.

Frederick became heir apparent and Hereditary Prince following the death of his elder brother Leopold on 2 February 1886.

Marriage

Frederick was married on 2 July 1889 at Karlsruhe to Princess Marie of Baden. She was a daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Baden and his wife Princess Maria of Leuchtenberg, as well as an elder sister of Prince Maximilian of Baden, 8th Chancellor of Germany.^[2]

Reign

Coin of Frederick II of Anhalt, Struck 1914

Obverse: (German) FRIEDRICH II MARIE HERZOG UND HERZOGIN VON ANHALT, 1889-1914, in English: "Frederick II, Marie, Duke and Duchess of Anhalt, 1889-1914"	Reverse: (German) DEUTSCHES REICH, 1914, DREI MARK, in English: "The German Reich, 1914, Three Marks."

On 24 January 1904 he succeeded his father as Duke of Anhalt.^[3]

During his reign he was known for his love of music and maintained a Court Theatre which became celebrated throughout Europe.^[4]

In 1914, during World War I, he instituted the Frederickscross as a decoration for merit in time of war.

He died at Ballenstedt Castle on 22 April 1918. As his marriage to Marie of Baden was without issue, he was succeeded as Duke by his younger brother Eduard.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt

16. Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau

8. Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau

17. Louise Henriette of Brandenburg-Schwedt

4. Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt

18. Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg

9. Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg

19. Landgravine Karoline of Hesse-Darmstadt

2. Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt

20. Frederick William II of Prussia

10. Prince Louis Charles of Prussia

21. Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt

5. Frederica Wilhelmina of Prussia

22. Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg

11. Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

23. Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt

1. Frederick II, Duke of Anhalt

24. Ernest Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen

12. Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

25. Princess Ernestine of Saxe-Weimar

6. Prince Eduard of Saxe-Altenburg

26. Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg

13. Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

27. Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt

3. Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg

28. Anton Aloys, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

14. Charles, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

29. Princess Amalie Zephyrine of Salm-Kyrburg

7. Princess Amalie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

30. Pierre Murat

15. Marie Antoinette Murat

31. Louise d'Astorg

References

^ Almanach de Gotha. 1858. pp. 3.
^ Almanach de Gotha. 1910. pp. 2.
^ "Duke of Anhalt is dead". New York Times. 1904-01-25. pp. 7.
^ "Music-Loving Duke dead". New York Times. 1918-04-23. pp. 13.

Regnal titles
Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt House of Ascania Born: 18 August 1856 Died: 22 April 1918
Preceded by Frederick I	Duke of Anhalt 1904-1918	Succeeded by Eduard

Persondata
Name	Friedrich Ii, Duke Of Anhalt
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	19 August 1856
Place of birth	Dessau, Anhalt
Date of death	21 April 1918
Place of death	Ballenstedt, Anhalt