Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt
Encyclopedia
Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt (11 January 1901 – 18 February 1947) was the last ruler of the Duchy of Anhalt.
the son of Duke Eduard of Anhalt
(1861–1918) and Princess Luise of Saxe-Altenburg
(1873–1953), the daughter of Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg.
He succeeded his father as Duke of Anhalt on September 13, 1918, however due to his age his uncle Prince Aribert of Anhalt
was appointed regent. His brief reign came to an end on November 12, 1918 with his uncle abdicating in his name following the German revolution
. The duchy became the Free State of Anhalt
.
Duke Joachim Ernst died at Buchenwald concentration camp
as a prisoner of the Soviet Union
. Following his death he was succeeded as the head of the Ducal House of Anhalt
by his elder son Prince Friedrich.
in 1929. He had issue with his second wife.
Biography
He was born in 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:...
the son of Duke Eduard of Anhalt
Eduard, Duke of Anhalt
Eduard Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Anhalt was a German prince of the House of Ascania and the penultimate ruler of the Duchy of Anhalt from April to September 1918.-Early life:...
(1861–1918) and Princess Luise of Saxe-Altenburg
Saxe-Altenburg
Saxe-Altenburg was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia.-History:The duchy originated from the medieval Burgraviate of Altenburg in the Imperial Pleissnerland , a possession of the Wettin Margraves of Meissen since 1243...
(1873–1953), the daughter of Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg.
He succeeded his father as Duke of Anhalt on September 13, 1918, however due to his age his uncle Prince Aribert of Anhalt
Prince Aribert of Anhalt
Prince Aribert of Anhalt , was a Prince of the German Duchy of Anhalt.He was regent of Anhalt from September to November 1918 on behalf of his underage nephew Duke Joachim Ernst...
was appointed regent. His brief reign came to an end on November 12, 1918 with his uncle abdicating in his name following the German revolution
German Revolution
The German Revolution was the politically-driven civil conflict in Germany at the end of World War I, which resulted in the replacement of Germany's imperial government with a republic...
. The duchy became the Free State of Anhalt
Free State of Anhalt
The Free State of Anhalt was formed after Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt abdicated on 12 November 1918, ending the Duchy of Anhalt. It was a state of Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic...
.
Duke Joachim Ernst died at Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
as a prisoner of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Following his death he was succeeded as the head of the Ducal House of Anhalt
Anhalt
Anhalt was a sovereign county in Germany, located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe in Middle Germany. It now forms part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.- Dukes of Anhalt :...
by his elder son Prince Friedrich.
Marriages and children
Duke Joachim Ernst was married twice, firstly to Elisabeth Strickrodt (1903–1971) in 1927, but they were divorced in 1929. He married secondly Editha Marwitz von Stephani (1905–1986) at Schloß BallenstedtBallenstedt
Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipality includes the villages of Badeborn and Oppenrode...
in 1929. He had issue with his second wife.
- Princess Marie Antoinette of Anhalt (1930–1993)
- Princess Anna-Luise of Anhalt (1933–2003)
- Prince Friedrich of Anhalt (1938–1963)
- Princess Edda of Anhalt (born 1940)
- Prince Eduard of AnhaltEduard, Prince of AnhaltPrince Julius Eduard of Anhalt is the head of the House of Ascania, the family which ruled the Duchy of Anhalt until 1918. He uses the style His Highness.-Early life and family:...
(born 1941)