Leopold IV Frederick, Duke of Anhalt (1 October 1794 – 22 May 1871) was a German prince of the House of Ascania.
| Leopold IV | |||||
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 Leopold IV in the 19th century | |||||
| Duke of Anhalt | |||||
| Reign | 9 August 1817 – 22 May 1871 | ||||
| Predecessor | Anhalt unified | ||||
| Successor | Frederick I | ||||
| Born | 1 October 1794 Dessau, Anhalt | ||||
| Died | 22 May 1871 (aged 76) Dessau, Anhalt | ||||
| Spouse | Princess Frederica of Prussia | ||||
| Issue among others... |
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| House | Ascania | ||||
| Father | Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau | ||||
| Mother | Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg | ||||
From 1817 until 1853 he was ruler of the duchy of Anhalt-Dessau and from 1847 until 1853 also ruler of the duchy of Anhalt-Köthen. From 1853 until 1863 he was the ruler of the joined duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen and from 1863 the first ruler of the united duchy of Anhalt.
Early life
Leopold was born in Dessau on 1 October 1794 as the eldest son of Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, by his wife Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, daughter of Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg.
Following the premature death of his father in 1814, he became heir to the duchy of Anhalt-Dessau.[1]
Reign
Following the death of his grandfather Leopold III he succeeded as duke on 9 August 1817.[1]
During the Revolutions of 1848 he was forced to grant a constitution to Dessau on 29 October 1848. It was revoked, however, on 4 November 1849, then replaced with a new version in October 1859.[citation needed] Leopold maintained a friendship with his administrative officer Wilhelm Christian Raster, though Raster's politically active son, Hermann participated in the revolutions.[2] The younger Raster was given the unusual choice to either stay in Anhalt-Dessau and face criminal prosecution for his role in the Revolution or to emigrate from the country freely like other Forty-Eighters. Raster made the second choice and eventually became a powerful Republican Party political boss in the United States.[3]
On 27 November 1847 he inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen from his distant cousin Duke Henry. As a result of a treaty concluded with Anhalt-Bernburg in May 1853 his duchies were joined together and named Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen, because the eventual inheritance of Leopold over all the Anhalt duchies seemed inevitable.[1] The death of another distant cousin, Duke Alexander Karl, on 19 August 1863 resulted in the ruling line of the duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg becoming extinct, thus Leopold inherited that duchy as well.[1] On 30 August he assumed the title "duke of Anhalt."[1]
Leopold died in Dessau on 22 May 1871. He was succeeded by his son Frederick.[4]
Marriage and issue
In Berlin on 18 April 1818 Leopold married Princess Frederica of Prussia (b. Berlin, 30 September 1796 - d. Dessau, 1 January 1850), daughter of Prince Frederick Louis Charles of Prussia (brother of King Frederick William III of Prussia) by his wife Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; through her mother's last marriage, she was a half-sister of King George V of Hanover.[1] They had been engaged since 17 May 1816, as the connection had already been arranged by the Prussian court. This dynastic connection was an expression of Leopold's pro-Prussian policies.
They had six children:[5][6][better source needed]
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Fredericka Amalie Auguste | 28 November 1819 | 11 December 1822 | |
| Princess Fredericka Amalie Agnes | 24 June 1824 | 23 October 1897 | married on 28 April 1853 to Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. |
| A son | 3 August 1825 | 3 August 1825 | he was either stillborn or died shortly after the birth. |
| A son | 3 November 1827 | 3 November 1827 | he was either stillborn or died shortly after the birth. |
| Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt | 29 April 1831 | 24 January 1904 | married on 22 April 1854 to Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg. |
| Princess Maria Anna | 14 September 1837 | 12 May 1906 | married on 29 November 1854 to Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia. |
Honours
He received the following orders and decorations:[7]
Austrian Empire:- Army Cross (1813/14)
- Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1832[8]
Baden: Grand Cross of the House Order of Fidelity, 1814[9]
Kingdom of Prussia:- Knight of the Black Eagle, 30 March 1817[10]
- Knight of the Red Eagle, 1st Class
Russian Empire:- Knight of St. Andrew, 17 November 1834[11]
- Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky
- Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class
Kingdom of Poland: Knight of the White Eagle
Ascanian duchies: Joint Founder and Grand Master of the Order of Albert the Bear, 18 November 1836[12]
Kingdom of Hanover:- Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order, 1839[13]
- Knight of St. George, 1840[13]
- Grand Cross of the Order of Ernst August
Denmark: Knight of the Elephant, 25 December 1840[14]
Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, March 1843[15]
Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown, 18 April 1854[16]
Kingdom of Bavaria: Knight of St. Hubert, 1854[17]
Nassau: Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau, May 1862[18]
Sweden-Norway: Knight of the Seraphim, 14 May 1864[19]
Kingdom of Saxony: Knight of the Rue Crown, 1867[20]
