principality · Germany and Central Europe

Principality of Anhalt

1212 CE – 1603 CE · capital Dessau

Ascanian principality between the Harz and the Elbe that adopted the Reformation early and was repeatedly divided among branches of its ruling house.

Origins

Henry I, son of Duke Bernhard of Saxony of the Ascanian house, received the family's ancestral lands around the Harz and middle Elbe when his father's possessions were divided in 1212. He took the title Count, then Prince, of Anhalt, after the castle of that name near Harzgerode, founding a principality separate from Saxony.

Rule and society

Anhalt was repeatedly split among branches, such as Aschersleben, Bernburg, Köthen and Zerbst, each ruling small towns and farmland along the Elbe and Saale. Prince Wolfgang of Anhalt-Köthen signed the Augsburg Confession in 1530, making Anhalt an early Lutheran land, and it later turned Reformed. Joachim Ernst reunited the territories in 1570 and issued a common law code.

Decline and legacy

After Joachim Ernst's death, his sons divided Anhalt in 1603 into Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Köthen, Anhalt-Zerbst and Anhalt-Plötzkau. These lines were reunited as the Duchy of Anhalt in 1863, which became a free state in 1918 and is now part of Saxony-Anhalt.

Lineage

Principality of AnhaltPrincipality of Anhalt-Bernburg 1603 CE – 1863 CE Principality of Anhalt-Dessau 1603 CE – 1863 CE

Connections (4)

Principality of Anhalt was part of Holy Roman Empire1212 CE – 1603 CE
Principality of Anhalt-Köthen split from Principality of Anhalt1603 CE
Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst split from Principality of Anhalt1603 CE
Principality of Anhalt-Plötzkau split from Principality of Anhalt1603 CE

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Anhalt. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-anhalt
MLA: “Principality of Anhalt.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-anhalt. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Anhalt.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-anhalt.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Anhalt’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-anhalt (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻