Prince George Bernhard of Anhalt-Dessau

George Bernhard of Anhalt-Dessau (Dessau, 21 February 1796 – Dresden, 16 October 1865), was a German prince of the House of Ascania from the Anhalt-Dessau branch.

He was the second son of Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, by his wife Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, daughter of Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg.

Marriages and Issue

In Rudolstadt on 6 August 1825 George Bernhard married Karoline Auguste Louise Amalie (b. Rudolstadt, 4 April 1804 - d. Rudolstadt, 14 January 1829), daughter of Prince Karl Günther of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, himself a son of Frederick Charles, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. They had two children:^[1]

1. Louise (b. Dessau, 22 June 1826 - d. Dessau, 18 February 1900)
2. Frederick (b. Dessau, 10 June 1828 - d. Dessau, 22 June 1828).

In Dresden on 4 October 1831 George Bernhard married morganatically for a second time to Therese Emma von Erdmannsdorf (b. Dresden, 12 September 1807 - d. Mannheim, 28 February 1848), of lesser nobility. She was created Countess of Raina (incorrectly spelled Reina by the Almanach of Gotha) shortly after their marriage. They had seven children:^[2]

1. Count Franz of Raina (b. Dessau, 2 September 1832 - d. Schloss Gross-Kühnau, 17 September 1879).
2. Countess Mathilde of Raina (b. Dessau, 7 October 1833 - d. Dresden, 8 February 1917), married on 19 May 1859 to Otto von Könneritz (b. 24 October 1835 - d. Dresden, 27 November 1866).
3. Countess Helene of Raina (b. Dessau, 1 March 1835 - d. Rudolstadt, 6 June 1860), adopted by her uncle William on 1 April 1855 and given the title of "princess of Anhalt" by the reigning duke Leopold IV of Anhalt-Dessau; married on 7 August 1855 to Frederick Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, her uncle (widow of her paternal aunt Amalie Auguste). The union was considered morganatic according to the family law of the House of Schwarzburg.^[3]
4. Countess Emma of Raina (b. Dessau, 5 April 1837 - d. Dresden, 29 November 1909).
5. Countess Maria of Raina (b. Dessau, 8 May 1839 - d. Dessau, 22 March 1931).
6. Count Rudolph of Raina (b. Florence, 23 October 1842 - d. Dessau, 16 February 1921), married on 30 September 1882 to Emma Elisabeth Klara Marie Paris (b. Mainz, 27 February 1857 - d. Grosspaschleben, 22 February 1932).
7. Count Karl of Raina (b. Florence, 15 May 1844 - d. Dresden, 27 February 1900), married in Berlin on 28 May 1887 to Cosima von Mörner (b. Koszalin (Köslin), 20 July 1865 - d. Zakrzow (Sakrau), 25 August 1936); the marriage was childless and the couple divorced in 1893. On 17 August 1894 he married for a second time to Countess Marie von der Groeben (b. Berlin, 23 July 1841 - d. Dresden, 29 December 1894); this marriage lasted only four months until Marie's death.

References