Christian I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg

Christian I (May 11, 1568 Bernburg, † April 17, 1630 in Bernburg ) was until his death the reigning Prince of Anhalt -Bernburg, to 1595 governor of Upper Palatinate.

Life

He was the second son of Prince Joachim Ernst von Anhalt († 1586) and his first wife Countess Agnes von Barby († 1569 ). From 1570 he was trained in Dessau by Caspar Gottschalk, especially in Latin, Italian and French. Even as a child he was allowed to take part in diplomatic missions ( inter alia by Konstantin Opel ). Highly talented and well traveled, he developed into an ambitious, worldly diplomats.

Beginning of 1586 he went to Dresden, and remained there for several years as the closest friend of his namesake, the Saxon Elector Christian I, whose Calvinist sympathies he shared, though he suffered from the binge-drinking at the Dresden court.

As in 1592, the Strasbourg diocese dispute broke out, he supported Brandenburg against Lorraine. In 1595 he stepped down as governor of the Upper Palatinate in the service of the Elector Frederick IV of the Palatinate and resided in Amberg. In the year of his appointment he married on July 2, eleven years younger Countess Anna of Bentheim -Tecklenburg († 1624).

At the age of 37, he publicly came to Calvinism and the Protestant Union founded in 1608 under the leadership of Frederick V of the Palatinate, an anti-Catholic, anti-imperial union, which should serve to stabilize the Reformation.

With the throne in 1610 made ​​the 18 -year-old Frederick V of the Palatinate Christian influence grew at the Heidelberg court. As a fatherly advisor of the young and inexperienced electors, he was on his elevation to the King of Bohemia ( " Winter King " ) significantly involved. Besides the possibility to create a new central European power, there were also economic considerations, which is why he wanted to help the crown to his masters. The Upper Palatinate was at that time the European iron center; Bohemia was a focal point for tin and glass trade. A folding could have meant a new export power in a central location. ( For Christians Palatine activity see in detail in the article Friedrich V. (Pfalz ). )

From his half-brother Prince Ludwig I of Anhalt- Köthen Prince Christian I was admitted to the Fruitful Society in 1619. This gave him the company name of the ardent and the motto by Gov. emblem as a long stalk full of sunflowers was to him ( Helianthus annuus L. ) to the sun -turning is intended. In Köthener society book the entry Prince Christian's place under the number 26, where also the rhyme Act is recorded, with whom he thanked for recording:

In the Battle of White Mountain (8 November 1620) of the Christian I. guided Bohemian army defeated the army of the Catholic League. Christian was outlawed and fled into exile in Sweden and from there to the Danish Flensburg. The Union broke up already to 1621. Prince Ludwig sent Diederich of the Werder emperor to Vienna in order to obtain the revocation of the imperial ban, which took place on 19 July 1624 Christian I allowed to return to Schloss Bernburg.

Prince Christian I. died on April 17, 1630 at the age of 62 years in Bernburg. He was still alive a family vault in the Bernburg Castle Church St. Aegidien install and was the first Prince of Anhalt -Bernburg, who was buried in it. Being born in 1599 in Amberg son Prince Christian II of Anhalt- Bernburg followed him in the government.

His " diary " or journal that Johann Christoph Beckmann was present even in the original is no longer maintained.

Progeny

Christian I. married in 1595 Anna ( 1579-1624 ), daughter of Count Arnold III. of Bentheim -Tecklenburg. Of five sons and eleven daughters survived him only three sons and six daughters:

• Friedrich Christian (* / † 1596)
• Amalie Juliane (1597-1605)
• Christian II (1599-1656), Prince of Anhalt -Bernburg

• Eleanor Marie (1600-1657)

• Daughter ( * / † 1601)
• Sibylle Elisabeth (1602-1648)
• Anna Magdalene (1603-1611)
• Anna Sophie (1604-1640)
• Luise Amalie (1606-1635)
• Ernst (1608-1632)
• Amoena Juliane (1609-1628)
• Agnes Magdalene (1612-1629)
• Friedrich (1613-1670), Prince of Anhalt- Harzgerode

• Sophie Margarete (1615-1673)

• Dorothea Mathilde (1617-1656)
• Friedrich Ludwig (1619-1621)