George III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
George III. of Anhalt- Plötzkau called, " God Blessed ", ( born August 15, 1507 Dessau, † October 17, 1553 in Dessau ) was initially co-regent in the Principality of Anhalt and after the division of lands, Prince of Anhalt - Plötzkau as well as priests and later the driving force of the Protestant Reformation.
Life
George comes from the family of the Ascanians. He was a son of Prince Ernst of Anhalt (1474-1516) and his wife Margarethe von Münsterberg ( 1473-1530 ). After the loss of his father in 1516, he was brought up by his pious mother in the Catholic faith. Age of 11 ( 1518), he was canon and canon at Merseburg and went to study canon law at the University of Leipzig Georg Helt.
Through the mediation of the distantly related Bishop Adolf von Merseburg, 17 year old George in 1524 was ordained a priest and appointed shortly thereafter became provost in Magdeburg. Here he fought the first beginnings of the Reformation as a close adviser to the archbishop Albrecht of Magdeburg. Due to the complicated Anhalt succession he was from 1530, together with his two brothers Joachim and John IV reigning prince of Anhalt- Dessau.
While Anhalt- Köthen had already in 1525 and Anhalt- Bernburg 1526 introduced the Reformation, Dessau remained under the reign of George's mother, the Duchess widow Margaret, still strongly Catholic. Even in 1525 was followed by the fiercest opponents of the Reformation their invitation and gathered in her castle for Dessauer covenant. Only after the death of his mother in 1530 to George III could. openly profess the Lutheran faith. With Luther and Melanchthon in neighboring Wittenberg, he was for some time connected in a personal friendship. Luther appreciated his straightforward manner and particularly expressed the desire " as pious and innocent as Georg to be. " Even George's former teacher George Helt remained his lifelong friend and adviser. 1534 led George III. as the last of Anhalt principalities the Reformation in Anhalt -Dessau. Also at the introduction of the Reformation in Brandenburg 1539, he was actively involved.
1541 Georg represented his country at the Regensburg Colloquy. When Elector Augustus of Saxony in 1544 by then Catholic diocese of Merseburg introduced the Reformation, he assumed the offices of the former bishop and was ordained in 1545 or in person at Merseburg Cathedral of Martin Luther shortly before his death. George was it the only German prince who officially held the office of Lutheran clergy after the Reformation. Due to the loss of the Smalcald War Merseburg was for a short time again Catholic, and George lost this way in 1549 his ministry to spend the rest of his life at his castle Warmsdorf. He died unmarried on 17 October 1553 the Dessau Castle and was buried two days out in the presence of Melanchthon in St. Mary's Church.
His valuable collection of books has been preserved and is now known as " Georg library " part of the Dessau Anhalt Regional Library.
The Evangelical Church of Anhalt celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Dessau reformer George III. 15 August 2007 with an exhibition and conference.
Works (selection)
- Interpretation of the 16th Psalm. Leipzig 1553
- Sermons and other writings. Zerbst 1555 passim
- By the Rev. H. Supper. Zerbst 1650
- Harmonia Publications Doctrinae Christianae, that is: Together mood of Christian Doctrine. Wittenberg 1677