Anna Eleonore of Stolberg-Wernigerode (26 March 1651 - 27 January 1690), was a German regent; Princess of Anhalt-Köthen by marriage to Emmanuel, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, and regent of Anhalt-Köthen during the minority of her son from 1671 until 1690.
Anna Eleonore of Stolberg-Wernigerode | |
|---|---|
| Princess of Anhalt-Köthen | |
 | |
| Born | 26 March 1651 Ilsenburg |
| Died | 27 January 1690 (aged 38) Köthen |
| Buried | St. Jacob church in Köthen |
| Noble family | Stolberg |
| Spouse(s) | Emmanuel, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen |
| Father | Henry Ernest, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode |
| Mother | Anna Elisabeth of Stolberg |
Life edit
Born in Ilsenburg, she was the second child of Henry Ernest, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode and Anna Elisabeth of Stolberg.[1][better source needed]
In Ilsenburg on 23 March 1670, Anna Eleonore married Emmanuel, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen. The marriage lasted only eight months, until Emmanuel's death on 8 November.
Regency edit
Three months pregnant at the time of her husband's death, Anna Eleonore was named regent of the Principality of Anhalt-Köthen until the birth of her child: if it was a boy, he immediately became the new Prince and she kept the regency, but if she gave birth to a girl, the other Anhalt principalities would divided Köthen between them.
On 20 May 1671, Anna Eleonore gave birth a son, Emmanuel Lebrecht who became in the new Prince. Anna Eleonore remained a regent until her death.
Anna Eleonore died in Köthen aged 38. She was buried next to her husband at St. Jakob, Köthen.[2] Because her son was still underage, John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau succeeded her in the regency until 1692, when Emmanuel Lebrecht finally attained his majority and began his independent government.
References edit
- ^ Marek, Miroslav. "Genealogy of the House of Stolberg". genealogy.euweb.cz. Retrieved 19 March 2015.[self-published source]
- ^ STOLBERG-WERNIGERODE in: royaltyguide.nl Archived 2014-10-07 at the Wayback Machine [retrieved 19 March 2015].