Princess Christine of Anhalt-Bernburg (; 14 November 1746 – 18 May 1823) was a Princess of Anhalt-Bernburg and was Princess of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen through her marriage to August II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

Biography

Early life

Christine was born in

Bernburg Bernburg (Saale) () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the Salzlandkreis district. The former residence of the Anhalt-Bernburg princes is known for its Renaissance castle. Geography The town centre is situated in the fertile Magdeb ...

Victor Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg Victor Frederick of Anhalt-Bernburg (20 September 1700–18 May 1765), was a German prince of the House of Ascania. He was Reigning prince of the principality of Anhalt-Bernburg from 1721 to 1765. Life Victor Frederick was born on 20 Septe ...

(son of

Karl Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg Karl Frederick of Anhalt-Bernburg (13 July 1668 – 22 April 1721) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Bernburg. He was born in Bernburg, the eldest son of Victor Amadeus, Prince of Anhalt-Ber ...

and Sophie Albertine of Solms-Sonnenwalde) and

Albertine of Brandenburg-Schwedt Albertine, Princess of Anhalt-Bernburg (née Princess Albertine of Brandenburg-Schwedt; 21 April 1712 – 7 September 1750) was the second wife of Victor Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg. Biography Sophie Friederike Albertine of Bradenbur ...

(daughter of

Margrave Albert Frederick of Brandenburg-Schwedt Albert Frederick, Prince of Prussia, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (24 January 1672 – 21 June 1731), was a Lieutenant General in the army of the Electorate of Brandenburg-Prussia (later Kingdom of Prussia) and Grand Master of the Order of ...

and Princess Maria Dorothea Kettler of Courland). She was described as a gentle and loving character and was raised by tender parents.

Marriage and issue

On 27 April 1762 a ceremonial wedding took place between her and her first cousin Prince August of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, the brother of the then reigning

Christian Günther III, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Christian Günther III of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (24 June 1736 – 14 October 1794) was the ruling Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen from 1758 until his death. Some authors call him Prince Christian Günther I, because he was the first ruler ...

, after rejecting many sons from noble families. From then on she left

and the newly wedded couple resided in Sondershausen Palace. It was said that she soon won the hearts of all residents through her exceptional affability and friendly condescension. Their marriage resulted in 6 children, most dying in their youth. Christine survived 5 of her 6 children. She is also a direct ancestor of Queen Emma,

Queen Wilhelmina Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch in Dutch history, as ...

, Princess Helen, Duchess of Albany and Princess Alice of Albany through her daughter Princess Augusta. *Prince Friedrich of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1763–1791) *Princess Katharina of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1764–1775) *

Princess Augusta of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...

(1768–1849), who married

George I, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

and had issue. *Prince Wilhelm of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1770–1807) *Prince Alexius of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1773–1777) *Princess Friederike of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1774–1806), who married Friedrich Karl of Sayn-Wittgenstein and had issue.

Later life

In the later years of her life, there was unhappiness within her marriage, things gradually arose in the marriage, the two would’ve rather been separated away. Christine decided that it would be better if she left

Sondershausen Sondershausen () is a town in Thuringia, central Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km (30 mi) north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was merged with Sondershausen. Until 1918 i ...

, where she was universally loved, she still considered it beneficial for her peace of mind. Therefore, without formally divorcing her husband she left. She spent the remaining years of her life residing in Coswig Castle with her widowed sister Friederike Auguste Sophie of Anhalt-Bernburg. She died in Coswig aged 76.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christine of Anhalt Bernburg, Princess 1746 births 1823 deaths House of Ascania People from Bernburg People from Anhalt-Bernburg Princesses in the Holy Roman Empire Princesses of Anhalt-Bernburg Daughters of princes regnant House of Schwarzburg