Albert VI, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen

Albert VI, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen (died 9 January 1475), was a German prince member of the House of Ascania and ruler of the Principality of Anhalt-Köthen.

He was the youngest son of Albert IV, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen but the first by his second wife Elisabeth, daughter of Gebhard XI, Count of Querfurt.

Life

Still a minor when his father died (1423), Albert was bypassed in his rights over Anhalt-Köthen by his older half-brothers, Adolph I and Waldemar V; after Waldemar's death in 1436, Adolph became in the sole ruler of Köthen. Albert, still relegated in his rights, had to wait almost thirty-seven years, until the succession of the Köthen line was in jeopardy.

By 1471, Adolph's three sons showed their intentions to became priests and, in consequence, they couldn't produce further heirs. The only two other living agnates of the family were Albert and his infant son. Adolph made a contract with his cousin George I of Anhalt-Dessau, by which his oldest son Waldemar VI was made Adolph's co-ruler ("Mitherr") in the half of the principality; but under the terms of the contract, on Adolph's death his half-brother Albert inherited his part of Köthen and became in the new co-ruler with Waldemar.

Adolph died in 1473 and Albert finally became one of the rulers of the principality with the title of "Lord of Köthen", but his reign only lasted fifteen months. On his death, he was succeeded by his only son Philip, who co-ruled with his cousins, the sons of Adolph.

Marriage and issue

In Alsleben on 27 March 1454 Albert married with Elisabeth (d. Querfurt, 18 September 1482), daughter of Günther II, Count of Mansfeld. They had seven children:
#Anna (d. young).
#Marie (d. aft. 1495), a nun at Gernrode, later Canoness.
#Magdalena (d. Gandersheim, 2 October 1515), Abbess of Gandersheim (1511).
#Margarete (d. young).
#Philip, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen (b. 31 May 1468 - d. 13 November 1500).
#Dorothea (d. 3 August 1505), married on 28 May 1496 to Joachim, Count of Oettingen-Oettingen-Spielberg-Wallerstein.
#Scholastica (d. 1504), Abbess of Gernrode.