Anthony Günther, Prince of Anhalt-Mühlingen

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He born in Zerbst, the fourth but second surviving son of John VI, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst by his wife Sophie Auguste, daughter of Frederick III, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp.

Life

After the death of his father in 1667, Anthony Günther received Mühlingen as appanage with the title of Prince. The lands were extracted from Anhalt-Zerbst, which was in consequence severely reduced in its frontiers. During the minority of him and his brothers, his mother the Dowager Princess Sophie Auguste acted as regent.

In 1669 he and his older brother Karl William started their Grand Tour and visited Holland, England, France and Italy; they only returned to Zerbst in 1672. Soon afterwards he began his military career and fought in Italy against France under the orders of Johann Karl, Palatine Count of Birkenfeld, and was present at the sieges of Oudenaarde, Grave (1674) and Philippsburg (1676). After the Treaty of Nijmegen he stayed in Italy until 1681, when he returned to Zerbst. One year later he travelled again, this time to Denmark, Sweden, Courland and Poland. Under the command of the Elector John George III of Saxony, he fought in the Battle of Vienna (1683).

In 1689 the war against the King Louis XIV of France was renewed; then he moved with the Brandenburg troops outside Bonn, where he was distinguished in battle; for this, the Elector Frederick III (later King Frederick I of Prussia) called him "Obersten" ("The Highest"). Anthony Günther marched in 1690 with Brandenburg troops to Brabant and became Commandant of Ath. By 1692 he fought in the Battle of Steenkerken, were he received five shots in his left arm. Hardly recovered from his wounds, in Landau he got another shot, once again in the arm. In charge now of a battalion, the King William III of England appointed him in 1694 to the Commander-in-Chief of a brigade of 9 battalions and handed over him in 1695 the governorship of Ath, which fortress he had surrendered, however, after a brave defense, to Catinat.

In 1698 he was appointed Major-General by the Elector of Brandenburg, and at the same time he received the command of about 5000 men Brandenburg "Hülfstruppen" which had stepped in the service of the Dutch Republic. In this position he was present at the siege of Bonn and was wounded by a mat ball in the chest. After the taking of Bonn he went after Brabant and took Huy. Nevertlss, his health was severely weakened by so many wounds and shortly after he renounced his command.

After a visit to the Aachen Baths, he returned from Berlin to Zerbst. In 1705 King Frederick I appointed him General-Lieutenant.

Marriage and issue

Around 1680, Anthony Günther began an affair with the delicate and beautiful Auguste Antonie Marschall of Bieberstein (b. Zerbst, 3 March 1659 - d. Calbe, 28 December 1736), a lady-in-waiting of his mother. She lived under the name of "Madame Güntherode" in Naumburg, where the Prince regulary visited her in the short intervals of his long trips. The union only produced a daughter:
#Antoinette (b. Naumburg, 27 October 1681 - d. Calbe, 16 November 1754), married firstly to Ernest Sigismund of Mergenthal (d. 1708), secondly on 24 September 1714 to Burchard Vollrath of Erlach (d. 1716), and thirdly on 24 May 1720 to Christian Albrecht of Platen (d. aft. 1754).

After his definite return to home, Anthony Günther formally married with his beloved Auguste in Zerbst on 1 January 1705; shortly after, she was created "Frau von Günthersfeld". Because Auguste was born as a minor-noble lady, the marriage was morganatic and their daughter Antoinette, legitimized by the wedding, could only assume the surname "von Günthersfeld" of her mother's new title.

The couple lived quietly some times in Zerbst and others in the Schloss Mühlingen. Dedicated during his last years to religion, Anthony Günther died in Zerbst without male issue, and his principality was merged again to Anhalt-Zerbst.

References

* [http://de.wikisource.org/wiki/ADB:Anton_G%C3%BCnther_(Prinz_von_Anhalt-Zerbst) German biography in ADB]
* [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/royalty/g_morganat.htm#Anhalt Unequal and Morganatic Marriages in German Law]
* [http://genealogy.euweb.cz/ascania/ascan11.html Complete Genealogy of the House of Ascania]