John Louis I, Prince of Anhalt-Dornburg

John Louis I, Prince of Anhalt-Dornburg (b. Zerbst, 4 May 1656 - d. Dornburg, 1 November 1704), was a German prince member of the House of Ascania and ruler of the Principality of Anhalt-Dornburg.

He was the sixth but fourth 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, John Louis inherited the town of Dornburg with the title of Prince. Because he was still a minor, his mother, the Dowager Princess Sophie Auguste, acted as regent oh the behalf of him and his brothers.

In 1672, the sixteen-years-old John Louis began his Grand Tour with his older brother, the Duke Karl William in Regensburg. There they reunited with their middle brothers Anthony Günther and John Adolph, which just returned from a journey to Italy. The four princes became honour guest of the Emperor Leopold I in Vienna, and were allowed to kiss his hand. During his stay in the Imperial court, John Louis and his brothers made the opportunity to attach contacts and to extend their knowledge. Afterwards the young brothers returned to Zerbst. The brothers enjoyed very much their time together, who created a deep and lifelong bond between them.

Another journey already planned for him in 1674 was frustrated. John Louis was appointed to go to Italy with the Hereditary Prince Augustus Frederick, eldest son and heir of Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; although all necessary preparations were ready, the trip had to be cancelled because John Louis break his leg. During the next three years he suffered from strong pains. The doctors could hardly align something and give only analgesics. But finally, the prince was fully recovered. In the meantime, his brother Karl William had taken over the government of Anhalt-Zerbst and the custody of the still minors brothers and sister.

During his stay in Vienna he also made trips to Hungary, which belonged to the Habsburg Empire. He inspected the fortress of Raab (now Gyor, north-west Hungary) and Comorra (now Komárom, on the border with Slovakia). From Vienna we went via Salzburg and Tyrol to Venice and Rome. In the Vatican, he spoke with several cardinals and other church dignitaries at the papal court. He also had several audiences with Pope Innocent XI. The following year, in 1678, John Louis travelled further south and visited Naples, Sicily and Malta; there, he was chosen as Grand Master of St.John Order ("Johanniterordens"). In November 1678 he finally made the return journey. He went by boat from Malta to Livorno (Tuscany) on the west coast of Italy and stopped in Florence. He spent some time at the Florentine court of the Grand Duke Cosimo III and met the other members of the Grand Ducal family. During this time he was very honoured; John Louis then moved again to Venice, with its magnificent palaces must be very impressive to him. From there he crossed Italy to the Mediterranean and held in the cities of Mantua, Modena, Parma and Genoa. From Genoa, he traveled further and visited the fortress of Casale in Monferrato and Turin. In the latter city he met the Queen Marie-Thérèse of France, wife of King Louis XIV, who was extremely polite and accommodating to him.

John Louis spent two years in Italy, then he went back to Zerbst. His trip was a very extensive and educational in all senses. His older brother Karl William received him enthusiastic. But in early 1681, the year when began the construction of the Schloss Zerbst, he went back on travel. He visited the Netherlands and France; but after two years, John Louis returned home.

The military career of John Louis was little. During his trips the fortresses interested him only marginally. Nevertheless, in 1684 he joined to the imperial army and took the position of Captain. Maybe financial reasons forced him to do so. He served in a regiment under the command of the General von Scharfenberg and made a unsuccessfully besieged of an Hungarian fortress. The campaign was a disaster, but John Louis was getting it. Only two years later, in 1686, the army could took the fortress. His military career ended here and returned to the civil life. Back home, he began to build his Schloss in Dornburg.

Marriage and Issue

In Halle on 23 July 1687, John Louis married with Christine Eleonore of Zeutsch (b. Hedersleben near Eisleben, 5 June 1666 - d. Dornburg, 17 May 1699), of an old thuringian noble family. The circumstances about where the prince met her, are uncertain. However, it is quite sure that it wasn't a political marriage and by all effects these was a morganatic marriage. They had seven children:
#John Louis II, Prince of Anhalt-Dornburg, later Anhalt-Zerbst (b. Dornburg, 23 June 1688 - d. Zerbst, 5 November 1746).
#John Augustus, Prince of Anhalt-Dornburg (b. Dornburg, 31 December 1689 - d. Exiles, Dauphiné, 22 August 1709).
#Christian Augustus, Prince of Anhalt-Dornburg, later Anhalt-Zerbst (b. Dornburg, 29 November 1690 - d. Zerbst, 16 March 1747).
#Christian Louis, Prince of Anhalt-Dornburg (b. Dornburg, 5 November 1691 - killed in action, Aire, Flanders, 20 October 1710)
#Sophie Christiane (b. Dornburg, 16 December 1692 - d. Zerbst, 3 May 1747).
#Eleonore Auguste (b. Dornburg, 13 May 1694 - d. Dornburg, 11 June 1704).
#John Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Dornburg (b. Dornburg, 14 July 1695 - d. Schaffhausen, 11 May 1742), married with Cajetana of Sperling (d. Schaffhausen, 17 December 1742). The union was childless.

On the occasion of a family compact of 1689 which was submitted to the Emperor for confirmation, he obtained from the Emperor the insertion of a clause in that confirmation reserving the rights of his children as born of a legitimate and lawful marriage. In 1693 Karl Frederick, the younger son of John Louis's eldest brother died, leaving only one sibling, the later Prince John Augustus; John Louis's next two older brothers were either unmarried or without male heirs, all of which made the possibility of the Zerbst inheritance passing to his line more likely. Consequently he took further steps to insure the succession for his children, and on 7 January 1698 secured an Imperial Decree making the children of his marriage princes and princesses of Anhalt. Indeed, they were considered dynastic, and at the death without heirs of Prince John Augustus in 1742, the surviving sons of John Louis succeeded him.

References

* [http://www.schloss-zerbst.de/html/frame_def_leer.htm?publikationen/johann_ludwig_i.htm~mitte_haupt Schloss Zerbst in Anhalt] (only some fragments who were translated to english).
* [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]