Misplaced Pages

#318681

65-399: (804–1036) [REDACTED] Duchy of Saxony The House of Ascania ( German : Askanier ) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt , which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt . The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as Schloss Askanien in German, which was located near and named after Aschersleben . The castle was

130-691: A 743 Frankish campaign led by the Carolingian Mayor of the Palace Carloman against the Saxons, followed by a second expedition together with his brother Pepin the Short the next year. In 747 their rebellious brother Grifo allied with Saxon tribes and temporarily conquered the stem duchy of Bavaria . Pepin, Frankish king from 750, again invaded Saxony and subdued several Westphalian tribes until 758. In 772, Pepin's son Charlemagne started

195-685: A close relative of Charlemagne. Ida of Herzfeld may have been an ancestor of the Saxon count Liudolf (d. 866), who married Oda of Billung and ruled over a large territory along the Leine river in Eastphalia, where he and Bishop Altfrid of Hildesheim founded Gandersheim Abbey in 852. Liudolf became the progenitor of the Saxon ducal, royal and imperial Ottonian dynasty ; nevertheless his descendance, especially his affiliation with late Duke Widukind, has not been conclusively established. Subdued only

260-678: A dispute over the rule of the Plötzkau lordship sparked a fierce conflict with the Welf duke Henry the Lion that led to the destruction of Aschersleben and Gröningen and nearly resulted in the destruction of Halberstadt . Bernhard nonetheless was able to confirm his possessions. When Henry the Lion was outlawed by the Emperor in 1180, the Reichstag also dispossessed him of his fiefs (Würzburg and

325-730: A few decades earlier, the Saxons rose to one of the leading tribes in East Francia ; it is however uncertain if the Ottonians already held the ducal title in the ninth century. Liudolf's elder son Bruno (Brun), progenitor of the Brunswick cadet branch of the Brunonen , was killed in a battle with invading Vikings under Godfrid in 880. He was succeeded by his younger brother Otto the Illustrious (d. 912), mentioned as dux in

390-504: A member of the House of Ascania , was Count of Anhalt and Ballenstedt , and Lord of Bernburg through his paternal inheritance. From 1180 he was also Duke of Saxony (as Bernhard III or Bernhard I). Bernhard was the youngest of the seven sons of Albert the Bear , Duke of Saxony from 1138 to 1142 and first Margrave of Brandenburg from 1157, by his wife Sophie of Winzenburg . In 1157 he

455-535: A new imperial election was held in Halberstadt and (with Bernhard's vote included) Otto of Brunswick was elected on 22 September and crowned immediately in Frankfurt as Otto IV. Otto IV, who meanwhile had fallen out with Pope Innocent III over Sicily , supported the reascension of Valdemar , the papally dismissed Prince-Archbishop of Bremen . So in 1211 Bernhard escorted his brother-in-law Valdemar into

520-670: A residence of the House of Ascania until the extinction of this line in 1422. On his death, aged seventy-two, Bernhard was buried beside his father Albert and several of his brothers in the Church of the Benedictine monastery in Ballenstedt . Bernhard married, firstly, Judith (Jutta) (b. bef. 1154 – d. aft. 12 December 1201), a daughter of Mieszko III the Old of Poland . They had: He married, secondly, Sophia, daughter of Louis II,

585-580: A special law. § 2 For the rendering of the coat-of-arms the patterns, which are attached to this law as appendix, are authoritative. The coloured patterns are deposited in the Main Public Record Office of Saxony. § 3 The regulations necessary for the implementation of this law are issued by the State Government. It can pass on this authority. § 4 This law comes into force the day after its proclamation. The preceding law

650-615: Is executed herewith and is to be proclaimed. Duchy of Saxony Upon the deposition of the Welf duke Henry the Lion in 1180, the ducal title fell to the House of Ascania , while numerous territories split from Saxony, such as the Principality of Anhalt in 1218 and the Welf Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1235. In 1296, the remaining lands were divided between the Ascanian dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg ,

715-726: The Electorate , the Prussian Province of Saxony (in present-day Saxony-Anhalt), and the Kingdom of Saxony , the latter corresponding with the German Free State of Saxony , which bears the name today, despite its territory not having been part of the medieval duchy (see map on the right). According to the Res gestae saxonicae by tenth century chronicler Widukind of Corvey , the Saxons had arrived from Britannia at

SECTION 10

#1732765598319

780-498: The Holstein region ( Nordalbingia ) of Schleswig-Holstein . In the late 12th century, Duke Henry the Lion also occupied the adjacent area of Mecklenburg (the former Billung March ). The Saxons were one of the most robust groups in the late tribal culture of the times, and eventually bequeathed their tribe's name to a variety of more and more modern geopolitical territories, such as Old Saxony ( Altsachsen ), Upper Saxony ,

845-596: The Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1157 from its last Wendish ruler, Pribislav , and he became the first Ascanian margrave. Albert, and his descendants of the House of Ascania, then made considerable progress in Christianizing and Germanizing the lands. As a borderland between German and Slavic cultures, the country was known as a march . In 1237 and 1244, two towns, Cölln and Berlin, were founded during

910-767: The Saale , Mulde and Elbe rivers in the former Saxon Eastern March . These territories eventually emerged as the nucleus of the Ascanian Principality of Anhalt , named after Anhalt Castle near Harzgerode . When his elder brother Albert died without male issue in 1172, Bernhard also inherited his County of Ballenstedt. In the same year he solicited the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in the Imperial Diet of Goslar for possession of Plötzkau , which passed to him in 1173. However,

975-500: The Third Crusade , Henry returned to Brunswick in 1189 and briefly tried to regain the lost lands. After several setbacks, Henry made peace with Barbarossa's son and heir, King Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor . The ancient stem duchy of Saxony was partitioned in some dozens of territories of imperial immediacy by Barbarossa, and ceased to exist. The western part was split amongst several minor counties and bishoprics, as well as

1040-519: The Welf 's Henry the Lion , who was deposed by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa . In 1180, Albert's son Bernhard, Count of Anhalt received the remaining Saxon territories around Wittenberg and Lauenburg , and the ducal title. Legend, so unlikely to be true, goes that when he rode in front of the emperor, at the occasion of his investiture, he carried a shield with his escutcheon of the Ballenstedt coat of arms ( barry sable and or ). Barbarossa took

1105-565: The rue wreath he wore against the heat of the sun from his head, hanging it over Bernhard's shield and thus creating the Saxonian crancelin vert (" Barry of ten sable and or, a crancelin vert "). A more likely explanation is that it probably symbolized the waiver of the Lauenburg lands. From about 1260, the Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg emerged under the Ascanian duke Albert II , who adopted

1170-537: The 777 diet at Paderborn , retired to Nordalbingia and afterwards led several uprisings against the occupants, avenged by Charlemagne at the Massacre of Verden in 782. Widukind allegedly had to pledge allegiance in 785, having himself baptised and becoming a Frankish count. Saxon uprisings continued until 804, when the whole stem duchy had been incorporated into the Carolingian Empire. Afterwards, Saxony

1235-501: The Bear , was the first Margrave of Brandenburg from the House of Ascania. The origin of his nickname "the Bear" is unknown. The Landtag of Saxony state parliament has passed on 25 October 1991 the following law: § 1 (1) The lesser coat-of-arms of the Free State of Saxony shows an escutcheon bendy of nine pieces black and gold, a green rue-crown bendwise. (2) A greater coat-of-arms of the Free State of Saxony can be determined by

1300-531: The Bear. During Barbarossa's fourth Italian campaign in 1166, a league of German Nobles declared war on Henry. The war continued until 1170, despite several attempts of the Emperor to mediate. Ultimately, Henry's position remained unchallenged, due to Barbarossa's favourable rule. In 1168, Henry married Matilda Plantagenêt , the daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and sister of Richard Lionheart . The following years led to an estrangement between Barbarossa and Henry. Henry ceased to support

1365-681: The Burgraviate of Magdeburg . The dignity Duke of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia was only an empty title. The rich lands of Engern and Westphalia , in addition to the ducal title of Highness, were conferred on the Archbishopric-Electorate of Cologne . The counts of Holstein were released from their homage to the Saxon dukes, the County of Stade was taken by the Archbishop of Bremen, Lübeck became an Imperial City ,

SECTION 20

#1732765598319

1430-580: The Duchies of Bavaria and Saxony). In Gelnhausen on 13 April 1180, Bernhard was granted the eastern part of the Welf lands, including the Archbishopric of Bremen-Hamburg , which was passed on to his elder brother Siegfried , and the Duchy of Saxony . This latter award was without real value, however, since this duchy was a radically reduced territory consisting of three unconnected parcels of land along

1495-619: The Elbe and Or to the Empire and Denmark. Borwin was taken into captivity by King Canute and was forced, like Nicholas, to accept his lands from the king as fiefs. After incursions of the Danes in Pomerania in 1184 and 1185, Bogislaw shared the same destiny. With the success of the Danes, the Emperor in 1184 pressed for a political balance between Bernhard and his vassal. Count Adolf of Holstein kept

1560-470: The Elbe and the Baltic Sea , Bernhard's vassals soon rebelled against him and gave their support to Henry the Lion. Bernhard tried to assert his claims, thanks to the support of his brothers Otto I of Brandenburg and Siegfried, Archbishop of Bremen. At first the vassals of Artlenburg swore an oath of fidelity. After them, the counts of Ratzeburg , Danneberg , Luckow and Schwerin also swore. However,

1625-477: The Emperor's Italy campaigns, which were all proven unsuccessful, as massively as he used to, and instead focused on his own possessions. In 1175 Barbarossa again asked for support against the Lombard League , which Henry is said to have refused bluntly, even though Barbarossa kneeled before him. Records of this event were not written until several years later, and sources are contradictory, depending on whom

1690-608: The Emperor. However, even in eastern Saxony, the Ascanians could establish control only in limited areas, mostly near the River Elbe. In the 13th century, the Principality of Anhalt was split off from the Duchy of Saxony. Later, the remaining state was split into Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg . The Ascanian dynasties in the two Saxon states became extinct in 1689 and in 1422, respectively, but Ascanians continued to rule in

1755-419: The Lion in 1164, lost part of it due to his association with Bernhard. Borwin allied himself with Duke Bogislaw I of Pomerania and Nicholas with Jaromar I, Prince of Rügen , a faithful vassal of Denmark. But shortly after Bogislaw had to punish Borwin (in response to a secret order of the emperor) with the help of King Canute VI of Denmark for his refusal to render homage, by which his lands were split between

1820-477: The Saxon Palatinate was bestowed on Count Hermann of Thuringia and, in addition, the Saxon bishops took back their fiefs. Bernhard was forced to support the Emperor in his renewed war against Henry the Lion in 1181. In spite of his defeat, Henry the Lion was able to preserve his allodial title , from which the Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg was later formed. In Nordalbingien and the areas between

1885-427: The author favoured. Nevertheless, lacking the support of the Saxons the following Battle of Legnano was a complete failure for the Emperor. When the majority of the realm's princes had returned from Italy, Henry's refusal was instantly exploited to weaken his position. Views differ, whether Barbarossa initiated Henry's downfall or if it was orchestrated by the princes first and foremost. Between 1175 and 1181, Henry

1950-467: The brothers Albert III, Eric I and John II, and Saxe-Wittenberg ( German : Herzogtum Sachsen-Wittenberg ), ruled by Albert II, took place before September 20, 1296. The Vierlande , Sadelbande (Land of Lauenburg), the Land of Ratzeburg , the Land of Darzing (today's Amt Neuhaus ), and the Land of Hadeln are all mentioned as the separate territory of the brothers. Albert II received Saxe-Wittenberg around

2015-438: The city of Bremen , de facto regaining the see. With his acquisition of Saxon estates, Bernhard moved his residence and court to Wittenberg . In 1260 (with effect as from 1296 on) his grandsons split the Duchy into the Duchies of Saxe-Wittenberg (German: Herzogtum Sachsen-Wittenberg ) and Saxe-Lauenburg (German: Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg ), the latter holding the unconnected two northern territories. Wittenberg remained

House of Ascania - Misplaced Pages Continue

2080-402: The city of Goslar , which he had coveted for several years already. During the following war, Henry's domestic policy and the treatment of his vassals proved fatal, and his power quickly crumbled. In 1182, Henry the Lion ultimately went into exile, joining the court of his father-in-law, Henry II of England. Following the death of his wife and also of the Emperor, the latter while participating in

2145-591: The coast of Land Hadeln in the Elbe-Weser Triangle , called by the Merovingian rulers of Francia to support the conquest of Thuringian kingdom, a seeming reversal of the English origin myth where Saxon tribes from the region, under the leadership of legendary brothers Hengist and Horsa , invade post-Roman Britannia. (see Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ). The Royal Frankish Annals mention

2210-634: The contemporary annals of Hersfeld Abbey , which, however, seems to have been denied by the Frankish rulers. His position was strong enough to wed Hedwiga of the Babenberg , daughter of mighty Duke Henry of Franconia , princeps militiae of King Charles the Fat . As all of Hedwiga's brothers were killed in the Franconian Babenberg feud with the rivalling Conradines , Otto was able to adopt

2275-481: The continuous attacks by Hungarian forces, whereby the Saxon troops about 928/929 occupied large territories in the east settled by Polabian Slavs . Henry's eastern campaigns to Brandenburg and Meissen , the establishment of Saxon marches as well as the surrender of Duke Wenceslaus of Bohemia marked the beginning of the German eastward expansion ( Ostsiedlung ). In 1142, King Conrad III of Germany granted

2340-434: The disputed regions, however he had to pay 700 marks to Bernhard and swear the oath of fidelity that he had earlier refused to do. Counts Bernhard of Ratzeburg and Gunzelin of Schwerin were also obliged to make payments. The destroyed Lauenburg had to be rebuilt. However, after Henry's return in 1188 it came again to discussions with Bernhard, who finally lost the town of Bardowick . As Duke of Saxony, Bernhard became at

2405-426: The ducal title to the Welf scion Henry the Lion (as Duke Henry III). Henry gradually extended his rule over northeastern Germany, leading crusades against the pagan Wends . During his reign, Henry massively supported to the development of the cities in his dominion, such as Brunswick , Lüneburg and Lübeck , a policy ultimately contributing to the movement of the House of Welf from its homelands in southern Germany to

2470-699: The enfeoffment of his son and heir Duke Rudolph I with the Palatinate of Saxony , which ensued a long-lasting dispute with the eager clan of the House of Wettin . When the County of Brehna was reverted to the Empire after the extinction of its comital family, the king enfeoffed Duke Rudolph. In 1290, Albert II gained the County of Brehna and in 1295 the County of Gommern for Saxony. King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia succeeded in bringing Albert II in favour of electing Adolf of Germany , as new emperor (Albert II signed an elector pact on 29 November 1291 that he would vote

2535-622: The eponymous city and Belzig . Albert II thus became the founder of the Ascanian line of Saxe-Wittenberg. Members of the Welf cadet branch House of Hanover later became prince-electors of the Hanover (as of 1692/1708), kings of Great Britain , Ireland (both 1714), the United Kingdom (1801), and the Hanover (1814). A number of seceded territories even gained imperial immediacy , while others only changed their liege lord on

2600-513: The final conquest of the Saxon lands. Though his ongoing campaigns were successful, he had to deal with the fragmentation of the Saxon territories in Westphalian, Eastphalian , Angrian , and Nordalbingian tribes, demanding the conclusion of specific peace agreements with single tribes, which soon were to be broken by other clans. The Saxons devastated the Frankish stronghold at Eresburg ; their leader ( Herzog ) Widukind refused to appear at

2665-574: The latter obtaining the title of Electors of Saxony by the Golden Bull of 1356 . The Saxon stem duchy covered the greater part of present-day Northern Germany , including the modern German states ( Länder ) of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt up to the Elbe and Saale rivers in the east, the city-states of Bremen and Hamburg , the Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia , and

House of Ascania - Misplaced Pages Continue

2730-455: The medieval chronicler Widukind of Corvey , King Conrad designated Henry his heir, thereby denying the succession of his own brother Eberhard of Franconia , and in 919 the Saxon duke was elected King of East Francia by the assembled Saxon and Franconian princes at Fritzlar . Henry was able to integrate the Swabian, Bavarian and Lotharingian duchies into the imperial federation, vital to handle

2795-546: The most powerful of these vassals, Count Adolf III of Holstein , would not accept Bernhard's lordship and became his adversary. Conflicts broke out around Dithmarschen , in western Holstein, but without success for Adolf. After Adolf's defeat, Lauenburg (Polabenburg) on the lower Elbe, became the focal point for opposition to Bernhard's rule. Determined to eliminate the opposition against him in his lands, he levied high taxes on rebellious territories, which led to an attack against Lauenburg and its destruction in 1182, followed by

2860-407: The name Saxony from north-western Germany to the location of the modern Free State of Saxony . The deposed ducal House of Welf could maintain its allodial possessions, which did not remain as part of the Duchy of Saxony after the enfeoffment of the Ascanians. The Welf possessions were elevated to the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (also Brunswick and Lunenburg) in 1235. This duchy continued to use

2925-412: The newly formed Duchy of Westphalia . In the east, the Ascanians, the Welf's old rivals, finally gained a severely belittled Duchy of Saxony, occupying only the easternmost, comparably small, territories along the river Elbe around Lauenburg upon Elbe and around Wittenberg upon Elbe . Limiting the lands the Ascanians gained along with the ducal title to these eastern territories caused the migration of

2990-862: The north. In 1152, Henry supported his cousin Frederick III of Swabia , to be elected King of Germany (as Frederick I Barbarossa), likely under the promise of granting the Duchy of Bavaria back to Henry. Henry's dominion now covered more than two thirds of Germany, from the Alps to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea , making him one of the mightiest rulers in central Europe, and thus also a potential threat for other German princes and even Barbarossa. To expand his rule, Henry continued to claim titles of lesser families, who left no legitimate heir. This policy caused unrest among many Saxon nobles and other German princes, first and foremost his father's old enemy, Albrecht

3055-569: The occasion. The following list includes states that existed in the territory of the former stem duchy in addition to the two legal successors of the stem duchy, the Ascanian Duchy of Saxony formed in 1296 centered around Wittenberg and Lauenburg , as well as the Duchy of Westphalia , held by the Archbishops of Cologne , that already split off in 1180. Bernhard, Count of Anhalt Bernhard ( c. 1140– 2 February 1212),

3120-469: The old Saxon coat-of-arms showing the Saxon Steed in argent on gules , while the Ascanians adopted for the younger Duchy of Saxony their family colours, a barry of ten, in sable and or , covered by a crancelin of rhombs bendwise in vert , symbolising the Saxon dukedom. In 1269, 1272, and 1282 the co-ruling brothers John I and Albert II gradually divided their governing competences within

3185-585: The respective marriages. For Sophia, she inherited the Margraviate of Landsberg, which was inherited by her sons. (genealogical list of the dynasty in German) The original arms of the house of Ascania, from their ancestors the Saxon counts of Ballenstedt , were " Barry of ten sable and or ". The Ascanian margrave Albert the Bear was invested with the Saxon ducal title in 1138; when he succeeded

3250-546: The restoration of the fortress. In 1183 another of Bernhard's brothers, Count Dietrich of Werben died without surviving male issue. His possessions fell mostly to Bernhard. Warfare involving Henry the Lion also expanded to the Slavic countries. Henry Borwin I , the son of Pribislav , was a supporter of Henry the Lion like his father, and remained an opponent of Bernhard. His cousin Nicholas I , granted Burg Malchow by Henry

3315-449: The river Elbe: (1) Hadeln around Otterndorf , (2) a parcel around Lauenburg upon Elbe and (3) a parcel around Wittenberg upon Elbe . Previously the duchy had been divided, so that Bernhard could only receive the region between Meissen and the Mark of Brandenburg as his formal possession. Besides these, he also received several small territories: the towns of Aken and Wittenberg and

SECTION 50

#1732765598319

3380-556: The rule of Otto and Johann, grandsons of Margrave Albert the Bear. Later, they were united into one city, Berlin . The emblem of the House of Ascania, a red eagle and bear, became the heraldic emblems of Berlin. In 1320, the Brandenburg Ascanian line came to an end. After the Emperor had deposed the Guelph rulers of Saxony in 1180, Ascanians returned to rule the Duchy of Saxony, which had been reduced to its eastern half by

3445-405: The same as Wenceslaus). On April 27, 1292, Albert II, with his nephews still minor, wielded the Saxon electoral vote , electing Adolf of Germany. The last document mentioning the joint government of Albert II with his nephews as Saxon fellow dukes dates back to 1295. The definite partitioning of the Duchy of Saxony into Saxe-Lauenburg ( German : Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg ), jointly ruled by

3510-428: The same time Marshal of the Holy Roman empire. He asserted this important post for the first time in 1190 at the coronation of Emperor Henry VI , but spoiled his good terms with the Emperor through his opposition to making the German crown hereditary in the House of Hohenstaufen. In 1198 he supported Philip of Swabia as Emperor. Philip was killed on 21 June 1208 by Otto of Wittelsbach at Altenburg in Bamberg . Thereupon

3575-420: The seat of the County of Ascania, a title that was later subsumed into the titles of the princes of Anhalt. The earliest known member of the house, Esiko, Count of Ballenstedt , first appears in a document of 1036. He is assumed to have been a grandson (through his mother) of Odo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark . From Odo, the Ascanians inherited large properties in the Saxon Eastern March . Esiko's grandson

3640-447: The smaller state of Anhalt and its various subdivisions until the monarchy was abolished in 1918. Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796, was a member of the House of Ascania, herself the daughter of Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst . John's and Agnes' childless deaths left the main core of Salzwedel and the important seat of the Altmark to be reunited in Brandenburg. The remaining possessions were annexed by

3705-427: The strong position of his father-in-law and to evolve the united Saxon duchy under his rule. In 911, the East Frankish Carolingian dynasty went extinct with the death of King Louis the Child , whereafter the dukes of Saxony, Swabia and Bavaria met at Forchheim to elect the Conradine duke Conrad I of Franconia king. One year later, Otto's son Henry the Fowler succeeded his father as Duke of Saxony. According to

3770-400: The then three territorially unconnected Saxon areas (Hadeln, Lauenburg, and Wittenberg), thus preparing a partition. After John I had resigned in 1282 in favour of his three minor sons Eric I , John II and Albert III , followed by his death three years later, the three brothers and their uncle Albert II continued the joint rule in Saxony. In 1288, Albert II applied to King Rudolph I for

3835-411: The trademark of the Meissen china factory) to their coat of arms. When the line became extinct in 1422, the arms and electoral dignity were adopted by the Wettin by margrave Frederick IV of Meissen as it had become synonymous with the Saxon ducal title. When upon German reunification the Free State of Saxony was re-established, the coat of arms was formally confirmed in 1991. The chivalric order

3900-426: The tradition of the Saxon stem duchy and was granted the Saxon electoral dignity , against the fierce protest of his Ascanian Saxe-Lauenburg cousins. This was confirmed by the Golden Bull of 1356 . As the Ascanian Electors of Saxony also held the High office of an Arch-Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire , they added the ensign Per fess sable and argent two swords in saltire gules (the swords later featuring as

3965-443: Was Otto, Count of Ballenstedt , who died in 1123. By Otto's marriage to Eilika , daughter of Magnus, Duke of Saxony , the Ascanians became heirs to half of the property of the House of Billung , former dukes of Saxony . Otto's son, Albert the Bear , became, with the help of his mother's inheritance, the first Ascanian duke of Saxony in 1139. However, he soon lost control of Saxony to the rival House of Guelph . Albert inherited

SECTION 60

#1732765598319

4030-413: Was charged with several accusations, such as violating the honour of the realm (honor imperii), breach of the peace, and treason. If he were to follow the summons to the Hoftag , Henry would've acknowledge the charges as rightful, and therefore refused all summons. In 1181, he was ultimately stripped of his titles. Unwilling to give up without a fight, Henry already had dealt the first blow in 1180 against

4095-420: Was present together with his father and brothers at the funeral of the Wettin margrave Conrad of Meissen . Two years later, Bernhard accompanied Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to Italy with his brother Margrave Otto I of Brandenburg . After the death of his father in 1170, Bernhard inherited the estates around Ascaria ( Aschersleben ) in the Saxon Schwabengau and the adjacent Gau Serimunt between

4160-403: Was ruled by Carolingian officials, e.g. Wala of Corbie (d. 836), a grandson of Charles Martel and cousin of the emperor, who in 811 fixed the Treaty of Heiligen with King Hemming of Denmark , defining the northern border of the Empire along the Eider River. Among the installed dukes were already nobles of Saxon descent, like Wala's successor Count Ekbert, husband of Saint Ida of Herzfeld ,

4225-415: Was the House Order of Albert the Bear (German: Hausorden Albrechts des Bären or Der Herzoglich Anhaltische Hausorden Albrechts des Bären ) which was founded in 1836 as a joint House Order by three dukes of Anhalt from separate branches of the family: Henry, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen , Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau , and Alexander Karl, Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg . The namesake of the order, Albert

#318681