ASCANIA
This will be an account of the House of Ascania (the
Latin form of the castle
of Aschersleben),
descended from one Gf Adalbert von Ballenstedt. The family acquired the county
of Ascania ca 1100.
In 1180 Gf Bernhard of Ascania and Anhalt obtained the title of Duke of Saxony
with the territories of Lauenburg and Wittenberg.
Albrecht the Bear became Margrave of Brandenburg ca 1134,
and his descendants ruled Brandenburg
until the 14th century. The only extant lines today are those of the Princes of
Anhalt and the Grafen von Westarp.
Part 1
Adalbert von Ballenstedt and his wife Hidda (dau.of Hodo
Mkgf der Nordmark, Gf im Nordthüringen) had issue:
1a) Esiko Gf im Schwabengau u.im Gau Serimunt, founded
the abbey of Ballenstedt (d.ca 1060); m.Mathilde (ca 988-1031/2), dau of Duke
Hermann of Swabia, and widow of Duke Konrad
of Carinthia and of Duke Frederick of Upper
Lorraine
1b) Adalbert, 1063 Gf im
Nordthuringgau, 1069 Gf von Ballenstedt (d.1076/83); m.by 28 Oct 1074 Adelheid (d.28
Mar 1100), heiress of Orlamünde, dau.of Otto Gf von Weimar (and later wife of Hermann
Ct Palatine
of Lorraine, and of
Heinrich von Laach)
1c) Otto “der
Reiche” Gf von Ballenstedt, 1112 Duke of Saxony
(d.9 Feb 1123); m.Eilika (d.12 Jan 1143) dau.of Duke Magnus of Saxony
1d) Albrecht “the
Bear”, Gf von Ballenstedt, 1124 Herr der Mark Lausitz and Margrave of
Saxony, 1127 Herr der Zauche, 1128 Gf der Nordmark, 1136 and 1157-70 Margrave
of Brandenburg, 1138 Duke of Saxony, 1143 Mkgf von Stade, 1156 Gf von
Aschersleben u.Vogt von Ilsenburg (1096/1100-18 Nov 1170; bur Ballenstedt);
m.1124 Sophia (d.25 Mar 1160; bur Lamspringe), dau of Hermann Gf von Winzenburg
1e) Otto I, 1170 Margrave of Brandenburg
(1126/8-7 Mar 1184; bur Lehnin); m.1st 6 Jan 1148 Judith (1133-1171/5; bur Brandenburg
Dom), dau of Pr Boleslaw III of Poland;
m.2nd 1176 Adela (d.after 1205), dau of Ct Florenz III of Holland
1f) Otto II, Mgve of Brandenburg
(b.after 1148, d.4 Jul 1205; bur Lehnin)
2f) Heinrich, Gf von
Tangermünde (b.after 1149, d.after 15
Apr 1192; bur St.Nikolai, Stendal)
3f) Albrecht II, Mgve of Brandenburg,
1202 Gf von Arneburg (ca 1174-25 Feb 1220; bur Lehnin); m.Aug 1205 Mathilde
(d.Salzwedel 1255; bur Lehnin), dau of Konrad von Landsberg, Mkgf von der
Lausitz
1g) Mathilde (d.10 Jun 1261);
m.1228 Duke Otto I of Braunschweig (1204-9 Jun 1252)
2g) Elisabeth (d.1237); m.by 16 May 1228 Heinrich Raspe,
Landgrave of Thuringia (d.16 Feb 1247)
3g) Johann I, 1220 Mgve of Brandenburg
(1208/13-1266/7; bur Kl Chorin); m.1st 1233/5 Sophia (1217-2 Nov
1247; bur Ripen), dau of King Waldemar II of Denmark;
m.2nd ca 1255 Jutta (d.23 Dec 1287; bur Stendal), dau of Duke Albrecht
I of Saxony
[by 1st
m.]:
1h) Johann II, Mgve of Brandenburg
( d.Tangermünde 10 Sep 1281; bur Chorin); m.1258/62 Hedwig (d.9
Sep 1287; bur Chorin), dau of Nikolaus von Werle
1i) Johann, Elekt of Havelburg
(d.1292; bur Havelburg)
2i) Konrad, Mgve of Brandenburg
(d.1308/19; bur Stendal)
2h) Otto IV, Mgve of Brandenburg
(d.Nov/Dec 1308; bur Chorin); m.1st 1262 Heilwig, dau of Johann Gf
von Holstein; m.2nd 1308 Jutta (1272-25 Apr 1317), dau of Berthold
Gf von Hennebegr, and widow of Dietrich Mkgve of Meissen
3h) Konrad I, Mgve of Brandenburg
(d.Schwedt 15 Mar/21 May 1304;
bur Chorin); m.Zantoch 1260 Konstanze (d.8 Oct 1281; bur Chorin), dau of Pr
Przemysl of Poland
1i) Johann IV, Mgve of Brandenburg
(1261-24 Jun/8 Aug 1305; bur Chorin)
2i) Otto VII,
Mgve of Brandenburg
(1262-1297/8; bur Chorin)
3i) Waldemar, Mgve of Brandenburg
(d.Bärwalde 14 Aug 1319;
bur Chorin); m.1309 Agnes of Brandenburg
(below)
4i) Agnes (d.by 4 Jun 1330; bur St.Nikolai,
Zerbst); m.1300 Albrecht I Fst of Anhalt (d.1316/7)
4h) Erich, 1283 Archbishop of Magdeburg
(d.Burg Grabow bei Magdeburg
21 Dec 1295;
bur Magdeburg Dom)
5h) Helene (d.7 Jun 1305; bur
Weissenfels); m.Dietrich, Mgve of Meissen
(1242-8 Feb 1285)
6h) a son (b.and d.Nov 1247;
bur Ripen)
[by 2nd
m.]:
7h) Albrecht (d.1292/3)
8h) Hermann, 1290 Elekt of
Havelburg (d.1291; bur Havelburg Dom)
9h) Heinrich I, Mgve of Brandenburg
(1260-14 Feb 1318); m.1298/1303 Agnes (d.22 Jul 1345), dau of Duke Ludwig II of
Bavaria, and widow
of Ldgve Heinrich of Hesse
1i) Jutta (d.1325/7); m.before 16 Apr 1318 Duke Heinrich
II of Braunschweig-Grubenhagen (d.1351)
2i) Sophia (1300-ca 1356);
m.1327 Duke Magnus I of Braunschweig (d.1369)
3i) Margarete, Abbess of
St.Klara, Weissenfels (1301-31 Mar 1347; bur St.Klara, Weissenfels)
4i) Heinrich II, Mgve of Brandenburg
(d.Jul 1320; bur Marienkirche, Prenzlau)
10h) Mechtild (b.1257,
d.shortly before 1284); m.by 14
Dec 1278 Duke Bogislaw IV of Pomerania
(d.19 Feb 1309)
11h) Agnes (d.Oct 1304; bur
Ringsted); m.1st 11
Nov 1273 King Erik VII
of Denmark
(1249-22 Nov 1286); m.2nd 1293 Gerhard Gf von Holstein (d.Plön 28 Aug 1312; bur Plön)
4g) Otto III, Mgve of Brandenburg
(d.Brandenburg an der Havel 9
Oct 1267; bur Strausberg); m.by Jun 1243 Beatrix (d.Breslau 27 May 1290; bur Breslau),
dau of King Wenzel I of Bohemia
1h) Johann III, Mgve of Brandenburg
(6 Apr 1244-d.after
being wounded at tournament at Merseburg 8 Apr 1268; bur Lehnin)
2h) Otto V, Mgve of Brandenburg
(d.23/24 Jul 1298); m.Freyburg 22
Oct 1268 Judith (d.by 13 Sep 1295), heiress of Coburg
and Schmalkalden (which returned to the Hennebergs through her granddaughter),
dau of Hermann Gf von Henneberg
1i) Beatrix (1270-1312/6); m.1st
Berlin 1284 Duke
Bolko I of Jauer and Schweidnitz (d.9 Nov 1301); m.2nd 1308/11 Duke Wladislaw
of Kosel (d.1351/2)
2i) Mechtild (d.by 1 Jun 1298; bur Lehnin);
m.1287/8 Duke Heinrich IV of Breslau
(1253-23 Jun 1290; bur Breslau)
3i) Kunigunde (b.1271, d.after
1317; bur Berlin)
4i) Albrecht (b.ca 1273,
d.after 13 Sep 1298;
bur Lehnin)
5i) Hermann II, Mgve of Brandenburg
(1275/80-Eldenburg 1 Feb 1308;
bur Lehnin); m.Graz Oct 1295 Anna (d.Breslau 19 Mar 1327; bur Kl St.Anna, Breslau),
dau of Duke Albrecht of Austria,
German King (and later wife of Duke Heinrich VI of Breslau)
1j) Agnes (d.28 Nov 1334); m.1st
1309 Mgve Waldemar of Brandenburg
(above); m.2nd 1319 Duke Otto of Braunschweig (d.30 Aug 1344)
2j) Mathilde (d.1325/9);
m.1310/12 Duke Heinrich II of Sagan (d.22 Jan 1342; bur Sagan)
3j) Jutta, heiress of Coburg
and Schmalkalden (d.1 Feb 1353, bur Coburg);
m.1317/9 Heinrich Gf von Henneberg (d.10 Sep 1347)
4j) Johann V, Mgve of Brandenburg
(1302-Spandau 24 Mar 1317;
bur Lehnin); m.Katharina (d.1323/6), dau of Duke Heinrich of Glogau (and later
wife of Johann Gf von Holstein-Schauenburg)
6i) Otto (d.after 13 Sep 1295; bur Lehnin);
m.Hedwig (d.1343/7), dau of Duke Heinrich of Silesia
7i) Jutta (d.9 May 1328; bur Wittenberg);
m.Duke Rudolf I of Saxony (d.11 Mar 1350)
3h) Albrecht III, Mgve of Brandenburg
(d.4 Dec 1300; bur Kl Himmelpfort); m.1269/71 Mathilde (d.1299/1300; bur Lehnin),
dau of King Christoph I of Denmark
1i) Otto (d.1297/9)
2i) Johann (d.1298/9; bur
Lehnin)
3i) Beatrix (d.Wismar 22 Sep 1314; bur Wismar);
m.Neubrandenburg 11 Aug 1292
Heinrich of Mecklenburg (d.1329; bur Kl
Doberan)
4i) Margarete (d.1 May 1315;
bur Ratzenburg Dom); m.1st by 19 Apr 1293 King Przemyslaw II of Poland
(d.8 Feb 1296; bur Posen Cathedral); m.2nd 1302 Duke Albrecht III of
Saxe-Lauenburg (d.1308)
4h) Otto VI, Mgve of Brandenburg
(3/17 Nov 1264-Lehnin 6 Jul 1303;
bur Lehnin); m.Vienna Feb 1270 Heilwig (d.1285/6), dau of Rudolf von Habsburg,
German King
5h) Kunigunde (d.after 8 Jun 1292); m.1st
24/25 Oct 1264 Pr Béla of Hungary,
Duke of Croatia,
Slavonia and Dalmatia
(d.1269); m.2nd 1278 Duke Walram of Limburg
(d.24 Oct 1279)
6h) Mechtild (d.20 Dec 1316;
bur Stettin Marienkirche); m.by 16 May 1267 Duke Barnim I
of Pomerania (d.1278; bur Stettin
Marienkirche)
2e) Hermann I, 1152 Gf von
Sachsen, 1153 Mkgf von Sachsen, 1156 Gf von Orlamünde (d.19 Oct 1176);
m.Ermgard ___ (d.1174/80)
1f) Siegfried III Gf von
Orlamünde (d.1206); m.Lübeck 1181 Sophia (d.1208), dau of King Waldemar I of Denmark
1g) Otto (b.1182, d.by 10 May 1211)
2g) Albrecht I Gf von
Orlamünde, 1207/17 Gf von Nordalbingien, 1208 Gf von Holstein, 1217 Gf von
Ratzeburg, 1223 Gf von Wagrien u.Stormarn, 1224/5 Reichsverweser of Denmark (d.18
Dec 1244); m.before 10 May 1211 Hedwig, dau of Ldgve Hermann of Thuringia
3g) Hermann Gf von Orlamünde
(b.before 16 Jan 1194,
d.27 Dec 1247); m.Beatrix (d.after 14
Nov 1265), dau of Otto Gf von Andechs, Duke von Meranien
1h) Hermann III (d.of the
plague 1283); m.NN
1i) Hermann V (fl 1287/1312)
2i) Heinrich III (d.after 26 Mar 1354); m.before 26 Jul 1313 Irmgard (d.13
Jul 1354); dau of Heinrich Gf von Schwarzburg-Blankenburg
1j) Heinrich IV (d.ca 1357);
m.Richza, dau of Poppo Gf von Henneberg (and later wife of Johann Gf von
Schwarzburg)
2j) Friedrich III, d.after 23 Jul 1379; m.NN
1k) Friedrich IV Gf von Orlamünde,
Hr zu Droyssig u.Groitzsch (d.1402/5); m.Katharina (d.after 28 Jun 1411), dau of
Heinrich Gf von Gleichen-Tonna
1l) Heinrich V (d.1417/23)
2l) Martin (d.after 15 Oct 1405)
2k) Katharina (fl 1374/9)
3j) Jutta, Abbess of Stadtilm
1357 (d.1383)
4j) Elisabeth (d.after 30 Aug 1372); m.by 12 Jul 1346 Albrecht Bggf
von Kirchberg
3i) Elisabeth (d.ca 1333; bur
Kl Reinhardsbrunn); m.1st Hartmann von Lobdeburg-Arnshaugk; m.2nd
by 1 Oct 1290
Ldgve Albrecht of Thuringia (d.20 Nov 1315)
4i) Elisabeth, a nun at
Weissenfels
2h) Otto III Gf von Orlamünde,
Hr zu Weimar, 1279 zu Rudolstadt, Hr zu Plassenburg (d.13 May 1285; bur Kl
Himmelkron); m.Agnes (d.ca 1300; bur Kl Himmelkron), dau of Friedrich Gf von
Leiningen
1i) Otto, a canon in Bamberg
and Würzburg (d.1315)
2i) Hermann IV, zu Weimar
(d.1319; bur St.Joannis, Saalfeld); m.by 24 Nov 1290 Mechtild, dau of Friedrich Gf von
Rabenswald
1j) Hermann (fl 1301/4)
2j) Friedrich I, zu Weimar,
Wiehe, Buch u.Schönwerde (d.25 Jul 1365); m.1322 Elisabeth (d.after 2 May 1347), dau of
Friedrich von Meissen Mgve of Dresden,
and widow of Otto II Fst of Anhalt
1k) Friedrich V (d.after 24 Mar 1381); m.Irmgard N
(fl 1396)
2k) Mechtild (fl 1337); m.NN
3k) Elisabeth, a nun in
Oberweimar 1357-81
4k) Anna; m.before 26 Apr 1338 Siegfried Gf
von Mansfeld (d.1346/9)
3j) Hermann VI, Hr zu Weimar,
Wiehe, Buch u.Schönwerde (d.1372/3); m.by 29 Sep 1325 Katharina (d.1367/9), dau of Otto II
Fst of Anhalt
1k) Friedrich (fl 1335)
2k) Mechtild (d.by 23 Jun 1359); m.before 26 Apr 1338 Heinrich Gf von
Honstein (d.1396/7)
4j) Otto V, Hr zu Lauenstein,
Gräfenthal, Magdala, Buchfart, Lichtentanne u.Lichtenberg (d.1334/5); m.Helene (d.after
1374), dau of Friedrich Bggf von Nürnberg
1k) Otto, a canon in Würzburg
1335
2k) Friedrich II, Hr zu
Lauenstein u.Gräfenthal (d.1357/67); m.before 18 Nov 1357 Sophie (d.after 1 Aug 1388), dau of Günther
Gf von Schwarzburg (and later wife of Georg Gf von Käfernburg, of Heinrich Gf
von Stolberg, and of Johann Gf von Schwarzburg)
1l) Otto VII,
Hr zu Lauenstein, Lichtenberg, Magdala, Gräfenthal u.Schauenforst (d.1404/5);
m.by 8 Jul 1395
Lukardis (d.1399/1415), dau of Heinrich V Vogt von Gera
1m) Wilhelm I, zy Lauenstein
u.Schauenforst (d.1450/60); m.by 14 Mar 1427 Katharina, Frau von Blankenhain,
dau of Ludwig von Blankenhain, and widow of Heinrich Gf von Gleichen
1n) Friedrich VI (d.after 2 Oct 1486); m.Lukardis,
dau of Heinrich VII Reuss von Plauen
[?1o)
Katharina, a nun at Heiligenkreuz nr Saalburg (d.1534/44)]
2n) Wilhelm, a canon in Köln
and Strassburg 1440/1 (bur Bamberg)
2m) Siegmund, zu Lichtenberg
u.Magdala (d.2 Jul 1447; bur Hof)
3m) Otto VIII, zu Gräfenthal
u.Lichtentanne (d.shortly after 30
Mar 1460); m.Agnes, dau of Heinrich Gf von Beichlingen, and
widow of Heinrich von Blankenhain
1n) Friedrich VII
(d.by 1460)
4m) Anna, a nun in Hof
1437/55
5m) Helene, Abbess of St.Klara,
Hof 1425/55
6m) Elisabeth, zu Lauenstein (d.after
15 Jun 1449);
m.Heinrich Gf von Schwarzburg
2l) Hermann, a canon in
Würzburg (d.ca 1432; bur Würzburg Dom)
3k) Helene (d.19 Jun 1369);
m.1359 Duke Heinrich of Brieg (d.11 Jul 1399)
5j) Johann, a canon in Weimar
(fl 1320/1359)
6j) Mechtild (fl 1304/40; bur Erfurt);
m.1st Dietrich Gf von Honstein (d.11 Apr 1317); m.2nd Busso
von Querfurt
7j) Sophie (fl 1320/54);
m.Friedrich Gf von Beichlingen
8j) Elisabeth (fl 1320)
9j) Agnes, Abbess of Himmelkron
1353
3i) Otto IV, zu Rudolstadt,
Arnstadt, Plassenburg u.Kulmbach (d.1318); m.1st Adelheid (d.1304/5),
dau of Günther Gf von Käfernburg; m.2nd Katharina (d.1322), dau of
Ldgve Heinrich I of Hesse
1j) a son; m.Podika, widow of
Bosko von Schwamberg
2j) Otto VI, zu Plassenburg
u.Rudolstadt (1297-28 Jul 1340; bur Himmelkron); m.shortly before 26 Jun 1321 Kunigunde von
Leuchtenberg, 1360 Abbess of Himmelkron (d.1382; bur Himmelkron), dau of Ulrich
Ldgf von Leuchtenberg
3j) Elisabeth (d.after 26 Feb 1362; bur Saalfeld);
m.by 5 Jun 1321
Heinrich Gf von Schwarzburg (d.1336/8)
4i) Irmgard (bur Crenschwitz);
m.by 27 Mar 1276 Heinrich II Vogt von Gera
5i) Agnes, Abbess of Himmelkron
(d.after 30 Apr 1353;
bur Himmelkron)
3h) Albrecht II Gf von Weimar
(d.of the plague 1283)
4h) Otto, a canon in Würzburg
1265/1308
5h) Sophia, heiress of Hof
and Regnitzland; m.by 19 Jun
1258 Heinrich Vogt von Weida (d.1279/80)
4g) Heinrich II (d.27 Dec 1247)
5g) Sophie (d.3 Sep 1244);
m.Lambert Gf von Gleichen (d.14 Sep 1227)
6g) Irmgard (fl 1196/1222);
m.Heinrich Gf von Schwarzburg (d.20 Jan 1236)
2f) Albert (d.1229)
3e) Siegfried, Bp of Brandenburg
1173/80, Archbishop of Bremen
1180 (b.before 1138, d.24 Oct/15 Nov 1184; bur Bremen
Dom)
4e) Heinrich, a canon in Magdeburg
(d.after 18 Apr 1176)
5e) Albrecht, 1170 Gf von
Ballenstedt (d.after 6 Dec 1172);
m.1157 Adelheid (d.after 6 Dec
1172), dau of Mgve Konrad of Meissen,
and widow of King Svend III of Denmark
1f) Gertrud; m.Walter von Arnstein
2f) Adelheid (fl 1183);
m.Meinhard von Görz Gf von Istria
3f) a dau; m.Friedrich Gf von
Beichlingen (d.1189)
6e) Dietrich, 1170 Gf von
Werben 1170 (d.after 5 Sep 1183);
m.ca 1150 Mechtild, dau of Ldgve Ludwig of Thuringia
1f) Dietrich (fl 1171)
7e) Bernhard, 1170 Gf von
Aschersleben und Gf von Anhalt, 1179 Duke of Westphalen u.Engern, 1180 Duke of Saxony
1180 (1140-1212); m.Judith of Poland
(d.after 1201); for his descendants see
Part 2
8e) Hedwig (d.1203; bur
Altzelle); m.Mgve Otto of Meissen
(d.18 Feb 1190)
9e) a dau; m.ca 1152 Vladislav
of Bohemia (d.1165)
10e) Adelheid, a nun in
Lamspringe (d.1162; bur Lamspringe)
11e) a dau; m.1155 Dypold, Duke
of Moravia (d.1167)
12e) a dau, Abbess of
Quedlinburg 1160
13e) Eilika
2d) Adelheid; m.1st Heinrich
Gf von Stade, Mkgf der Nordmark (d.4 Dec 1128); m.2nd Werner von
Veltheim
2c) Siegfried Gf von Orlamünde,
adopted by his stepfather, whereby he became Pfalzgraf bei Rhein (Lorraine)
(ca 1075-k.a.9 Mar 1113; bur Springirsbach); m.Gertrud von Northeim,
Pfalzgräfin bei Rhein (d.1154/65), dau of Heinrich G von Ortheim (and later
wife of Otto von Luxemburg Gf von Rheineck)
1d) Siegfried II Gf von Orlamünde (d.19
Mar 1124)
2d) Wilhelm Pfgf bei Rhein,
Pfgf von Orlamünde (d.13 Feb 1140); m.before 17 Mar 1130 Adelheid N
3d) Adela, heiress of Mörle and
Cleeberg (d.ca 1155); m.Konrad Gf von Peilstein (d.ca 1168)
2b) Adelheid; m.Thimo von
Schraplau