Prince George Bernhard of Anhalt-Dessau

He was born in Dessau on 21 February 1796. He was the second son of Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, by his wife Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg.[1]

His paternal grandparents were Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau and Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt. His maternal grandparents were Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg and Princess Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt.[1]

On 6 August 1825, George Bernhard was married to Karoline Auguste Louise Amalie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1804–1829) in Rudolstadt. She was a daughter of Prince Karl Günther of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (himself a son of Frederick Charles, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt) and Louise Ulrike of Hesse-Homburg, George's aunt.[2] Before her death on 14 January 1829, they had two children:[3][4]

1. Louise (1826–1900), who died unmarried.[4]
2. Frederick (1828–1828), who died in infancy.[4]

On 4 October 1831. he married, for a second time, to Therese Emma von Erdmannsdorf (1807–1848) in Dresden. The marriage was morganatic as she was of lesser nobility. Shortly after their marriage, she was created Countess of Raina.[4] Before her death in 1848, they had seven children:[5]

1. Count Franz of Raina (1832–1879), who died unmarried at Schloss Gross-Kühnau in 1879.[4]
2. Countess Mathilde of Raina (1833–1917), who married Otto von Könneritz (1835–1866) in 1859.[4]
3. Countess Helene of Raina (1835–1860), who was adopted by her uncle William in 1855 and given the title of "Princess of Anhalt" by the reigning duke Leopold IV of Anhalt-Dessau; she married Frederick Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the widower of her paternal aunt Amalie Auguste, in 1855; a union that was considered morganatic according to the family law of the House of Schwarzburg.[6]
4. Countess Emma of Raina (1837–1909), who died unmarried.[4]
5. Countess Maria of Raina (1839–1931), who died unmarried.[4]
6. Count Rudolph of Raina (1842–1921), who married Emma Elisabeth Klara Marie Paris (1857–1932) in 1882.[4]
7. Count Karl of Raina (1844–1900), who married Cosima von Mörner (1865–1936) in Berlin in 1887; the marriage was childless and the couple divorced in 1893. He married Countess Marie von der Groeben (1841–1894) in 1894. She died four months after the marriage.[4]

Therese Emma, Countess of Raina, died on 28 February 1848 in Mannheim. Prince George Bernhard died in Dresden on 16 October 1865.[7]

• Unofficial Royalty