Louise of Anhalt-Dessau

Louise of Anhalt-Dessau (b. Dessau, 10 February 1631 - d. Oława, 25 April 1680), was a German princess member of the House of Ascania in the branch of Anhalt-Dessau and by marriage Duchess of Legnica-Brzeg-Wołów-Oława.

She was the fifth child but third daughter of John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau by his first wife Agnes, daughter of Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.

Life

Louise married with Christian, Duke of Brieg-Oława on 24 November 1648 in her homeland, Dessau. At that time, her husband was only the co-ruler of his older brothers George III and Louis IV. Only four years later, in 1652, Louise gave birth her first child, a daughter called Karolina.

After receiving the inheritance of their uncle George Rudolf of Legnica in 1653, George III, Louis IV and Christian decided to made the division of their domains one year later (1654): Christian obtain the small and poor Duchies of Wołów and Oława. Louise and her husband settled their residence in Oława, where she gave birth in 1657 a second daughter, Louise, who died on 6 February 1660 aged thirty-two months. Seven months later, on 29 September, Louise gave birth her third child, the long-awaited son and heir, George William.

However, the eventual inheritance of all the Legnica lands over Christian seemed inminent, because none of his older brothers had surviving male issue. The deaths of Louis IV (1663) and George III, finally leave Christian as the sole ruler of all the familt lands.

Prince wołowskiego (1664-72), who inherited the duchy Legnicko-Brzeskie after his older brothers, Louis Anhalcka was regentką on behalf of a minor principality son George Wilhelm (born 1660). Oxen and Oława received as a widow frame. Princess, which is a tolerant and generous, financially assisted the Catholics, which may not please the people of Protestant duchy. They decided to accelerate the acquisition of majority by the son of princess. Despite her protests, Emperor Leopold I declared piętnastoletniego George Wilhelm adult and ruler duchy. Soon, along with his premature death, the princes of the line Piastowskich Legnicko-brzesko-wołowskich extinct in 1675. 

Louis Anhalcka last year of life has given the construction of the Baroque Silesian Piast mausoleum at the church of St. John the Baptist in Legnica, which was among commemorate Piastów, extinct along with her son.