Bernhard III, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg

Bernhard III
Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg.
Bernhard III's seal
Died	20 August 1348
Spouse	Agnes of Saxe-Wittenberg
Royal house	House of Ascania
Father	Bernhard II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg
Mother	Helene of Rügen

Bernhard III, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg (died 20 August 1348) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Bernburg.

He was the eldest son of Bernhard II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg, by his wife Helene, daughter of Wizlaw II, Prince of Rügen.

Life

Bernhard succeeded his father as ruler of Anhalt-Bernburg after his death in 1323. His two younger brothers renounced their rights in order to become priests, which left Bernhard as sole ruler of Bernburg. Along with his princely title, he also used the styles "Count of Askanien" and "Lord of Bernburg".

Marriages and children

In 1328 Bernhard married Agnes (ca. 1310 – 4 January 1338), daughter of Rudolph I, Elector of Saxony and Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg. Her paternal grandmother and namesake Agnes of Habsburg was a daughter of Rudolph I, King of the Romans. The spouses were third cousins: Agnes's great-grandfather Albert I, Duke of Saxony, was a brother of Henry I, Count of Anhalt, Bernhard's great-grandfather.

They had five children:

1. Bernhard IV, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg (died 28 June 1354)
2. Katharina (ca. 1330 – 30 January 1390), first married on 6 October 1356 to Magnus II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, then secondly on 11 May 1374 to Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg, Duke of Lüneburg
3. Henry IV, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg (died 7 July 1374)
4. Albert (died 1 August 1336)
5. Sophie (died 18 December 1362), married on 12 March 1346 to William II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

In 1339 Bernhard married for a second time to Matilda (died ca. 1342), daughter of Albert I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. Bernhard was more closely related to his bride: Matilda's grandfather was Siegfried I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, younger brother of Bernhard I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg, Bernhard's grandfather. The marriage was childless.

In ca. 1343, Bernhard married for a third time to another Matilda (died aft. 28 June 1354), daughter of Magnus I, Duke of Brunswick-Göttingen. Through her mother Sophie of Brandenburg, Matilda was a great-great-great-granddaughter of Otto I, Margrave of Brandenburg, older brother of Bernhard, Count of Anhalt, Bernhard's great-great-great-grandfather.

They had two children:

1. Otto III, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg (died 27 February 1404)
2. Gertrude, married bef. 12 August 1371 to Günther XII, Count of Schwarzburg.