AnhaltCöthen

Anhalt-Köthen, also known in German as Anhalt-Cöthen, was a historic principality of the Holy Roman Empire located in what is now the central part of Germany. It emerged in 1603 when the ancestral lands of the House of Ascania were partitioned among the Anhalt lines, with Köthen serving as its capital. The territory covered areas around Köthen (Anhalt) in the northern part of present-day Saxony-Anhalt and bordered other Anhalt states as well as neighboring principalities.

As a sovereign state within the empire, Anhalt-Köthen was ruled by a line of princes from the Ascanian dynasty. The principality adhered to the Lutheran Reformation and participated in the complex political structure of the Holy Roman Empire, maintaining a degree of autonomy while acknowledging imperial authority.

Culturally, Anhalt-Köthen is notable for its association with Johann Sebastian Bach, who served as Kapellmeister there from 1717 to 1723 under Prince Leopold. During Bach’s tenure, Köthen became a center for instrumental music and court culture, although the court life emphasized secular music more than liturgical works.

The principality ceased to exist as an independent entity during the German mediatisation of 1806–1807, when it was absorbed into the Kingdom of Prussia and incorporated into the Prussian Province of Saxony. Today, the former territory lies within the state of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, with Köthen continuing as the principal town and a reminder of its former status as a separate German realm.