Biography

Johanne Sophie Herre. (1706-1795) (aka. Countess d'Anhalt)

A commoner, she secretly married Wilhelm Gustav von Anhalt-Dessau (1699-1737) in 1726. Her husband was the first-born son of Leopold I of Anhalt-Dessau, but as a consequence of this marriage, his father was succeeded as monarch of Anhalt-Dessau not by Wilhelm, but by Wilhelm's younger brother, Leopold Maximillian (1700-1751). Only after Wilhelm's death in 1737 was his widow and their children granted the titles of Counts and Countesses of Anhalt.

One of her sons was Friedrich, Count of Anhalt.

Life with James Boswell:

Boswell waited on her, and was apparantely introduced to her and her three daughters, at Dessau on September 25, 1764.

This article was last updated at March 10 2008 22:34:21 CET

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