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.

[2] Before her death on 14 January 1829, they had two children:[citation needed] On 4 October 1831. he married, for a second time, to Therese Emma von Erdmannsdorf (1807–1848) in Dresden.

[3] Before her death in 1848, they had seven children:[4] Therese Emma, Countess of Raina, died on 28 February 1848 in Mannheim.