| Leopold III | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Prince, then Duke of Anhalt-Dessau | |||||
| Reign | 16 December 1751 – 9 August 1817 | ||||
| Predecessor | Leopold II | ||||
| Successor | Leopold IV | ||||
| Regent | Dietrich of Anhalt-Dessau | ||||
| Born | 10 August 1740 Dessau, Anhalt | ||||
| Died | 9 August 1817 (aged 76) Luisium Castle, near Dessau, Anhalt | ||||
| Spouse | Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt | ||||
| Issue | Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau | ||||
| |||||
| House | Ascania | ||||
| Father | Leopold II | ||||
| Mother | Gisela Agnes of Anhalt-Köthen | ||||
| Religion | Lutheranism | ||||
Leopold III Frederick Franz, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau (10 August 1740 – 9 August 1817), known as "Prince Franz" or "Father Franz", was a German prince of the House of Ascania. From 1751 until 1807 he was reigning prince of the Principality of Anhalt-Dessau and from 1807 the first Duke of the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau.
A strong supporter of the Enlightenment, Leopold undertook numerous reforms in his principality and made Anhalt-Dessau one of the most modern and prosperous of the small German states. An Anglophile, Leopold also extended and altered the old gardens of Oranienbaum that were laid out in Dutch style to create the first and largest of the English parks of his time, renamed the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm.