Background
Bathildis was born at Dessau, Anhalt, as the second child of Prince Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau (son of Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau and Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg) and his wife Princess Marie Luise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel, (daughter of Landgrave William of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Charlotte of Denmark).