Category Archives: Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Royals

Auguste of Anhalt-Dessau, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Auguste of Anhalt-Dessau, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The new counties remained in the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710.

The death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen without an heir in 1909 caused the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen to be united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union. Following his succession in Sondershausen, Prince Günther Victor dropped the name Rudolstadt from his title and assumed the title Prince of Schwarzburg.

At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. The territory that encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

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The first wife of the three wives of Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess Auguste of Anhalt-Dessau was born on August 18, 1793, in Dessau, then in the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. She was given the names Amalie Auguste but was called Auguste. Auguste was the eldest of the seven children and the elder of the two daughters of Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, and Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg. Her paternal grandparents were Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau and Princess Luise of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Auguste’s maternal grandparents were Friedrich V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, and Princess Karoline of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Auguste, on the right, with her mother and her siblings Leopold and Georg; Credit – Wikipedia

Auguste had six younger siblings:

Kavalierstrasse in Dessau with the Hereditary Prince’s Palace on the left; Credit – Wikipedia

Auguste grew up with her family at the Hereditary Prince’s Palace on Kavalierstrasse in Dessau. Her mother Amalie personally and thoroughly took care of the upbringing and education of her children.

Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 15, 1816, in her hometown of Dessau, 23-year-old Auguste married her first cousin Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, who was also 23 years old. Friedrich Günther was the son of Ludwig Friedrich II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Auguste’s maternal aunt Landgravine Karoline of Hesse-Homburg. When his father died in 1807, 14-year-old Friedrich Günther became the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt with his mother Karoline serving as Regent of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt until he came of age in 1814.

Auguste and Friedrich Günther had three sons. All three predeceased their father, leaving Friedrich Günther with no male heirs.

  • Friedrich Günther, Hereditary Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1818 – 1821), died in early childhood
  • Günther of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Hereditary Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1821 – 1845), unmarried, died in his 20s
  • Prince Gustav of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1828 – 1837), died in childhood

Auguste was popular with the people of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and was a supporter of the arts and sciences. She died, aged 60, on June 12, 1854, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, and was buried in the Alter Friedhof/Garnisonfriedhof (Old Cemetery/Garrison Cemetery) in Rudolstadt. When that cemetery was closed sometime after 1869, Auguste’s remains were moved to the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg (link in German), the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, now in the German state of Thuringia. Her remains were moved a second time to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas (link in German) in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg in the early 1940s.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas; Credit – Wikipedia

A year after Auguste’s death Friedrich Günther married Countess Helene of Reina (1835 – 1860). Helene was the daughter of Auguste’s brother Prince Georg of Anhalt-Dessau from his morganatic, second marriage. Although Helene was adopted by her paternal uncle Prince Wilhelm of Anhalt shortly before her marriage and assumed the title of Princess of Anhalt, her marriage to Friedrich Günther was considered morganatic under the House Laws of the Schwarzburg family. They had a set of twins, one boy and one girl, but Helene, aged 25, died three days after their birth. Friedrich Günther married for a third time to Marie Schultze (1840 – 1909) in 1861, but the marriage was also morganatic and was childless. Friedrich Günther survived his first wife Auguste by thirteen years, dying on June 28, 1867, at the age of 73. Friedrich Günther was succeeded by his brother Albrecht as all of his sons by Auguste had predeceased him and his son by his second wife was born from a morganatic marriage.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2022). Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/friedrich-gunther-prince-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Amalie von Hessen-Homburg. Wikipedia (German). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalie_von_Hessen-Homburg
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Auguste von Anhalt-Dessau. Wikipedia (German). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_von_Anhalt-Dessau
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2022). Friedrich von Anhalt-Dessau. Wikipedia (German). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_von_Anhalt-Dessau
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2022). Auguste of Anhalt-Dessau. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_of_Anhalt-Dessau
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Erbprinzliches Palais Dessau. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erbprinzliches_Palais_Dessau

Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The new counties remained in the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710.

The death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen without an heir in 1909 caused the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen to be united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union. Following his succession in Sondershausen, Prince Günther Victor dropped the name Rudolstadt from his title and assumed the title Prince of Schwarzburg.

At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. The territory that encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was the wife of Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt who reigned 1744 – 1767. Born on May 5, 1724, in Weimar, then in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in the German state of Thuringia, Bernardina Christina was the seventh of the eight children and the youngest of the four daughters of Ernst August I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and his first wife Eleonore Wilhelmine of Anhalt-Köthen. Bernardian Christina’s paternal grandparents were Johann Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and his first wife Sophie Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst. Her maternal grandparents were Prince Emmanuel Lebrecht of Anhalt-Köthen and Gisela Agnes of Rath, Countess of Nienburg.

Bernardina Christina had seven siblings but only Bernardina and two sisters survived childhood:

  • Wilhelm Ernst, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1717 – 1719), died in early childhood
  • Princess Wilhelmine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1717 – 1752), twin of Wilhelm Ernst, unmarried
  • Johann Wilhelm, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1719 – 1732), died in his teens
  • Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1720 – 1724), died in childhood
  • Princess Johanna of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1721 – 1722), died in infancy
  • Princess Ernestine Albertine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1722 – 1769), married (first wife) Philipp, Count of Lippe-Alverdissen, had four children
  • Prince Emmanuel Frederick of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1725 – 1729), died in childhood

In 1726, when Bernardina Christina was only two years old, her 30-year-old mother died. Bernardina Christina’s father was deeply affected by his wife’s death. Ernst August I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach decided to not marry again, choosing to live quietly with his mistresses. However, in 1732, Ernst August’s only surviving son Johann Wilhelm, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach died and it became necessary for Ernst August to marry again to provide an heir to his throne.

On April 7, 1734, 10-year-old Bernardina Christina got a stepmother when her father married Sophie Charlotte of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. Bernardina Christina had four half-siblings from her father’s second marriage:

Bernardina Christina’s husband Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 19, 1744, in Eisenach, then in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in the German state of Thuringia, 20-year-old Bernardina Christina married 23-year-old Johann Friedrich, who had become the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt just two months earlier.

Bernadina Christina and Johann Friedrich had six children but only two daughters survived childhood:

Bernadina Christina was active in charitable causes. In 1756, she founded the Bernardina Abbey for noblewomen in Rudolstadt. However, she did not live to see the inauguration of the abbey in 1757. On June 5, 1757, aged 33, Bernadina Christina died in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. She was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg (link in German), the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle (link in German) in Schwarzburg, now in the German state of Thuringia.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas where Bernadina Christina and her husband are buried; Credit – Von Michael Sander – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=543007

Bernadina Christina was deeply mourned by her husband Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, who never remarried. Johann Friedrich survived his wife by ten years, dying at the age of 46 on July 10, 1767, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany. He was buried with his wife at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg. In the early 1940s, the remains of Johann Friedrich and Bernardina Christina were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas (link in German) in Rudolstadt before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2023. Johann Friedrich (Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Friedrich_(Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt)> [Accessed 13 October 2023].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2023. Ernest Augustus I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Augustus_I,_Duke_of_Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach> [Accessed 13 October 2023].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2023. John Frederick, Prince Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frederick,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt> [Accessed 13 October 2023].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2023. Princess Bernardina Christina Sophia Of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Bernardina_Christina_Sophia_of_Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach> [Accessed 13 October 2023].
  • Flantzer, Susan,2020. Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johann-friedrich-prince-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/ [Accessed 13 October 2023].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/> [Accessed 13 October 2023].

Christina Sophia of East Frisia, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The new counties remained in the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710.

The death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen without an heir in 1909 caused the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen to be united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union. Following his succession in Sondershausen, Prince Günther Victor dropped the name Rudolstadt from his title and assumed the title Prince of Schwarzburg.

At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. The territory that encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Christina Sophia of East Frisia, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Christina Sophia of East Frisia ( See Wikipedia: East Frisia) was the second of the two wives of Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Born on March 16, 1688, in Bayreuth, then in the Margraviate of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, now in the German state of Bavaria, she was the second of the ten children and the eldest of the five children of Christian Eberhard, 3rd Prince of East Frisia and his first wife Princess Eberhardine Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen. Christina Sophia’s paternal grandparents were Georg Christian, Count of East Frisia and Duchess Christine Charlotte of Württemberg. Her maternal grandparents were Albrecht Ernst I, Prince of Oettingen-Oettingen and Duchess Christine Friederike of Württemberg. Sophia Christina’s grandmothers were sisters.

Christina Sophia had nine siblings:

  • Prince Leopold Ignaz of East Frisia (born and died 1687), died in infancy
  • Princess Marie Charlotte of East Frisia (1689 – 1761), married Friedrich Ulrich of East Frisia, had one daughter
  • Georg Albrecht, 4th Prince of East Frisia (1690 – 1734), married (1) Christiane Luise of Nassau-Idstein, had five children but only one survived infancy (2) Sophie Caroline of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, no children
  • Prince Ulrich Friedrich of East Frisia (born and died 1691), died in infancy
  • Prince Karl Enno of East Frisia (1692 – 1709), died in his teens
  • Princess Friederike Wilhelmine of East Frisia (1695 – 1750), unmarried
  • Prince Enno August of East Frisia (1697 – 1725), unmarried
  • Princess Juliana Luise of East Frisia (1698 – 1740), married Duke Joachim Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön, no children
  • Princess Christine Charlotte of East Frisia (1699 – 1733), unmarried

In 1700, when Christina Sophia was 12-years-old, her mother Eberhardine Sophie died at the age of 34. A year after her mother’s death, Christina Sophia’s father Christian Eberhard morganatically married his late wife’s maid of honor Anna Juliana von Kleinau, who received the title of Freifrau (Baroness) von Sandhorst.

Christina Sophia had one half-sister from her father’s second marriage:

  • Antoinette Sophie Juliane von Sandhorst (1707 – 1725), died from smallpox, aged 18

In 1708, when Christina Sophia was 20-years-old, her father Christian Eberhard, Prince of East Frisia, who had always been sickly died, aged 42, and was succeeded by his 18-year-old son Georg Albrecht.

Christina Sophie’s husband Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 4, 1727, Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the first wife of Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, died. On January 6, 1729, Friedrich Anton married again to Christina Sophia. While their marriage was childless, Christina Sophia was the stepmother to her husband’s two surviving children from his first marriage:

During Christina Sophia’s marriage to Friedrich Anton, her husband issued letters of protection to Jewish families and allowed them to settle in Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. These families developed into the Jewish community of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. In 1732, 2,000 Protestant exiles from Salzburg, Austria arrived in Rudolstadt. They had been expelled when Salzburg began enforcing Catholicism in 1731. They were welcomed with the ringing of church bells and a church service at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas Church (link in German) in Rudolstadt.

Schwarzburg Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

A year before Christiana Sophia’s marriage, a fire damaged Schwarzburg Castle (link in German) and the Schlosskirche (castle church, link in German). Reconstruction necessitated by a 1695 fire had just been completed in 1713. A fire at Heidecksburg Castle (link in German) in 1735 caused two wings to be burned down to the ground floor. The reconstruction costs were substantial and the reconstruction of Heidecksburg Castle was not completed until 1744, two months after Friedrich Anton’s death.

Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, circa 1890; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt died September 1, 1744, aged 52, in Rudolstadt. He was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. Christina Sophia survived her husband by six years, dying on March 31, 1750, in Rudolstadt, aged 62, and was buried with her husband at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas; Credit – Wikipedia

In the early 1940s, the remains of the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt family buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany before the demolition of Schwarzburg Castle and Schlosskirche Schwarzburg by the German government who planned to convert the castle into Adolf Hitler’s Imperial Guest House. However, the construction was never completed and the ruins of the castle and the incomplete construction of the guest house were left for years until reconstruction of the original castle, which is still occurring, began.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Christian Eberhard ‘Der Friedsame’ von Ostfriesland, 3’er fürst zu ostfriesland (2022) geni_family_tree. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Christian-Eberhard-von-Ostfriesland-3-er-F%C3%BCrst-zu-Ostfriesland/6000000016072127364# (Accessed: 07 September 2023).
  • Christian Everhard, Prince of East Frisia (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Everhard,_Prince_of_East_Frisia (Accessed: 07 September 2023).
  • Christina Sophia von Ostfriesland (1688–1750) (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Sophia_von_Ostfriesland_(1688%E2%80%931750) (Accessed: 07 September 2023).
  • Eberhardine Sophie von Oettingen-Oettingen (2022) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eberhardine_Sophie_von_Oettingen-Oettingen (Accessed: 07 September 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2020) Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/friedrich-anton-prince-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/ (Accessed: 07 September 2023).

Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The new counties remained in the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710.

The death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen without an heir in 1909 caused the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen to be united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union. Following his succession in Sondershausen, Prince Günther Victor dropped the name Rudolstadt from his title and assumed the title Prince of Schwarzburg.

At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. The territory that encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the first wife of Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Born on August 9, 1693, in Saalfeld, then in the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in the German state of Thuringia, Sophia Wilhelmina was the third of the eight children and the eldest of the five daughters of Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and his second wife Charlotte Johanna of Waldeck-Wildungen. Sophia Wilhemina’s paternal grandparents were  Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg. Her maternal grandparents were Count Josias II of Waldeck-Wildungen and Countess Wilhelmine Christine of Nassau-Siegen.

Sophia Wilhelmina had seven siblings but only four survived childhood:

  • Wilhelm Friedrich of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1691 – 1720), unmarried
  • Karl Ernst of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1692 – 1720), unmarried
  • Henriette Albertine of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1694 – 1695), died in infancy
    Luise Amaliaof Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1695 – 1713), died as a teenager
  • Charlotte of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld  (born and 1696), died in infancy
  • Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1697 – 1764), married Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had four sons and four daughters
  • Henriette Albertine of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1698 – 1728), unmarried

Sophia Wilhelmina had three half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Sophie Hedwig of Saxe-Merseburg who died on August 2, 1686, giving birth to a stillborn son.

In 1699, when Sophia Wilhelmina was six years old, her 34-year-old mother Charlotte Johanna died a little more than two months after giving birth to her eighth child. Sophia Wilhelmina’s father never remarried.

Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophia Wilhelmina’s father undertook a marriage policy to create a better alliance with the Principality of Schwarzburg Rudolstadt. On February 8, 1720, in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in the German state of Thuringia, 26-year-old Sophia Wilhelmina married 28-year-old Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Three years later, Sophia Wilhelmine’s younger brother, the future Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld married Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the younger sister of Sophie Wilhelmina’s husband.

Sophia Wilhelmina and Friedrich Anton had three children but only two survived childhood:

The marriage of Friedrich Anton and Sophia Wilhelmina lasted only seven years as Sophia Wilhelmina died on December 4, 1727, aged 34, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. She was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle (link in German) in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia.

Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, circa 1890; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophia Wilhelmina’s husband Friedrich Anton married again, on January 6, 1729, to Christina Sophia of East Friesia, the eldest daughter of Prince Christian Eberhard of East Friesia and Eberhadine Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen. Unfortunately, the marriage was childless. Friedrich Anton survived his first wife Sophia Wilhelmina by fifteen years, dying on September 1, 1744, aged 52, in Rudolstadt. He was also buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, as was his second wife Christina Sophia when she died six years later.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas; Credit – Wikipedia

In the early 1940s, the remains of the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt family buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany before the demolition of Schwarzburg Castle and Schlosskirche Schwarzburg by the German government who planned to convert the castle into Adolf Hitler’s Imperial Guest House. However, the construction was never completed and the ruins of the castle and the incomplete construction of the guest house were left for years until reconstruction of the original castle, which is still occurring, began.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2020) Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/friedrich-anton-prince-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/ (Accessed: 07 September 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2019) Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johann-ernst-iv-duke-of-saxe-coburg-saalfeld/ (Accessed: 07 September 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/> [Accessed 07 September 2023].
  • Princess Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Sophia_Wilhelmina_of_Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Accessed: 07 September 2023).
  • Sophie Wilhelmine von Sachsen-Saalfeld (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Wilhelmine_von_Sachsen-Saalfeld (Accessed: 07 September 2023).

Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The new counties remained in the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710.

The death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen without an heir in 1909 caused the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen to be united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union. Following his succession in Sondershausen, Prince Günther Victor dropped the name Rudolstadt from his title and assumed the title Prince of Schwarzburg.

At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. The territory that encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Princess Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was the wife of Ludwig Friedrich I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Born on December 22, 1670, in Gotha, then in the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, now in the German state of Thuringia, Anna Sophie was the eldest of the eight children and the eldest of the six daughters of Friedrich I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and his first wife Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels. Her paternal grandparents were Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg. Anna Sophie’s maternal grandparents were August, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, and Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Anna Sophie had seven younger siblings but only five survived childhood:

When Anna Sophie was ten-years-old, her mother Magdalena Sibylle died, aged 32, on January 7, 1681, just three months after giving birth to her last child. Later in 1681, Anna Sophie’s father Friedrich married a second time to Christine of Baden-Durlach, daughter of Frederick VI, Margrave of Baden-Durlach and Christina Magdalena of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken. Friedrich’s second marriage to Christine of Baden-Durlach was childless.

Anna Sophie’s husband; Ludwig Friedrich, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 15, 1691, at Friedenstein Palace in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, now in the German state of Thuringia, the nearly 21-year-old Anna Sophie married 24-year-old Ludwig Friedrich of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the son and heir of Albrecht Anton, Count of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and his wife Countess Emilie Juliane of Barby-Mühlingen. Emilie Juliane was the most productive of the German female hymn-writers, composing nearly 600 hymns. She was an early adherent of Pietism, a movement within Lutheranism that emphasized biblical doctrine, individual piety, and living a vigorous Christian life.

Anna Sophie’s daughter, also named Anna Sophie, who was the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld by marriage and great-great-grandmother of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert; Credit – Wikipedia

Ludwig Friedrich and Anna Sophie had thirteen children. Via their daughter, Anna Sophie who married Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Ludwig Friedrich and Anna Sophie are the ancestors of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, and their uncle Leopold I, King of the Belgians. The royal families of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom are their descendants.

  • Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1692 – 1744), married (1) Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, had one son and two daughters (2) Christina Sophia of East Frisia, no children
  • Amalie Magdalene of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (born and died 1693), died in infancy, twin of Sophie Luise
  • Sophie Luise of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (born and died 1693), died in infancy, twin of Amalie Magdalene
  • Sophie Juliane of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1694 – 1776), a nun at Gandersheim Abbey
  • Wilhelm Ludwig of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1696 – 1757), married morganatically Caroline Henriette Gebauer who was created Baroness of Brockenburg, had three sons and two daughters
  • Christine Dorothea of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1697 – 1698), died in infancy
  • Albrecht Anton of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1698 – 1720), unmarried
  • Emilie Juliane of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1699 – 1774), unmarried
  • Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1700 – 1780), married Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, had four sons and four daughters
  • Sophia Dorothea of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1706 – 1737), unmarried, twin of Friederike Luise
  • Friederike Luise of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1706 – 1787), unmarried, twin of Sophia Dorothea
  • Magdalena Sibylle of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1707 – 1795), a nun at Gandersheim Abbey
  • Ludwig Günther II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1708 – 1790), married Sophie Henriette of Reuss-Untergreiz, had two daughters and two sons

View of Schwarzburg Castle, lithograph around 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1697, Albrecht Anton, Count of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Ludwig Friedrich’s father, was raised to a Prince and the County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was raised to a principality by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. However, Albrecht Anton chose not to accept his elevation due to his religious modesty which focused on the Pietism of his mother. He also wanted to avoid a confrontation with his neighbors, the dukes from the Ernestine lines of the House of Wettin, (whose duchy names began with “Saxe”) who had opposed his elevation. In 1710, the elevation to Prince was offered again and this time, Albrecht Anton accepted it. However, he did not publish notice of his elevation and continued to use the style Count of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. On December 15, 1710, Albrecht Anton died and his son Ludwig Friedrich succeeded him. Ludwig Friedrich published notice of the elevation to Prince in 1711 and began using the style Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt on April 15, 1711. The elevation strengthened the position of the House of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt against the House of Wettin.

Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, circa 1890; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 24, 1718, Ludwig Friedrich I, aged 50, died in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany. He was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg (link in German), the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle (link in German), in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. Anna Sophie survived her husband by ten years, dying on December 28, 1728, at the age of 58, and was buried with her husband at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas; Credit – Wikipedia

In the early 1940s, the remains of the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt family buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas (link in German) in Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg and Schwarzburg Castle. The German government took possession of Schwarzburg Castle and compensated the widow of the last reigning prince. They planned to convert the castle into Adolf Hitler’s Imperial Guest House. In June 1940, demolition began on Schwarzburg Castle, one of the most important Baroque castles in central Germany. In 1942, the construction was stopped and the Imperial Guest House was never finished. The ruins of the castle and the incomplete construction of the guest house were left for years. The only thing that remained of the castle church was the tower dome but it was destroyed in a fire caused by fireworks on New Year’s Eve 1980. There has been much reconstruction on the castle especially after Schwarzburg Castle was transferred to the Thuringian Palaces and Gardens Foundation in 1994.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Anna Sophie von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Sophie_von_Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg (Accessed: 06 September 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2020) Ludwig Friedrich I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ludwig-friedrich-i-prince-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/ (Accessed: 06 September 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/> [Accessed 06 September 2023].
  • Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (2022) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I,_Duke_of_Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (Accessed: 06 September 2023).
  • Princess Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Anna_Sophie_of_Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (Accessed: 06 September 2023).

Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess of Lippe

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Principality of Lippe: Originally called Lippe-Detmold, the Principality of Lippe came into existence in 1789 when it was raised from a County within the Holy Roman Empire to a Principality. Leopold I, Count of Lippe-Detmold became the first Prince of Lippe.

At the end of World War I, Leopold IV, the last Prince of Lippe, was forced to abdicate on November 12, 1918. However, Leopold negotiated a treaty with the new government that allowed his family to remain in Lippe. Today the territory that encompassed the Principality of Lippe is located in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

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Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess of Lippe; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was the wife of Leopold III, Prince of Lippe. Born on October 1, 1833, in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, Elisabeth was the second but the eldest surviving of the four children and the only daughter of Albrecht, the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Princess Auguste of Solms-Braunfels. Her paternal grandparents were Ludwig Friedrich II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Karoline of Hesse-Homburg. Elisabeth’s maternal grandparents were Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels and Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Elisabeth had three brothers but only one survived childhood:

Elisabeth was raised in a strict but simple manner by her Swiss governess and received drawing and painting lessons from Richard Schinzel, who later became the last Rudolstadt court painter. On April 17, 1852, in Rudolstadt, 18-year-old Elisabeth married 30-year-old Leopold III, Prince of Lippe but their marriage was childless. However, Leopold, who loved children very much, invited many children to Detmold Castle (link in German) every year for Christmas.

Elisabeth’s husband Leopold III, Prince of Lippe; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth used all the means at her disposal for charitable causes. She published a booklet with Bible verses for every day of the year and designed wall decorations with Bible verses. The booklet and wall decorations were mass-produced and the proceeds went to Elisabeth’s charitable causes. Devoted to children, Elisabeth founded a school, the Elisabeth-Anstalt in the town of Blomberg. She also promoted the establishment and maintenance of the Augustineum Secondary School a school and teacher training center in Otjimbingwe, then in a settlement of the Herero people, now in the country of Namibia.

Throughout her life, Elisabeth remained connected to her homeland and regularly visited Rudolstadt. Although she was popular with the people of the Principality of Lippe, Elisabeth and her husband Leopold became increasingly estranged from each other which greatly distressed her. On December 8, 1875, Elisabeth’s husband Leopold III, Prince of Lippe, aged 54, died in Detmold after suffering a stroke and was succeeded by his brother Woldemar. Leopold was buried at the Mausoleum on the Büchenberg (link in German) in Detmold, Principality of Lippe, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

After Leopold’s death, Elisabeth moved into her widow’s residence at the New Palais in Detmold and continued her charitable work. She convinced her sister-in-law Princess Luise of Lippe to leave her palace to the Principality of Lippe upon her death so that it could house the Princely Public Library, today the Lippe State Library in Detmold (link in German). Among the other projects that Elisabeth sponsored was the Hostel zur Heimat Detmold (link in German), a facility for people in social distress, which is still in existence. As a condition of her support, Elisabeth stipulated that her name not be associated with the hostel.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt, where Elisabeth is interred; Credit – Von Telemarco, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46588535

After the death of her brother Georg Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1890, Elisabeth inherited the manor in Niederkrossen (link in German), then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. Elisabeth regularly stayed there and had a handicraft school built there in the town. While staying in Niederkrossen during the autumn of 1896, Elisabeth became ill with pneumonia, and died on November 27, 1896, at the age of sixty-three. As per her wishes, Elisabeth was not buried at the traditional burial site of the princely family of Lippe but rather in the princely crypt at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas (link in German), an Evangelical Lutheran church in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, where members of her birth family were buried.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Єлизавета Шварцбург-Рудольштадтська (2023) Wikipedia (Ukrainian). Available at: https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%84%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%A8%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%86%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B3-%D0%A0%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%88%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%82%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B0 (Accessed: 12 July 2023).
  • Elisabeth von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_von_Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (Accessed: 12 July 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2020) Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/albrecht-prince-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/ (Accessed: 12 July 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Leopold III, Prince of Lippe, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/leopold-iii-prince-of-lippe/ (Accessed: 12 July 2023).

Anna Luise of Schönburg-Waldenburg, Princess of Schwarzburg

by Susan Flantzer

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The new counties remained in the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710.

The death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen without an heir in 1909 caused the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen to be united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union. Following his succession in Sondershausen, Prince Günther Victor dropped the name Rudolstadt from his title and assumed the title Prince of Schwarzburg.

At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. The territory that encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Credit – Wikipedia

Anna Luise of Schönburg-Waldenburg was the wife of Günther Victor, the last sovereign Prince of both the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and was styled Princess of Schwarzburg. As a widow, Anna Luise was forced by the Nazis to leave Schwarzburg Castle so it could be demolished and Adolf Hitler’s Imperial Guest House built. The castle was demolished but the guest house was never completed. She spent the last years of her life living under the Communist regime of the German Democratic (East Germany).

Born on February 19, 1871, at Hermsdorf Castle (link in German) near Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, she was the only daughter and the youngest of the three children of Prince Georg of Schönburg-Waldenburg and Princess Luise of Bentheim-Tecklenburg.

Anna Luise had two older brothers:

  • Hermann of Schönburg-Waldenburg (1865 – 1943), married Thekla von Rothenberg, no children
  • Ulrich Georg of Schönburg-Waldenburg (1869 – 1939), married Pauline of Löwenstein-Werthelm-Freudenberg, had five children

Hermsdorf Castle; Credit – Von X-Weinzar – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6921372

Anna Luise grew up with her two brothers at Hermsdorf Castle, her birthplace, and Schneeberg in the Austrian Alps. From the age of six, she was taught together with her brother Ulrich Georg and several other children. Besides academic subjects, Anna Luise also had music and drawing lessons.

On December 9, 1891, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, 20-year-old Anna Luise married her 39-year-old first cousin Günther Victor, the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Six months later, her pregnancy was happily announced. However, in the seventh month of pregnancy, Anna Luise suffered a stillbirth. It had been a boy who would have ensured the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt succession. After the stillbirth, Anna Luise developed puerperal fever (childbed fever) along with pleurisy and cardiac issues. Afterward, Anna Luise was unable to have children which was a dynastic catastrophe for the House of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.

To ensure the continued existence of the House of Schwarzburg, Prince Sizzo of Leutenberg was appointed as Günther Victor’s successor by law on June 1, 1896, and was recognized as a member of the House of Schwarzburg. Prince Sizzo was the only son of Friedrich Günther, reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt from a morganatic marriage. Sizzo and his twin sister were created Prince and Princess of Leutenberg shortly after their birth but Sizzo did not have succession rights due to his parents’ morganatic marriage.

After he was recognized as a member of the House of Schwarzburg, Sizzo was able to use the title of Prince of Schwarzburg. Following the agreement, Sizzo became the heir presumptive of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, ahead of the Schwarzburg-Sondershausen princes, and third in line to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Following the death of Prince Karl Günther of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen in 1909, Günther Victor became Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Prince Sizzo became the heir presumptive to the two principalities. However, over time, the relationship between the cousins ​​Sizzo and Günther Victor deteriorated. Sizzo felt deprived for no valid reason. After a dispute, Günther Victor refused to allow Sizzo to stay in the castles in Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg. In 1918, their relationship had so deteriorated that they only came to an understanding through lawyers.

Anna Luise took on the role of mother of the country and became beloved by the people. She was the patron of various non-profit institutions and charities such as a social welfare facility for the elderly and poor in Quittelsdorf and the Anna Luise Nursing Home in Bad Blankenburg. During World War I, Anna Luise established the Anna Luise Medal given to women who cared for wounded soldiers.

When Prince Leopold of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen died in 1906, Günther Victor became heir presumptive to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. He succeeded in 1909 as Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, upon the death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The two Schwarzburg principalities were united under Günther Victor in a personal union and he was then styled Prince of Schwarzburg.

Günther Victor and Anna Luise; Credit – Wikipedia

After the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, the November Revolution of 1918 led to the end of all the German monarchies. On November 23, 1918, Günther Victor abdicated the throne of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and on November 25, 1918, he abdicated in Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Günther Victor made an agreement with the new government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. Günther Victor and Anna Luise retained ownership of Schwarzburg Castle (link in German) and Rothsfeld Hunting Lodge (link in German) and their associated lands and also had the right of residence in Heidecksburg Castle (link in German) and Sondershausen Castle. Anna Luisa accepted the forced loss that she and her husband had suffered with a heavy heart. According to her, the new government of the State of Thuringia only wanted to keep them as “historical oddities.”

Günther Victor died after a long illness on April 21, 1925, aged 72, at Sondershausen Castle in Sondershausen, Thuringia, Germany, and was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas (link in German) in Rudolstadt, Germany. Prince Sizzo became Head of the House of Schwarzberg. Günther Victor had made Anna Luise his sole heir and so she had to continue the legal battle with Prince Sizzo.  In 1926, Prince Sizzo died and Anna Luise ruled out the adoption of Prince Sizzo’s only son Prince Friedrich Günther who succeeded as Head of the House of Schwarzberg. She continued her husband’s original legal battles with Prince Sizzo with his son. In 1942, Anna Luise decided to adopt as her heir Prince Wilhelm of Schönburg-Waldenburg, the youngest son of her brother Ulrich.

Schwarzburg Castle in the 1930s; Credit – Wikipedia

After Günther Victor died in 1925, Anna Luise was allowed to continue to live in Schwarzburg Castle (link in German). This right of residence was initially not curtailed when the Nazis came to power in 1933. Anna Luise was not a supporter of the Nazi Party. In 1940, the Nazis planned to demolish Schwarzburg Castle and build an Imperial Guest House for Adolf Hitler in its place. Anna Luise had to leave the castle within a few days for financial compensation. In June 1940, demolition began on Schwarzburg Castle, one of the most important Baroque castles in central Germany. The remains of the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt family buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg (castle church) were moved to Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany. In 1942, the construction was stopped and the Imperial Guest House was never finished. The ruins of the castle and the incomplete construction of the guest house were left for years. The only thing that remained of the castle church was the tower dome but it was destroyed in a fire caused by fireworks on New Year’s Eve 1980. There has been much reconstruction work done on the castle especially after Schwarzburg Castle was transferred to the Thuringian Palaces and Gardens Foundation in 1994.

Sondershausen Castle, Anna Luise’s last home; Credit – Von HieRo GlyPhe – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10958015

After World War II, the area that had encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen were in the newly formed German Democratic Republic, also known as East Germany, and a satellite state of the Soviet Union. Soviet occupation authorities began transferring administrative responsibility to German communist leaders in 1948. In 1945, most of the Schwarzburg property was expropriated and the ownership was transferred to the government. Until her death, Anna Luise was allowed to reside in Sondershausen Castle (link in German).

Anna Luise in 1950; Credit – https://www.thueringen.de/

Anna Luise, aged 80, died November 7, 1951, in Sondershausen Castle in Sondershausen, East Germany, now in the German state of Thuringia. She was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt, East Germany, now in the German state of Thuringia. Although news of her death was kept secret by the Stasi, the state security police of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), the streets of Rudolstadt were full of people who paid her their last respects and there was standing room only for her funeral at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt/Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Index Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anna Luise Von Schwarzburg. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Luise_von_Schwarzburg> [Accessed 3 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Günther Victor (Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Victor_(Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt)> [Accessed 3 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Schloss Schwarzburg. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Schwarzburg> [Accessed 5 November 2020].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. 2020. Ana Luisa De Schönburg-Waldenburg. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana_Luisa_de_Sch%C3%B6nburg-Waldenburg> [Accessed 5 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/gunther-victor-prince-of-schwarzburg/>
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/> [Accessed 4 November 2020].

Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The new counties remained in the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710.

The death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen without an heir in 1909 caused the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen to be united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union. Following his succession in Sondershausen, Prince Günther Victor dropped the name Rudolstadt from his title and assumed the title Prince of Schwarzburg.

At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. The territory that encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Credit – Wikipedia

Günther Victor was the last sovereign Prince of both Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and was styled Prince of Schwarzburg. He was born on August 21, 1852, in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, the only son and the second of the four children of Prince Adolf of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Princess Mathilde of Schönburg-Waldenburg. Prince Adolf was the grandson of two reigning Princes of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt: Friedrich Karl and Johann Friedrich. Princess Mathilde was the granddaughter of Ludwig Friedrich II, reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Therefore, Günther Victor was the great-grandson of three reigning Princes of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Georg Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, who reigned from 1869 – 1890, was unmarried and had no surviving brothers. Therefore, his first cousin and Georg Victor’s father Prince Adolf of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was his heir presumptive. When Prince Adolf died in 1875, Georg Victor became the heir presumptive to the throne of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.

Günther Victor had three sisters:

Günther Victor received his early education from private tutors and then attended the Vitzthumsche Gymnasium (link in German) in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony. From 1868 – 1870, he was prepared for a military career and made study trips to Belgium, France, and England.

The Franco-Prussian War in 1870 caused Günther Victor to end his education. He served as a second lieutenant in the Dragoon Regiment of the Mecklenburg troops under his brother-in-law Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Günther Victor took part in the Siege of Toul, Siege of Metz, Siege of Paris, as well as the Battle of Orléans and the Battle of Le Mans. For his service, Günther Victor was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class and the Schwarzburg Cross of Honor 2nd class.

In 1871, Günther Victor was released from military service and he studied law, political science, and art history at the University of Leipzig. He returned to active military duty in 1874. Georg Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt died on January 19, 1890, and Günther Victor succeeded his unmarried, childless first cousin once removed.

Anna Luise of Schönburg-Waldenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

In November 1890, Günther Victor was betrothed to Luise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg but the couple did not get along and the engagement was broken in 1891. On December 9, 1891, in Rudolstadt, Günther Victor married his first cousin Anna Luise of Schönburg-Waldenburg, the daughter of Prince Georg of Schönburg-Waldenburg and Princess Luise of Bentheim-Tecklenburg. A stillbirth with complications in 1892 left Anna Luise unable to have children.

When Prince Leopold of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen died in 1906, Günther Victor became heir presumptive to the other Schwarzburg principality. He succeeded as Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen in 1909, upon the death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The two Schwarzburg principalities were united under Günther Victor in a personal union and he was then styled Prince of Schwarzburg. After the union of the two principalities, Günther Victor and Anna Luise had a total of six different residences and they regularly changed their residence about every two months.

Prince Sizzo; Credit – Wikipedia

In order to ensure the continued existence of the House of Schwarzburg due to Günther Victor’s lack of children, Prince Sizzo of Leutenberg was appointed as his successor by law on June 1, 1896, and was recognized as a member of the House of Schwarzburg. Prince Sizzo was the only son of Friedrich Günther, reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt from a morganatic marriage. Sizzo and his twin sister were created Prince and Princess of Leutenberg shortly after their birth but Sizzo did not have succession rights due to his parents’ morganatic marriage.

After he was recognized as a member of the House of Schwarzburg, Sizzo was able to use the title of Prince of Schwarzburg. Following the agreement, Sizzo became the heir presumptive of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, ahead of the Schwarzburg -Sondershausen princes, and third in line to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Following the death of Prince Karl Günther of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen in 1909, Prince Sizzo became the heir presumptive to the two principalities. However, over time, the relationship between the cousins ​​Sizzo and Günther Victor deteriorated. Sizzo felt deprived for no valid reason. After a dispute,  Günther Victor refused to allow Sizzo to stay in the castles in Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg. In 1918, their relationship had so deteriorated that they only came to an understanding through lawyers.

After the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, the November Revolution of 1918 led to the end of all the German monarchies. On November 23, 1918, Günther Victor abdicated the throne of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and on November 25, 1918, he abdicated in Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. He was the last German monarch to renounce the throne. Günther Victor made an agreement with the new government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences.

Günther Victor and Anna Luise; Credit – Wikipedia

Due to Günther Victor’s circulatory and heart problems, Anna Luise had to adjust her daily routine to ensure her husband’s proper care. She often traveled with Günther Victor to cures prescribed by his doctors. Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg died after a long illness on April 21, 1925, aged 72, at Sondershausen Castle in Sondershausen, Thuringia, Germany, and was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas (link in German) in Rudolstadt, Germany. Prince Sizzo succeeded him as Head of the House of Schwarzburg but he died less than a year later. Sizzo’s only son Prince Friedrich Günther succeeded him as the last Head of the House of Schwarzburg and last pretender to the Schwarzburg principalities.

Günther Victor’s wife Anna Luise survived him by 26 years, dying on November 7, 1951, aged 80, also in Sondershausen, but then in East (Communist), Germany, now in the German state of Thuringia, and was buried with her husband at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt/Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Index Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anna Luise Von Schwarzburg. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Luise_von_Schwarzburg> [Accessed 3 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Günther Victor (Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Victor_(Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt)> [Accessed 3 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Günther Victor, Prince Of Schwarzburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Victor,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg> [Accessed 3 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sizzo, Prince Of Schwarzburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sizzo,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg> [Accessed 3 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/> [Accessed 20 October 2020].

Georg Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

by Susan Flantzer

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The new counties remained in the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710.

The death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen without an heir in 1909 caused the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen to be united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union. Following his succession in Sondershausen, Prince Günther Victor dropped the name Rudolstadt from his title and assumed the title Prince of Schwarzburg.

At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. The territory that encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Credit – Wikipedia

Georg Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was born on November 23, 1838, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. He was the second of the three sons and the third of the four children of Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Princess Auguste of Solms-Braunfels.

Albrecht’s two brothers died in infancy. Only his sister survived childhood.

During his childhood, Georg Albrecht was very interested in horses and all things military. Because of this interest, a Kindergarde (Children’s Guard) was formed of noble sons and sons of civil servants who were outfitted with specially made uniforms and weapons. After being educated by private tutors, Georg Albrecht studied legal history, philosophy, and economics at the University of Göttingen and the University of Bonn. However, his higher education was cut short because of his desire to enter the Prussian Army. Georg Albrecht served as a first lieutenant in the Garde du Corps regiment starting in 1859. In 1864, he became an orderly officer of Lieutenant General Gustav von der Mülbe (link in German). He fought during the Second Schleswig War in 1864 and during the Austro-Prussian War in 1866.

Upon the death of his father on November 26, 1869, Georg Albrecht succeeded him as Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Soon afterward, he became engaged to his second cousin once removed Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. However, while traveling with his family through the various German monarchies, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, the second surviving son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, met his second cousin Marie. Vladimir and Marie quickly fell in love and subsequently Marie broke off her engagement to Georg Albert, who never did marry.

After he became Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Georg Albrecht remained in the Prussian Army for the rest of his life. During the Franco-Prussian War, he was a member of the General Staff of the 8th Infantry Division and was involved in the Battle of Sedan and the Battle of Beaumont. Following the defeat of France, Georg Albrecht was present when Wilhelm I, King of Prussia was declared German Emperor (Kaiser) in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in France, on January 18, 1871. In 1883, he was promoted to General of the Cavalry and in 1886, he was created a Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle. Because of his military duties, Georg Albrecht left the running of the government of the Principality of Schwarzberg-Rudolstadt mostly to his government ministers.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas; Credit – Wikipedia

Georg Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt died on January 19, 1890, aged 51, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, and was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas (link in German) in Rudolstadt. He was succeeded by his first cousin once removed Günther Victor.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Georg Albert (Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Albert_(Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt)> [Accessed 2 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Albert, Prince Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Albert,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt> [Accessed 2 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/> [Accessed 20 October 2020].

Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

by Susan Flantzer

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The new counties remained in the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710.

The death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen without an heir in 1909 caused the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen to be united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union. Following his succession in Sondershausen, Prince Günther Victor dropped the name Rudolstadt from his title and assumed the title Prince of Schwarzburg.

At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. The territory that encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Credit – Wikipedia

Born on April 30, 1798, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was the second of the four sons and the fifth of the seven children of Ludwig Friedrich II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Karoline of Hesse-Homburg. When he was nine-years-old, Albrecht’s father died and his fourteen-year-old brother Friedrich Günther became the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. As stipulated in Ludwig Friedrich’s will, Friedrich Günther’s mother Karoline served as Regent of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt until her son came of age in 1814.

Albrecht had six siblings but only two of his siblings survived childhood:

  • Cäcilie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1792 – 1794), died in childhood
  • Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1793 – 1867), married (1) Princess Auguste of Anhalt-Dessau, had three children (2) Countess Helene of Reina, morganatic marriage, had two children (3) Marie Schultze, morganatic marriage, no children
  • Thekla of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1795 – 1861), married Otto Victor, Prince of Schönburg-Waldenburg, had nine children
  • Karoline of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (born and died 1796), died in infancy
  • Bernhard of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1801 – 1816), twin of Rudolf, died in childhood
  • Rudolf of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1801 – 1808), twin of Bernhard, died in childhood

From October 7-9, 1806, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia was a guest at Heidecksburg Castle (link in German) in Rudolstadt. Ludwig Ferdinand was the commander of a Prussian-Saxon vanguard during the Napoleonic Wars against Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. The soldier-prince made a great impression upon the eight-year-old Albrecht and it sparked his interest in the military. Sadly, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia died on October 10, 1806, during the Battle of Saalfeld.  Albrecht was educated by private tutors but from 1810 – 1811, he and his brother Friedrich Günther were sent to Geneva, Switzerland to perfect their French.

By the age of sixteen, Albrecht was a lieutenant in the Prussian Army. From 1814 – 1815, he served as a member of the staff of his maternal uncle Ludwig Wilhem, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, in the Prussian campaign against Napoleon and received the Iron Cross 2nd class for his service. During his soldier years, Albrecht was often a guest at the Prussian court, and there he met his future wife Princess Auguste of Solms-Braunfels (1804 – 1865), daughter of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels and Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and niece of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. Auguste’s mother Friederike, born a Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, was by her three marriages, Princess of Prussia (married Prince Ludwig Karl, son of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia), Princess of Solms-Braunfels, and lastly Duchess of Cumberland and Queen of Hanover as the wife of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover, the fifth son and eighth child of King George III if the United Kingdom.

Auguste of Solms-Braunfels; Credit – Wikipedia

Albrecht and Auguste were married on July 27, 1827, at Schönhausen Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg. Albrecht’s wife Auguste died before he succeeded to the throne of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, dying on October 8, 1865, aged 61, and was buried in the Alter Friedhof/Garnisonfriedhof (Old Cemetery/Garrison Cemetery) in Rudolstadt.

The couple had four children:

Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of his brother Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, on June 28, 1867, Albrecht became the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. All of Friedrich Günther’s sons by his first wife had predeceased him and his only son by his second wife was born from a morganatic marriage and did not have succession rights. Three days after Albrecht succeeded to the throne, the North German Confederation, the German federal state which existed from July 1867 to December 1870 and was the precursor of the German Empire, came into effect. On October 23, 1869, Albrecht dissolved the state parliament due to a dispute over planned tax increases. The state parliament was reinstated during the reign of his son Georg Albrecht.

After a reign of two years and five months, Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt died on November 26, 1869, aged 71, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. He was buried with his wife in the Alter Friedhof/Garnisonfriedhof (Old Cemetery/Garrison Cemetery) in Rudolstadt. When that cemetery was closed sometime after 1869, the remains of Albrecht and Auguste were moved to the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg (link in German) at the Schloss Schwarzburg.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas; Credit – Wikipedia

In the early 1940s, the remains of the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt family buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas (link in German) in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany before the demolition of Schwarzburg Castle and Schlosskirche Schwarzburg by the German government who planned to convert the castle into Adolf Hitler’s Imperial Guest House. However, the construction was never completed and the ruins of the castle and the incomplete construction of the guest house were left for years until reconstruction of the original castle, which is still occurring, began.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Albert (Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_(Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt)> [Accessed 2 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Albert, Prince Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt> [Accessed 2 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/> [Accessed 20 October 2020].