Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Index

Prince Günther Victor, the last reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

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.

The Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen within the German Empire; Credit – By Milenioscuro – Own work based on: File:Deutsches Reich (Karte) Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35265403

Below is an indexed listing with links to biographical articles about the Princely Family of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. If it says “Notable Issue” before a name, that means not all of the children for the parent of that person are listed. Also listed below are links to the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Content Areas. Note that not all wives of the Princes of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt have articles due to the lack of information.

House of Schwarzburg

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1710 – 1918)

Family of Ludwig Friedrich I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Family of Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Family of Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Family of Ludwig Günther II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Family of Friedrich Karl, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

  • Friedrich Karl, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (reigned 1790-1793)
  • Friederike of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (first wife of Friedrich Karl)
    • Notable Issue: Ludwig Friedrich II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (see below)
  • Auguste Louise Friederike of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (2nd wife of Friedrich Karl, no children)

Family of Ludwig Friedrich II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Family of Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Family of Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Georg Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg

Pretenders to the Throne

  • LAST REIGNING: Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg (reigned 1890 – 1918, pretender 1918 – 1925)
  • Former: Sizzo, Prince of Schwarzburg (pretender 1925-1926)
  • Former: Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg (pretender 1926-1971 – The male line of the House of Schwarzburg became extinct.)

Other Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Royals

Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Content Areas