Christian Günther III, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

by Susan Flantzer

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 – www.geni.com

The grandson of Christian Wilhelm, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Christian Günther III, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was born on June 24, 1736. He was the second but the eldest surviving of the four sons and the fourth of the sixth children of Prince August of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (link in German) and Charlotte Sophie of Anhalt-Bernburg. His father had been given the Schloss Ebeleben (link in German) as his residence and Christian Günther spent a happy childhood there.

Christian Günther had five siblings but only two siblings survived childhood:

  • Friederike Auguste (1723 – 1725), died in childhood
  • Charlotte (1732 – 1774), married Heinrich II, Count of Reichenbach-Goschütz, had sixteen children
  • Christian Wilhelm (1734 – 1737), died in childhood
  • Johann Günther (1737 – 1738), died in infancy
  • August (1738 – 1806), married Christine Elisabeth Albertine of Anhalt-Bernburg, had four children

Christian Günther and his wife Charlotte Wilhelmine; Credit – Europena Collections (de) Christian Günther III., Fürst von Schwarzburg-Sondershausen – https://www.europeana.eu/item/92062/BibliographicResource_1000126071681. Österreichische Nationalbibliothek – Austrian National Library – http://www.bildarchivaustria.at/TELRequest.aspx?p_ImageID=5229709. Public Domain Mark – http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

On February 4, 1760, Christian Günther III married Charlotte Wilhelmine of Anhalt-Bernburg (1737-1777), daughter of Victor Friedrich II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg and his second wife Albertine of Brandenburg-Schwedt.

The couple had six children:

  • Günther Friedrich Karl I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1760 – 1837), married Caroline of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had two children including Günther Friedrich Karl II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
  • Catharina Charlotte Friederike Albertine (1761 – 1801), married Prince Friedrich Christian Carl Albert of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, had one child Guntherina of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen who married her uncle (see below)
  • Günther Albrecht August (1767 – 1833), unmarried
  • Caroline Auguste Albertine (1769 – 1819), Deaness of the Protestant Herford Abbey
  • Albertine Wilhelmine Amalie (1771 – 1829), married Duke Ferdinand of Württemberg, divorced, no children
  • Johann Carl Günther (1772 – 1842), married his niece Guntherina of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, had four children

On November 6, 1758, 22-year-old Christian Günther succeeded his uncle Heinrich XXXV, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen because his uncle was unmarried and had no children, and Christian Günther III’s father had died in 1750. Christian Günther was immediately faced with problems from his uncle’s reign. Heinrich XXXV is considered the most controversial Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. He was emotionally distant from his subjects and reveled in ostentatious displays of wealth. The Seven Years’ War (1756 – 1763), a global conflict for supremacy between Great Britain and France, began during Heinrich’s reign and saw disputes between Prussia and Austria which affected the other Germanic monarchies. Heinrich had given no financial support to any forces in the war or any of his affected subjects. He had preferred to spend his money on luxuries. Christian Günther aptly dealt with corruption in the government and the effects of the Seven Years’ War. Unlike his uncle, he was considered frugal in both government and family affairs.

The Blue Hall at Schloss Sondershausen; Credit – Wikipedia

During the reign of Christian Günther, there were extensive building and renovation projects. At the Schloss Sondershausen (link in German), he had the north wing extended and added the west wing with the famous Blue Hall in the Rococo style. The blue and white color scheme was used in honor of the state colors of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Christian Günther particularly loved the Schloss Ebeleben (link in German) where he had spent his childhood. He had the Schloss expanded and completely redesigned the park which became famous for its statues, fountains, and flowers.

The Deer Fountain at Schloss Ebeleben; Credit – Von CTHOE – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62575314

Charlotte Wilhelmine predeceased her husband Christian Günther, dying in 1777, aged 41, but her burial site is unknown. Christian Günther III, aged 58, died on October 14, 1794, and his burial site is also unknown. He was succeeded by his eldest son Günther Friedrich Karl I.

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-Sondershausen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian Günther III. (Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_G%C3%BCnther_III._(Schwarzburg-Sondershausen)> [Accessed 11 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian Günther III, Prince Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_G%C3%BCnther_III,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg-Sondershausen> [Accessed 11 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-sondershausen/> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Heinrich XXXV, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

by Susan Flantzer

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

Heinrich XXXV, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is considered the most controversial Princes of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Born on November 8, 1689, he was the eldest of the five sons and the third of the eight children of Christian Wilhelm, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and his second wife Wilhelmine Christiane of Saxe-Weimar (1658 – 1712).

Heinrich had seven siblings:

  • Johanna Auguste (1686 – 1703), died in childhood
  • Christiane Wilhelmine (1688 – 1749), unmarried
  • August (1691 – 1750), married Charlotte Sophie of Anhalt-Bernburg, had six children including Christian Günther III, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
  • Henriette Ernestine (1692 – 1759), unmarried
  • Rudolf (1695 – 1749), unmarried
  • Wilhelm (1699 – 1762), unmarried
  • Christian (1700 – 1749), married Sophie Christine Eberhardine of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, had five children

Heinrich had seven half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Antonie Sybille of Barby-Mühlingen (1641 – 1684):

  • Anton Albrecht(1674 – 1680), died in childhood
  • August Wilhelm (1676 – 1690), died in childhood
  • Günther XLIII, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1678 – 1740), married Elisabeth Albertine of Anhalt-Bernburg, no children
  • Magdalene Sophie (1680 – 1751), married Count Georg Albert von Schönburg-Hartenstein, had seven children
  • Christiane Emilie (1681- 1751), married Adolf Friedrich II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (third wife), had two children
  • Luise Albertine (1682 – 1765), unmarried
  • Antonie Sibylle (born and died 1684), died in infancy

In 1713, a decree had been issued instituting primogeniture. The reigning Prince’s oldest son would be his sole successor, rather than having to share reigning with his younger brother(s) as Heinrich’s father did. This change meant that Heinrich would not be entitled to a share of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Greatly upset with this change and his entire family, Heinrich left the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. He settled at a country estate in Bürgel, now in the German state of Thuringia, but then in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar where Heinrich’s maternal uncle Wilhelm Ernst was the reigning Duke of Saxe-Weimar.

However, Heinrich eventually succeeded to the throne of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The marriage of Heinrich’s half-brother Günther XLIII, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen produced no children. Upon his half-brother’s death on November 28, 1740, Heinrich became the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Heinrich returned to Schwarzburg-Sondershausen where he lived at Schloss Sondershausen.

Heinrich’s Golden Coach; Credit – Wikipedia

Heinrich was emotionally distant from his subjects and often traveled outside his principality. He reveled in ostentatious displays of wealth. For example, he owned a hugely expensive collection of diamonds that gave him the nickname “Prince of Diamonds.” He owned 37 state coaches, including his Golden Coach (link in German), built in Paris, France in 1710, that is now on display in Schloss Sondershausen. Because of his strained relationship with his siblings, Heinrich left his personal possessions to Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

The Seven Years’ War (1756 – 1763), a global conflict for supremacy between Great Britain and France, began during the end of Heinrich’s reign and saw disputes between Prussia and Austria which affected the other Germanic monarchies. Heinrich gave no financial support to any forces in the war or any of his affected subjects. He preferred to spend his money on luxuries.

Heinrich never married. He died on November 6, 1758, aged 68, and his burial site is unknown. Because he had no children, he was succeeded by Christian Günther III, the eldest son of his younger brother August.

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-Sondershausen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Heinrich XXXV. (Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_XXXV._(Schwarzburg-Sondershausen)> [Accessed 11 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Henry XXXV, Prince Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_XXXV,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg-Sondershausen> [Accessed 11 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-sondershausen/> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Alexandre-Athenase Noghès, First Husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Alexandre-Athenase Noghès was the lover and first husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, with whom he had three children. The couple married three months after their last child was born, but divorced three years later.

Alexandre-Athenase Noghès was born in Monaco on June 15, 1916, the son of Antony Noghès and Marie Markellos-Petsalis. His father, Antony, served in the Monegasque government, responsible for the procurement, manufacturing, and sale of tobacco in the principality. An avid racing fan, he served as Commissioner-General of the Monte Carlo Automobile Club (his own father was the club’s first president), and organized the first Monaco Grand Prix which took place in 1929. He later succeeded his father as President of the club in 1940. Alexandre had one sister and one half-brother from his father’s second marriage:

  • Bathilde Noghès (1913-2002) – married Grégoire Livieratos, had issue
  • Gilles Noghès (born 1947) – married (1); Martine Peyret, no issue, divorced; (2) Florence Leroux, had issue, divorced; (3) Ellen Van Faasen, no issue. Gilles has worked in the Monegasque government since 1979, and in 2006, he became the Principality’s first Ambassador to the United States and served as Ambassador to the United Nations.

Aleco (as he was known) became a tennis player, playing in tournaments around Europe and representing Monaco in the Davis Cup. He later became a lawyer. He was married three times. His first wife was Marie Angèle Bastel, who he married in Monaco. The couple had one son before divorcing:

  • Lionel Noghès (born 1941) – race car driver for several years until suffering serious injuries in a crash at Le Mans. He has since had several businesses including a home furnishings company and published an autobiography in 2016.

Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness de Massy. photo: AP

In the mid-1940s, he began a relationship with Princess Antoinette of Monaco, the elder sister of Prince Rainier III. The couple had three children together:

  • Elizabeth-Ann de Massy, born January 13, 1947 – married Baron Bernard Alexandre Taubert-Natta, had issue, divorced; (2) Nicolai Vladimir Costello, had issue, divorced. Elizabeth-Ann died on June 10, 2020
  • Christian Louis de Massy, born January 17, 1949 – married (1) María Marta Quintana y del Carril, had issue, divorced; (2) Anne Michelle Lütken, no issue, divorced; (3) Julia Lakschin, no issue, divorced; (4) Cécile Irène Gelabale, had issue, divorced.
  • Christine Alix de Massy, born July 8, 1951 – married (1) Charles Wayne Knecht, had issue; (2) Leon Leroy, no issue. Christine Alix died on February 15, 1989.

As they were illegitimate, the children all had the surname Grimaldi, until October 1951, when Antoinette was created Baroness de Massy, and they began using de Massy as their surnames. On December 4, 1951, Aleco and Antoinette were married in a civil ceremony held at the Monegasque Consulate in Genoa. The marriage legitimated their children, giving them places in the line of succession at the time. The marriage, however, only lasted three years, and the couple divorced in 1954. Antoinette retained full custody of the children, and apparently limited their contact with their father.

Aleco spent several years living on his yacht in Monaco before moving to the United States. There, he met his third wife Margaret “Margot” James. The couple married in Las Vegas on June 13, 1970, and eventually settled in California. Alexandre Athenase Noghès died in Los Angeles on February 16, 1999, just three months before his 83rd birthday.

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.

Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester, Mistress of King James II of England

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine Sedley was born on December 21, 1657, the only child of Sir Charles Sedley, 5th Baronet of Ailesford, and his wife Lady Catherine Savage, daughter of John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers. Catherine’s father was a Member of Parliament, a poet, and a playwright. During the reign of King Charles II of England, Sir Charles Sedley belonged to the intimate circle around Charles II and was known both for his wit and for his extravagant lifestyle. When Catherine was around twelve years old, her mother was sent to a convent in Ghent in the Habsburg Netherlands, now in Belgium, because of severe mental illness and remained in the care of the nuns until her death in 1705. Around 1670, Sir Charles began a relationship with Ann Ayscough that lasted for the rest of his life. Sir Charles and Ann Ayscough had two sons, Catherine’s half-brothers: William Sedley who died in childhood, and Charles Sedley who was knighted by King William III in 1689 and created 1st Baronet of Southwell in 1702. Because his sons were born out of wedlock Sir Charles Baronet’s title became extinct upon his death in 1701.

James, Duke of York, the future King James II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1677, Catherine Sedley, because of her family’s wealth, was considered as a marriage prospect for John Churchill, later 1st Duke of Marlborough, by his parents Sir Winston and Lady Churchill. However, negotiations were broken off but not before Catherine had become a frequent visitor to the court of King Charles II at the Palace of Whitehall. Catherine was eventually appointed a maid of honor to Maria Beatrice of Modena, Duchess of York, the second wife of James, Duke of York. Because King Charles II and his wife Catherine of Braganza had no children, James was the heir presumptive to the throne and did succeed his brother in 1685. Catherine caught the eye of James and became his mistress. Before she was sixteen years old, the diarist Samuel Pepys described Catherine as “none of the most virtuous, but a wit.” Catherine herself could not account for her success: “It cannot be my beauty for he must see I have none, and it cannot be my wit, for he has not enough to know I have any.”

Catherine and James had three children:

Catherine Sedley, circa 1685; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1685, upon the death of his brother King Charles II, who had at least fourteen illegitimate children but no legitimate children, James became King James II of England. Catherine’s yearly pension was doubled to £4,000 and she was created Countess of Dorchester and Baroness of Darlington in her own right for life. However, it was the birth in 1688 of his longed-for son and heir which was the undoing of King James II. The English were willing to put up with one Catholic King but not a Catholic dynasty and King James II’s Protestant daughter Mary from his first marriage and nephew and son-in-law, William III, Prince of Orange were invited by Parliament to replace him and reign jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II of England. James II, with his wife and son, fled to France to spend the rest of his life supported by his first cousin King Louis XIV of France.

Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester, remained in England where her father boasted about his support for the new king and queen: “Well I am even with King James in point of civility, for as he made my daughter a Countess, so I have helped to make his daughter a Queen.” Catherine had no qualms about attending Queen Mary II’s court. Faced with Mary II’s coldness on seeing her father’s ex-mistress, Catherine had a typically brazen reply ready: “Remember, Ma’am, if I broke one Commandment with your father, you have broken another against him.” With the end of King James II’s reign, Catherine’s pension stopped and the grants of Irish land James II had given her were called into question. However, she may have acted as a double agent for William III who gave her a pension.

David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 20, 1696, 39-year-old Catherine married Sir David Colyear (1656 – 1730), Lieutenant-General of the Scots Brigade, the three Scottish regiments which had been fighting in the service of William III, Prince of Orange, now King of England. William III highly regarded Sir David and his military abilities and created him Earl of Portmore, Viscount of Milsington, and Lord Colyear in 1703.

The two sons of Catherine and David Colyear; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine and her husband had two sons:

In 1714, at the coronation of King George I, Catherine met Charles II’s mistress Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, and William III’s mistress Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Orkney, and exclaimed “God! Who would have thought that we three whores should meet here.”

Catherine Sedley Colyear, Countess of Dorchester, Countess of Portmore died in Bath, England on October 26, 1717, aged 59, and her life peerage became extinct. She was initially buried in Bath, but in 1729, her remains were reinterred in the new Portmore vault at St. James’ Church in Weybridge, Surrey, England, where she had lived with her husband. Her husband David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore survived her by thirteen years, dying on January 2, 1730, at the age of 73, and was buried with Catherine.

St. James’ Church in Weybridge, Surrey, England; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

  • Beauclerk-Dewar, P. and Powell, R., 2006. Right Royal Bastards. Wilmington, DE: Burke’s Peerage & Gentry.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Catherine Sedley, Countess Of Dorchester. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Sedley,_Countess_of_Dorchester> [Accessed 20 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. David Colyear, 1St Earl Of Portmore. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Colyear,_1st_Earl_of_Portmore> [Accessed 20 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sir Charles Sedley, 5Th Baronet. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Charles_Sedley,_5th_Baronet> [Accessed 20 September 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2017. King James II Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-james-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
  • Genealogics.org. 2020. Catherine Sedley Countess Of Dorchester. [online] Available at: <https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00022999&tree=LEO> [Accessed 20 September 2020].

Günther XLIII, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

by Susan Flantzer

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 August 13, 1678, Günther XLIII, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was the third but the eldest surviving of the three sons and the third of the seven children of Christian Wilhelm, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and his first wife Antonie Sybille of Barby-Mühlinge.

Günther XLIII had six siblings:

  • Anton Albrecht (1674 – 1680), died in childhood
  • August Wilhelm (1676 – 1690), died in childhood
  • Magdalene Sophie (1680 – 1751), married Count Georg Albert von Schönburg-Hartenstein, had seven children
  • Christiane Emilie (1681- 1751), married Adolf Friedrich II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (third wife), had two children
  • Luise Albertine (1682 – 1765), unmarried
  • Antonie Sibylle (born and died 1684), died in infancy

When Günther was six-years-old, his mother died. Later the same year, Günther’s father married Wilhelmine Christiane of Saxe-Weimar (1658 – 1712). Günther XLIII had eight half-siblings from his father’s second marriage:

  • Johanna Auguste (1686 – 1703), died in childhood
  • Christiane Wilhelmine (1688 – 1749), unmarried
  • Heinrich XXXV, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1689 – 1758), unmarried
  • August (1691 – 1750), married Charlotte Sophie of Anhalt-Bernburg, had six children including Christian Günther III, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
  • Henriette Ernestine (1692 – 1759), unmarried
  • Rudolf (1695 – 1749), unmarried
  • Wilhelm (1699 – 1762), unmarried
  • Christian (1700 – 1749), married Sophie Christine Eberhardine of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, had five children

Elisabeth Albertine of Anhalt-Bernburg; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 2, 1712 in Bernburg, Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, Günther married Elisabeth Albertine of Anhalt-Bernburg (1693-1774), daughter of Prince Karl Friedrich of Anhalt-Bernburg and his first wife Sophie Albertine of Solms-Sonnenwalde. Their marriage was happy but the couple had no children.

Günther began to take some governmental responsibility during the reign of his father and by 1720, the government was entirely in his hands. His father died on May 10, 1721, and Günther became the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. In 1713, a decree had been issued instituting primogeniture. The reigning Prince’s oldest son would be his sole successor, rather than having to share reigning with his younger brother(s) as Günther’s father did.

Jagdschloss zum Possen; Credit – Von Krajo – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1754158

Günther enjoyed hunting and so he built a hunting lodge on the Hainleite, a heavily-wooded ridge of hills near Sondershausen. The name of the hunting lodge, Jagdschloss zum Possen, (Hunting Castle of Antics – link in German) came from a poem written by his half-sister Christiane Wilhelmine.

Günther XLIII, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen died on November 28, 1740, aged 62. His burial site is unknown. Because he had no children, his half-brother succeeded him as Heinrich XXXV, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. His wife Elisabeth Albertine, aged 81, died on July 7, 1774, in Arnstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia, surviving her husband by nearly 34 years. Her burial site is also unknown.

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-Sondershausen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Albertine Von Anhalt-Bernburg. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Albertine_von_Anhalt-Bernburg> [Accessed 11 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Günther XLIII. (Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_XLIII._(Schwarzburg-Sondershausen)> [Accessed 11 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Günther XLIII, Prince Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_XLIII,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg-Sondershausen> [Accessed 11 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-sondershausen/> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Christian Wilhelm, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

by Susan Flantzer

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

Christian Wilhelm, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was born on January 6, 1647, in Sondershausen, County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia. He was the eldest of the five sons and the second of the ten children of Anton Günther I, Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Mary Magdalene of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld.

Christian Wilhelm had nine siblings:

  • Anna Dorothea (1645 – 1716), married Heinrich IV of Reuss-Greiz, had eight children
  • Klare Juliane (1648 – 1739), unmarried
  • Eleonore Sofie (1650 – 1718), unmarried, nun at the Protestant Quedlinburg Abbey
  • Anton Günther II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1653 – 1716), married Auguste Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, no children
  • Mary Magdalene (1655 -1727), unmarried
  • Georg Friedrich (born and died 1657), died in infancy
  • George Ernest (1658 – 1659), died in infancy
  • Ludwig Günther (born and died 1660), died in infancy
  • Johanne Elisabeth (1662 – 1720), unmarried

Christian Wilhelm’s brother Anton Gunther II; Credit – www,geni.com

Upon the death of their father Anton Günther I, Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen on August 19, 1666, Christian Wilhelm and his brother Anton Gunther II jointly inherited the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The two brothers ruled jointly until 1681 when they split the county into two parts. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and both brothers became princes. When Anton Günther II died in 1716, Christian Wilhelm became the sole ruler of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

In 1672, Christian Williams became engaged to Ludmilla Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, who had a talent for writing hymns. However, before the wedding could take place, Ludmilla Elisabeth and two of her sisters died during a measles epidemic.

On August 22, 1673, Christian Wilhelm married Antonie Sybille of Barby-Mühlingen (1641 – 1684), daughter of Count Albrecht Friedrich of Barby-Mühlingen and Sophie Ursula of Oldenburg. The couple had seven children:

  • Anton Albrecht(1674 – 1680), died in childhood
  • August Wilhelm (1676 – 1690), died in childhood
  • Günther XLIII, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1678 – 1740), married Elisabeth Albertine of Anhalt-Bernburg, no children
  • Magdalene Sophie (1680 – 1751), married Count Georg Albert von Schönburg-Hartenstein, had seven children
  • Christiane Emilie (1681- 1751), married Adolf Friedrich II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (third wife), had two children
  • Luise Albertine (1682 – 1765), unmarried
  • Antonie Sibylle (born and died 1684), died in infancy

Antonie Sybille died in 1684, aged 43, but her burial site is unknown. Later the same year, Christian Wilhelm married Wilhelmine Christiane of Saxe-Weimar (1658 – 1712), daughter of Johann Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Christine Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. Wilhelmine Christiane also predeceased her husband, dying at the age of 54, and her burial place is also unknown.

Christian Wilhelm and Wilhelmine Christiane had eight children:

  • Johanna Auguste (1686 – 1703), died in childhood
  • Christiane Wilhelmine (1688 – 1749), unmarried
  • Heinrich XXXV, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1689 – 1758), unmarried
  • August (1691 – 1750), married Charlotte Sophie of Anhalt-Bernburg, had six children including Christian Günther III, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
  • Henriette Ernestine (1692 – 1759), unmarried
  • Rudolf (1695 – 1749), unmarried
  • Wilhelm (1699 – 1762), unmarried
  • Christian (1700 – 1749), married Sophie Christine Eberhardine of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, had five children

While Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a County, the Electorate of Saxony claimed sovereignty over the County. This began to change when Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was raised to a Principality. During his reign, Christian Wilhelm increasingly freed himself from the dominance of the Electorate of Saxony.

Schloss Sondershausen; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian Wilhelm was responsible for the renovation of three wings of the Schloss Sondeshausen (link in German). The three Renaissance wings of the palace were altered and enlarged in the Baroque style. The Giant Hall extends over the entire second floor of the south wing and is decorated in the style of the high Baroque with 22 ceiling paintings featuring scenes from Ovid‘s “Metamorphoses” and 16 larger-than-life statues around the perimeter of the hall representing Greek gods. This website gives a 360-degree view of the Giant Hall: https://www.raumbild-ndh.de/referenzen/02-tourismus/sdh-schloss/riesensaal-tour/riesensaal.html

Christian Wilhelm, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen died on May 10, 1721, aged 74, in Sondershausen, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. His burial site is unknown.

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-Sondershausen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian Wilhelm (Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Wilhelm_(Schwarzburg-Sondershausen)> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Schloss Sondershausen. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Sondershausen> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian William I, Prince Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_William_I,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg-Sondershausen> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-sondershausen/> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Auguste Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

by Susan Flanzter

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

Auguste Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, the wife of Anton Günther II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is famous for her miniature doll town Mon Plaisir still on display. Born on December 16, 1666, in Wolfenbüttel, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, she was the third of the six daughters and the ninth of the thirteen children of Anton Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Juliane of Holstein-Norburg.

Auguste Dorothea had twelve siblings but six of them died before their first birthday:

  • August Friedrich (1657-1676), unmarried, killed in battle
  • Elisabeth Eleonore (1658 – 1729), married (1) Johann Georg of Mecklenburg, died five months after the wedding, no issue (2) Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, had five children
  • Anne Sophie (1659-1742), married Carl Gustav of Baden-Durlach, had four children
  • Leopold August (1661-1662) – died in infancy
  • August Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1662-1731), married (1) Christine Sophie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, no issue; (2) Sophie Amalie of Holstein-Gottorp, no issue; (3) Elisabeth Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg, no issue
  • August Heinrich (1663-1664), died in infancy
  • August Karl (born and died 1664), died in infancy
  • August Franz (1665-1666), died in infancy
  • Amalie Antonia (born and died 1668), died in infancy
  • Henriette Christine, Abbess of Gandersheim (1669-1753), unmarried
  • Ludwig Rudolf, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1671-1735), married Christine Luise of Oettingen-Oettingen, had four children
  • Sibylle Rosalia (1672-1672), died in infancy

Anton Günther, Count and the future Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen; Credit – www,geni.com

On August 7, 1684, in Wolfenbüttel, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, Auguste Dorothea married Anton Günther, Count and the future Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. After their marriage, the couple resided in Arnstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. Their marriage was childless. On July 20, 1716, Anton Günther II, aged 62, died in Arnstadt and his elder brother Christian Wilhelm, who had ruled jointly with Anton Günther, became the sole ruler of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Anton Günthe’s burial site is unknown.

In 1699, Anton Günther gave Auguste Dorothea a plot of land in Arnstadt where she built a baroque pleasure palace called Schloss Augustenburg. Completed in 1710, Auguste Dorothea lived there occasionally during her husband’s lifetime but after his death in 1716, she spent the 35 years of her widowhood there. She had a large collection there that included porcelain items, paintings, jewelry, and other handicrafts.

Mon plaisir doll collection; Credit – Wikipedia

Auguste Dorothea’s Mon Plaisir doll collection became world-famous and can still be seen in Arnstadt. It is a replica of a baroque town in miniature format, with 400 dolls, 2,670 individual items, in 82 miniature scenes. The scenes give an impression of everyday life in the 18th century. Among the many scenes are monks in the monastery, farmers in the fields, a slaughterhouse, a bakery, a carpenter’s workshop, a fair, a scholars’ room, and a portrait painter at work. Many of the figures and ceramic products in this doll town come from the glazed pottery factory in Dorotheental, founded near Schloss Augustenburg at the request of Auguste Dorothea. She invested her entire fortune in her collections and she was heavily in debt at the time of her death.

Severe structural damage to Schloss Augustenburg became noticeable as early as 1760, nine years after Auguste Dorothea’s death. To save money on the construction, the foundations had not been deep enough. The demolition of Schloss Augustenburg began on March 16, 1765. Many of the furnishings in the castle were sold by auction. When Schloss Augustenburg was demolished in 1765, Auguste Dorothea’s doll collection was first taken to the Arnstadt orphanage, and then it was housed in Gehren Castle. Since 1931, it has been accessible to the public as part of the collections of the Schloss Museum in Arnstadt.

Auguste Dorothea survived her husband by 35 years, dying on July 11, 1751, aged 84, at Schloss Augustenburg in Arnstadt. Like her father, she had converted to Roman Catholicism. At Schloss Augustenburg, she surrounded herself with priests and nuns and set up a small private monastery. Auguste Dorothea was buried at the Ursuline Convent (link in German) in Erfurt, Electorate of Mainz, now in the German state of Thuringia.

Ursuline Convent in Erfurt, burial place of Augusta Dorothea; 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-Sondershausen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Berliner Woche. 2015. Die Puppensammlung Im Schlossmuseum Von Arnstadt. [online] Available at: <https://www.berliner-woche.de/mitte/c-ausflugstipps/die-puppensammlung-im-schlossmuseum-von-arnstadt_a68293> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anton Günther II. (Schwarzburg). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_G%C3%BCnther_II._(Schwarzburg)> [Accessed 9 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Auguste Dorothea Von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1666–1751). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Dorothea_von_Braunschweig-Wolfenb%C3%BCttel_(1666%E2%80%931751)> [Accessed 9 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarzburg-Sondershausen> [Accessed 9 November 2020].
  • Dorothea, H., 2020. Herzogin Auguste Dorothea. [online] kirche-angelhausen-oberndorfs Webseite!. Available at: <https://kirche-angelhausen-oberndorf.jimdofree.com/geschichte/herzogin-auguste-dorothea/> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anton Günther II, Count Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen-Arnstadt. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_G%C3%BCnther_II,_Count_of_Schwarzburg-Sondershausen-Arnstadt> [Accessed 9 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-sondershausen/> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Anton Günther II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

by Susan Flantzer

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 – geni.com

Anton Günther II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen II was born on October 10, 1653, in Sondershausen, County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia. He was the second of the five sons and the fifth of the ten children of Anton Günther I, Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Mary Magdalene of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld.

Anton Günther had nine siblings:

  • Anna Dorothea (1645 – 1716), married Heinrich IV of Reuss-Greiz, had eight children
  • Christian Wilhelm I, Count and from 1697, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1647 – 1721), married (1) Antonie Sybille of Barby-Mühlingen, had seven children (2) Wilhelmine Christiane of Saxe-Weimar, had eight children
  • Klare Juliane (1648- 1739), unmarried
  • Eleonore Sofie (1650 – 1718), unmarried, nun at the Protestant Quedlinburg Abbey
  • Mary Magdalene (1655 -1727), unmarried
  • Georg Friedrich (born and died 1657), died in infancy
  • George Ernest (1658 – 1659), died in infancy
  • Ludwig Günther (born and died 1660), died in infancy
  • Johanne Elisabeth (1662 – 1720), unmarried

Augusta Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 7, 1684, in Wolfenbüttel, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, Anton Günther married Auguste Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, daughter of Anton Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Juliane von Holstein-Norburg. Their marriage was childless.

Christian Wilhelm, Anton Günther’s brother; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of their father Anton Günther I, Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen on August 19, 1666, Anton Gunther II and his elder brother Christian Wilhelm jointly inherited the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The two brothers ruled jointly until 1681 when they split the county into two parts. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and both brothers became princes.

City of Arnstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

The city of Arnstadt developed into an important cultural center under the reign of Anton Günther. He was considered a great patron of music and was an avid collector of antiques and art objects. In 1703, 18-year-old composer Johann Sebastian Bach, already with a superior reputation as a keyboardist, was invited to inspect the new organ and give the inaugural recital at the New Church (now the Bach Church) in Arnstadt. Anton Günther was so impressed that he hired the young Bach as the court organist.

On July 20, 1716, Anton Günther II, aged 62, died in Arnstadt and his elder brother Christian Wilhelm became the sole ruler of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. His burial site is unknown. His wife Auguste Dorothea survived him by 35 years, dying on July 11, 1751, aged 84, at Augustenburg Castle in Arnstadt. Auguste Dorothea had converted to Roman Catholicism and was buried at the Ursuline Convent (link in German) in Erfurt, Electorate of Mainz, now in the German state of Thuringia.

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-Sondershausen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anton Günther II. (Schwarzburg). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_G%C3%BCnther_II._(Schwarzburg)> [Accessed 9 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Auguste Dorothea Von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1666–1751). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Dorothea_von_Braunschweig-Wolfenb%C3%BCttel_(1666%E2%80%931751)> [Accessed 9 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarzburg-Sondershausen> [Accessed 9 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anton Günther II, Count Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen-Arnstadt. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_G%C3%BCnther_II,_Count_of_Schwarzburg-Sondershausen-Arnstadt> [Accessed 9 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-sondershausen/> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Alice Keppel, Mistress of King Edward VII of The United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Alice Keppel was the mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom from 1898 until his death in 1910. Through her daughter Sonia, she is the great-grandmother of the wife of KIng Charles III of the United Kingdom, Queen Camilla.

Alice Keppel.source: Wikipedia

Alice Frederica “Freddie” Edmonstone was born in Woolwich, Kent on April 29, 1868, the youngest child of Sir William Edmonstone, 4th Baronet and Mary Elizabeth Parsons. She had 10 siblings:

  • Mary Emma Edmonstone – died in childhood
  • Archibald Edmonstone – died in infancy
  • Jessie Edmonstone – married Major Edward Winnington-Ingram, no issue
  • Louisa Ann Edmonstone – married Major General Henry Pipon, no issue
  • Charlotte Henrietta Edmonstone – married Rev. John Kitson, had issue
  • Frances Euphemia Edmonstone – married Alexander Duncan, no issue
  • Sophia Edmonstone – married James Hope, had issue
  • Susanna Emily Edmonstone – married Jonathan Bucknill, had issue
  • Mary Clementina Edmonstone – married Andrew Murray, 1st Viscount Dunedin, had issue
  • Sir Archibald Edmonstone, 5th Baronet – married Ida Forbes, had issue

On June 1, 1891, Alice married The Hon. George Keppel, a younger son of William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle and Sophia Mary MacNab. The couple had two daughters:

  • Violet Keppel (1894) – married Denys Trefusis, no issue
  • Sonia Keppel (1900) – married Roland Calvert Cubitt, 3rd Baron Ashcombe, had issue

As a younger son and a serviceman, George Keppel did not have much in the way of financial resources. As a result, Alice had several affairs with rich men in order to help maintain their lifestyle and standing within London society. These lovers included Ernest Beckett, 2nd Baron Grimthorpe, and Humphrey Sturt, 2nd Baron Alington. As was often the case at the time, her husband took no issue with her affairs, and discreetly took several lovers himself. Through her connections, Alice became one of the leading hostesses in London society. It was through this that she met The Prince of Wales and began a relationship that would last through his succession as King Edward VII and until his death in 1910.

King Edward VII. source: Wikipedia

The Prince of Wales, notorious for his womanizing, quickly set his sights on Alice after the two met in 1898, and the two soon began an affair. Despite a significant 26-year age difference, Alice quickly proved to be a calming and steadying force in the aging Prince’s life. Alice even gained the favor – albeit minimally – of The Princess of Wales who had long ago accepted her husband’s indiscretions, and appreciated Alice’s discretion.

Alice benefited greatly from her relationship with the Prince. Through his generosity, she gained a significant fortune with the help and advice of his bankers and financial advisors, including Sir Ernest Cassel whose granddaughter Edwina would later marry Edward VII’s great-nephew, The Earl Mountbatten of Burma. One gift alone from the Prince – some shares in a rubber company – would later provide her with £50,000 (around $ 8 million today).

Perhaps the greatest benefit was to Edward himself. Alice proved to be one of the few people in his circle who could calm his fiery temper, and was often approached by his ministers to present things to the King, hoping to change his mind on issues or at least see them from a different perspective. Throughout the King’s reign, Alice remained one of his closest and most valued companions and advisors – and maintained the utmost level of discretion and privacy. Even when traveling together to Biarritz each year (while both of their spouses conveniently remained in England), Alice ensured that her presence went mostly unknown, insisting upon staying separately from the King and maintaining as much anonymity as possible. It was on one of these trips to Biarritz in 1910 that the King became ill. He returned to London in April, but his health continued to deteriorate. Alice – having a letter from the King which instructed that she should be permitted to his bedside – quickly rushed to Buckingham Palace to be with him in his final hours.

Villa dell’ Ombrellino. photo: Di Sailko – Opera propria, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41839507

King Edward VII died on May 6, 1910 and Alice’s position with the Royal court quickly ended. She and her family left Britain later that year, traveling throughout the Far East for two years before returning to London in 1912. Later, she and her husband moved to Italy in 1925, where they purchased the Villa dell’ Ombrellino in Bellosguardo, near Florence. There, they established their own social set, hosting events and gatherings, and hosting guests such as Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Returning to London in 1940 due to World War II, Alice and her husband finally returned to Bellosguardo in 1946 where they would remain until their deaths.

Graves of Alice Keppel and her husband. photo: By Elisa.rolle – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57790238

Alice Keppel died at Villa dell’ Ombrellino on September 11, 1947 of cirrhosis of the liver. She and her husband – who died just 10 weeks later – are buried at the Cimitero Evangelico degli Allori in Florence.

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.

Arabella Churchill, Mistress of King James II of England

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Arabella in the 1660s; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabella Churchill was probably born at Ash, the family home of Arabella’s mother in Musbury, Devonshire, England on February 23, 1648, the eldest of the eleven children of Sir Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Drake. She was christened at St. Michael’s Church in Musbury on March 16, 1649. Arabella’s father was a Royalist supporter during the English Civil War. Sir Winston was a Member of Parliament, a historian who wrote a history of the English kings, and an ancestor of the 20th-century British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill. Arabella’s mother was the daughter of Sir John Drake and Eleanor Boteler, daughter of John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, and a maternal niece of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, a Stuart court favorite.

Arabella with her brother Winston; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabella had ten siblings but only six survived childhood. John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough is her most renowned sibling. He gained fame as a military leader and courtier during the reign of Queen Anne. His wife Sarah was Queen Anne’s Mistress of the Robes and confidante. There is information on only eight of Arabella’s siblings.

  • John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650 – 1722), married Sarah Jennings, had seven children
  • Winston Churchill (1652 – 1672), unmarried, died at the Battle of Solebay
  • George Churchill (1653 – 1710), unmarried, Admiral in the Royal Navy
  • Charles Churchill (1656 – 1714), General in the British Army, married Mary Gould, had one son
  • Henry Churchill, died in childhood
  • Jasper Churchill (? -1678), unmarried, attended Queen’s College at Oxford, died shortly after joining the Duke of York’s Regiment
  • Theobald Churchill (1662 – 1685), unmarried, attended Queen’s College at Oxford, became an Anglican priest, commissioned Chaplain in the King’s Own Royal Regiment of Dragoons commanded by his brother John
  • Mountjoy Churchill, died in infancy

James, Duke of York, the future King James II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1663, during the reign of King Charles II of England, fifteen-year-old Arabella was sent to court to be a Maid of Honor to the Duchess of York. The Duchess of York, born Anne Hyde, was the wife of King Charles II’s brother James, Duke of York, the future King James II. Because King Charles II and his wife Catherine of Braganza had no children, James was the heir presumptive to the throne and did succeed his brother in 1685. Arabella captured James’ eye and by 1665, she was his mistress. The Churchill family was firmly loyal to the royal household and their only feeling about Arabella’s position as a royal mistress seems to have been “a joyful surprise that so plain a girl had attained such high preferment.”

James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabella and James had four children who were given the surname FitzJames, “son of James”. From their children, Arabella and James are the ancestors of the Earls Spencer and Diana, Princess of Wales as well as of the Dukes of Berwick, the later Dukes of Alba and Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba (1926 – 2014), the person who held the most noble titles in the world.  James’ children by Arabella were raised Catholic and accompanied him into exile in France after he was deposed during the Glorious Revolution in 1688.

Shortly after giving birth to their first child, a daughter named Henrietta after James’ mother Henrietta Maria of France, James gave Arabella a yearly pension and a house in St. James Square, London which Arabella later sold for a handsome price. In 1671, James’ wife Anne died from breast cancer shortly after giving birth to her last child. James and Anne had eight children, but only two survived childhood, and both were Queen Regnants: Queen Mary II and Queen Anne.

Within a couple of years after James’ second marriage to Mary Beatrice of Modena in 1673, Arabella and James’ ten-year affair was over. On June 1, 1680, at Holy Trinity Minories in London, Arabella married Colonel Charles Godfrey, an army officer. The couple had three children:

Arabella Godfrey (née Churchill) by William Pengree Sherlock, published by Edward Evans, after Silvester (Sylvester) Harding stipple engraving, early 19th century NPG D31023 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Charles Godfrey was one of the first to join with William III, Prince of Orange, the nephew and son-in-law of King James II and the future King William III, in his efforts to safeguard the Protestant interests in England against his Catholic father-in-law during the 1688 Glorious Revolution. William marched to London, gathering many supporters. James panicked and sent his wife and infant son to France. He tried to flee to France about a month later but was captured. William had no desire to make his uncle a martyr, so he allowed him to escape. James was received in France by his first cousin King Louis XIV, who offered him a palace and a pension. James’ elder daughter Mary who was married to William, joined her husband on the English throne where they reigned jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II. William and Mary were succeeded by Mary’s sister Anne.

During the reigns of the last Stuarts, Arabella and Charles Godfrey’s family reaped rewards for their service. Charles was rewarded with his own regiment, Godfrey’s Regiment of Cuirassiers in 1688. He was also appointed Master of the Jewel Office in 1698, and in 1704, he was appointed Clerk of the Green Cloth, a position in the Royal Household that he held for the rest of his life. In addition, Charles was a Member of Parliament from 1689 and 1713. Both daughters of Arabella and Charles served Queen Anne as Maids of Honor.

Arabella and Charles lived happily together for thirty-four years. On February 23, 1714, Charles Godfrey died at the age of 67, while on a visit to Bath, Somerset, England, and was buried in Bath Abbey. Arabella survived him by sixteen years, dying on May 30, 1730, aged 82. She was buried in the grave of her brother Admiral George Churchill in Westminster Abbey in London in the center part of the nave near the choir gate. There is a large monument to George but Arabella has no memorial or gravestone of her own.

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Works Cited

  • Beauclerk-Dewar, P. and Powell, R., 2006. Right Royal Bastards. Wilmington, DE: Burke’s Peerage & Gentry.
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  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charles Godfrey (Courtier). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Godfrey_(courtier)> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
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  • Flantzer, Susan, 2017. King James II Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-james-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
  • Westminster Abbey. 2020. George, John, Arabella And Henrietta Churchill | Westminster Abbey. [online] Available at: <https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/george-john-arabella-and-henrietta-churchill> [Accessed 18 September 2020].