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 he died in 1910. Through her daughter Sonia, she is the great-grandmother of Queen Camilla, the wife of King Charles III of the United Kingdom.

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 Honorable 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 many financial resources. As a result, Alice had several affairs with rich men 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. Through her connections, she met The Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Victoria, and began a relationship that would last through his succession as King Edward VII and until he died in 1910.

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 was a calming and steadying force in the aging Prince’s life. Alice even gained the favor of The Princess of Wales, who had long ago accepted her husband’s indiscretions and appreciated Alice’s discretion.

The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

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. In 1910, King Edward VII became ill on a trip to Biarritz. He returned to London in April, but his health continued to deteriorate. After Alice received a letter from the King saying she should be permitted at his bedside, she 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. Alice and her family left the United Kingdom later that year, traveling throughout the Far East for two years before returning to London in 1912. Alice and her husband moved to Italy in 1925, where they purchased the Villa dell’Ombrellino in Bellosguardo, near Florence, Italy. There, they established their own social set, hosting events and gatherings, and hosting guests such as Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Alice and her husband returned to London in 1940 due to World War II. In 1946, Alice and her husband returned to their Italian villa, where they would remain until their deaths.

Graves of Alice Keppel and her husband; Credit: Wikipedia by Elisa Rolle – Own work

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

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 Churchill 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 Churchill 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, members of Arabella and Charles Godfrey’s family were rewarded for their service. Charles was given 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.

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. Arabella Churchill (Royal Mistress). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabella_Churchill_(royal_mistress)> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charles Godfrey (Courtier). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Godfrey_(courtier)> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Winston Churchill (Cavalier). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill_(Cavalier)> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
  • Findagrave.com. 2020. Arabella Churchill Godfrey (1648-1730) – Find A…. [online] Available at: <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76966312/arabella-godfrey> [Accessed 18 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].
  • 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].

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].

Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, Mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, was the mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom from 1889 until 1898, while he was The Prince of Wales. A renowned social hostess, she later put much of her time and effort – and fortune – into helping those less fortunate.

Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick – source: Wikipedia

Frances Evelyn “Daisy” Maynard was born in London on December 10, 1861, the daughter of Col. Charles Maynard and Blanche FitzRoy. Her father was the son and heir of Henry Maynard, 3rd Viscount Maynard. Daisy’s father Charles died several months before his father, resulting in the VIscountcy Maynard becoming extinct. As the elder child, Daisy inherited the majority of the Maynard estates and fortune. Daisy’s mother was descended from King Charles II in several different ways, through his mistresses Nell Gwyn, Barbara Palmer and Louise de Kéroualle.

Daisy had one younger sister:

  • Blanche Maynard (1864) – married Col. Lord Algernon Gordon-Lennox, had issue

Two years after being widowed, Daisy’s mother married Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn, a favorite of Queen Victoria. Through this marriage, Daisy had five half-siblings:

Having inherited her paternal grandfather’s estates and fortune in 1865, including the family seat, Easton Lodge in Essex, Daisy was greatly pursued as a potential bride. One prominent possibility was a marriage to Queen Victoria’s youngest son Prince Leopold. The Queen herself wanted to arrange a marriage, but it never came to be. Instead, Daisy fell in love with Leopold’s aide-de-camp Francis Greville.

Francis Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick. source: Wikipedia

On April 30, 1881, Daisy and Francis were married at Westminster Abbey, with several members of the Royal Family in attendance including The Prince and Princess of Wales. Daisy’s new husband was the eldest son and heir of George Greville, 4th Earl of Warwick and Lady Anne Wemyss-Charteris, daughter of the 9th Earl of Wemyss. Following their marriage, the couple lived at Easton Lodge, and after her husband succeeded as 5th Earl of Warwick in 1893, they moved to Warwick Castle.

Daisy and Francis had five children:

  • Leopold Guy Greville, 6th Earl of Warwick (1882) – married Elfrida Marjorie Eden, had issue
  • Marjorie Blanche Greville (1884) – married (1) Charles Duncombe, 2nd Earl of Feversham, had issue; (2) Sir William Gervase Beckett, 2nd Baronet, had issue
  • The Hon. Charles Greville (1885) – died in childhood
  • The Hon. Maynard Greville (1898) – married Dora Pape, had issue
  • Lady Mercy Greville (1904) – married (1) Basil Dean, had issue; (2) Patrick Gamble, no issue; (3) Richard Marter, no issue

It is believed that only the couple’s first child was the legitimate child of Daisy’s husband. She alleged Lord Charles Beresford was the father of her elder daughter Marjorie and it is possible that her son Charles was also Beresford’s child. Her last two children were fathered by Joe Laycock, a wealthy bachelor with whom Daisy maintained a long-term affair despite his wandering ways.

The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII; Credit – Wikipedia

Quickly rising in the ranks of London society, Daisy became one of the most celebrated hostesses amongst the Marlborough House Set – the upper echelon of society led by the Prince and Princess of Wales. When her affair with Charles Beresford became a public scandal in 1889, Daisy turned to the Prince of Wales for advice and support. This quickly turned into an affair that would last for nine years. The Prince would often visit her at Easton Lodge, where she had a rail station built closer to the house to make it easier for him to come and go more discreetly. After her husband succeeded his father as Earl of Warwick in 1893, the Prince of Wales became less discreet about his relationship with Daisy, often attending the theatre and other events together. This led to the Princess of Wales, who had formerly enjoyed Daisy’s company, to refuse to include Daisy in any further social events at Marlborough House and Sandringham.

After ending her affair with the Prince of Wales, Daisy threw herself into philanthropic work. Getting involved with the Social Democratic Federation, she fought for better working conditions, salaries, and education for women and those less fortunate. Within several years, she had depleted much of the fortune she had inherited from her grandfather, however, she refused an offer to write her memoirs and discuss her relationship with the then-King Edward VII. But after he died in 1910, her debt continued to increase and she began to consider the possibility of publishing her private letters. Her threats to publish them in the hopes of getting a financial settlement from the new King George V were unsuccessful. The King’s lawyers took the matter to court where it was decided that the Crown held the copyright to those letters and they could not be published in the United Kingdom. A subsequent threat to publish the letters in the United States was more successful. British politician Arthur Du Cros paid off a large amount of Daisy’s debt in exchange for the letters.

Daisy, Countess of Warwick in her later years. source: The Peerage

Having survived her husband for 24 years, The Dowager Countess of Warwick died at Easton Lodge on July 26, 1938, at the age of 76. She is buried at the Collegiate Church of Saint Mary in Warwick, England.

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.