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County (Principality) of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Grafschaft (Fürstentum) Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
State of the Holy Roman Empire (until 1806),
State of the Confederation of the Rhine,
State of the German Confederation,
State of the North German Confederation,
State of the German Empire,
State of the Weimar Republic
Flagge Fürstentümer Schwarzburg
1599–1919 Flag of Thuringia (state)
Flagge Fürstentümer Schwarzburg Wappen Deutsches Reich - Fürstentum Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Flag Coat of arms
SBRU
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt within Thuringia
Capital Rudolstadt
Government Principality
Historical era Middle Ages
 -  Emerged from
    Schwarzburg
1599
 -  Raised to Principality 1711
 -  German Revolution 1919
 -  Merged into Thuringia 1920
Area
 -  1905 940 km² (363 sq mi)
Population
 -  1905 est. 97,000 
     Density 103.2 /km²  (267.3 /sq mi)

Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was a small historic state in present-day Thuringia, Germany with its capital at Rudolstadt.

History[]

Heidecksburg

Heidecksburg residence at Rudolstadt

Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was established in 1599 in the course of a resettlement of Schwarzburg dynasty lands. Since the 11th century, the ancestral seat of the comital family had been at Schwarzburg Castle, though after 1340, for most of its existence as a polity had the capital at the larger town of Rudolstadt. In 1583 Count Günther XLI of Schwarzburg, the eldest son of Günther XL the Rich and ruler over the united Schwarzburg lands, had died without issue. He was succeeded by his younger brothers, whereby Albert VII received the territory around Rudolstadt. After their brother Count William of Schwarzburg-Frankenhausen had died in 1597, the surviving brothers Albert VII and John Günther I established the two counties of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen by the 1599 Treaty of Stadtilm.

Albert's descendants ruled as sovereign counts of the Holy Roman Empire. Count Albert Anton (1662–1710) was elevated to the rank of a Prince by Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg, it was however his son Louis Frederick I (1710–1718) who first bore the princely title, whereby Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1711 became a principality under the same entity. It withstood the mediatisation and after the Empire's dissolution joined the Confederation of the Rhine in 1807 and the German Confederation in 1815.

On 23 November 1918, during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the fall of all the German monarchies, Prince Günther Victor was the last to abdicate. The former principality became a "Free State" in 1919, that was merged into the new state of Thuringia in the next year. In 1905 Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt had an area of 940 km2 (360 sq mi) and a population of 97,000.

Rulers of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt[]

Schwarzburg new

The ruins of the Guenther family castle at Schwarzburg

Schloss Schwarzburg 1900

The castle in 1900 AD

Treppsteinblick 1900

Aerial view at Schwarzburg

Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt[]

  • 1574–1605: Count Albrecht VII (1537–1605), son of Count Günther XL of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg, founder of the county (state) of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
  • 1605–1630: Count Karl Günther, also known as Charles Guenther (1576–1630, succeeded by younger brother Ludwig I)
  • 1630–1646: Count Ludwig Günther I, also known as Louis Guenther (1581–1646)
  • 1646–1662: Regent Emilie of Delmenhorst (1614–70)
  • 1662–1710: Count Albrecht Anton (1641–1710)

Princes of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt[]

  • 1710–1718: Prince Louis Frederick I (1667–1718)
  • 1718–1744: Prince Frederick Anton (1692–1744)
  • 1744–1767: Prince John Frederick (1721–67)
  • 1767–1790: Prince Louis Günther II (1708–90)
  • 1790–1793: Prince Frederick Charles (1736–93)
  • 1793–1807: Prince Louis Frederick II (1767–1807)
  • 1807–1814: Regent Caroline Louise of Hesse-Homburg (1771–1854)
  • 1814–1867: Prince Frederick Günther (1793–1867)
  • 1867–1869: Prince Albert (1798–1869)
  • 1869–1890: Prince Georg Albert (1838–90)
  • 1890–1918: Prince Günther Victor (1852–1925) succeeded as Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen in 1909 on the death of Prince Karl Günther.

Heads of the princely house of Schwarzburg post-monarchy[]

On the death of the childless Prince Günther Victor in 1925 he was succeeded by Prince Sizzo (1860–1926) who was the son of Prince Friedrich Günther (1793–1867) from his second, morganatic marriage. Prince Sizzo was recognised as a full member of the House of Schwarzburg in 1896.

  • 1918–1925: Prince Günther Victor (1852–1925)
  • 1925–1926: Prince Sizzo (1860–1926)
  • 1926–1971 Prince Friedrich Günther (1901–1971)

References[]

External links[]

Template:States of the North German Confederation

Template:States of the Weimar Republic


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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