Category Archives: German Royals

Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

The County of Waldeck was a county within the Holy Roman Empire since 1180.  In 1625, the much smaller County of Pyrmont became part of the much larger County of Waldeck through inheritance and the combined territory was known as the County of Waldeck-Pyrmont. In 1712,  Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont was elevated to Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont by Holy Emperor Karl VI.

Friedrich, the last Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont,  abdicated on November 13, 1918, and negotiated an agreement with the government that gave him and his descendants the ownership of the family home Arolsen Castle and Arolsen Forest. Today the territory that encompassed the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont is located in the German states of Hesse and Lower Saxony

Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Anton Ulrich was the Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont from 1706 – 1712 and then the first Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont from 1712 – 1728. Born on November 27, 1676, in Landau, County of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now part of Arolsen in the German state of Hesse, he was fourteenth of the fifteen children and the youngest of the seven sons of Christian Ludwig, Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1635 – 1706) and his first wife Anna Elisabeth of Rappoltstein (1644 – 1676).

One of Friedrich Anton Ulrich’s sisters, three of his half-sisters, and two of his daughters were Abbesses at Schaaken Monastery (link German), originally a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery. After the Reformation, it was a Protestant women’s monastery for members of the nobility with daughters and sisters of the Counts and Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont serving as the Abbesses.

Friedrich Anton Ulrich had fourteen siblings:

  • Charlotte Elisabeth (1659 – 1660), died in infancy
  • Dorothea Elisabeth (1661 – 1702), married Rudolf of Lippe-Brake, had two sons
  • Georg Friedrich (1663 – 1686), unmarried
  • Heinrich Wolrad (1665 – 1688), unmarried, killed in action at the Siege of Negroponte
  • Charlotte Sofie (1667 – 1723), married Johann Junker, had one daughter
  • Alexandrine Henriette (born and died 1668)
  • Christiane Magdalene (1669 – 1699), Abbess at Schaaken Monastery
  • Elenore Katharine (1670 – 1717), unmarried
  • Eberhardine Luise (1671 – 1725), unmarried
  • Friedrich Ludwig Karl (1672 – 1694), unmarried
  • Philipp Ernst (1673 – 1695), unmarried
  • Karl (born and died 1674), died in infancy
  • Wilhelm August (1675 – 1676), died in infancy
  • Marie Henriette (1676 – 1678), died in early childhood

On December 6, 1676, Friedrich Anton Ulrich’s mother Anna Elisabeth died due to childbirth complications after giving birth to her fifteenth child. His father Christian Ludwig married for a second time to Johannette von Nassau-Idstein (1657 – 1733) on June 6, 1680.

From his father’s second marriage, Friedrich Anton Ulrich had eleven half-siblings:

  • Ernst August (1681 – 1703), unmarried, killed at the Battle of Speyerbach
  • Heinrich Georg (1683 – 1736), married Ulrike Eleonore of Dohna-Carimmern
  • Christine Eleonore Luise (1685 – 1737), Abbess at Schaaken Monastery
  • Sofie Wilhelmine (1686 – 1749), Abbess at Schaaken Monastery
  • Karl Christian Ludwig (1687 – 1734), unmarried, killed in action at the Battle of Guastalla
  • Josias (1689 – 1693), died in childhood
  • Johann Wolrad (born and died in 1691), died in infancy
  • Henriette Albertine (1695 – 1699), died in childhood
  • Josias (1696 – 1763), married Dorothea Sophie of Solms-Rödelheim and Assenheim, had one son
  • Charlotte Florentine (1697 – 1777), Abbess at Schaaken Monastery
  • Friedrich Wilhelm (1699 – 1718), unmarried

Luise of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 22, 1700, in Hanau, County of Hanau, now in the German state of Hesse, Friedrich Anton Ulrich married Luise of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (1678 – 1753), daughter of Christian II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld and Catharine Agathe of Rappoltstein.

Friedrich Anton Ulrich and Luise had eleven children:

On December 12, 1706, Christian Ludwig, Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont died and Friedrich Anton Ulrich succeeded his father as Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont. On January 6, 1712, the County of Waldeck-Pyrmont was raised to the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont by Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor, and Friedrich Anton Ulrich became Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont.

Residenzschloss Arolsen; Credit – Von Bert Kaufmann from Roermond, Netherlands – Bad Arolsen (Germany)Uploaded by Magnus Manske, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16245312

Friedrich Anton Ulrich’s most notable accomplishment was his building program which resulted in considerable indebtedness for the small principality. He built the Friedrichsthal Hunting Lodge in Selbach (1701 – link in German), Schloss Pyrmont (1706), Schloss Friedrichstein in Wildungen (1707 – 1714, link in German), and the Residenzschloss Arolsen (1713 – 1729). With the building of the Residenzschloss Arolsen, the town of Arolsen became the main town of the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont.

Church of St. Mary; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Anton Ulrich died on January 1, 1728, aged 51, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse. He was first buried at the Stadt-Kirche Bad Wildungen (link in German) in Bad Wildungen now in the German state of Hesse. In 1962, his remains were transferred to the Princely Burial Chapel at the Church of St. Mary (link in German) in Netze, a district of Waldeck, now in the German state of Hesse. Friedrich Anton Ulrich’s wife Luise of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont survived her husband by twenty-five years, dying on May 3, 1753, at the of 74. She was buried with her husband at the Stadt-Kirche Bad Wildungen and then reburied at the Princely Burial Chapel at the Church of St. Mary with her husband.

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.

Waldeck-Pyrmont Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian Ludwig (Waldeck). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Ludwig_(Waldeck)> [Accessed 30 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Friedrich Anton Ulrich (Waldeck-Pyrmont). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Anton_Ulrich_(Waldeck-Pyrmont)> [Accessed 30 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince Of Waldeck And Pyrmont. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Anton_Ulrich,_Prince_of_Waldeck_and_Pyrmont> [Accessed 30 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Waldeck-Pyrmont. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/former-monarchies/german-royals/principality-of-waldeck-and-pyrmont/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-waldeck-pyrmont/> [Accessed 30 November 2020].

Marie Gasparine of Saxe-Altenburg, Princess 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

The wife of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Princess Marie Gasparine of Saxe-Altenburg was born on June 28, 1845, at her father’s palace on Karlsstrasse in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. She was the only daughter and the younger of the two children of Prince Eduard of Saxe-Altenburg and his second wife Princess Luise Karoline Reuss of Greiz. Her paternal grandparents were Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (formerly Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen) and Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Marie Gasparine’s maternal grandparents were Heinrich XIX, 3rd Prince of Reuss-Greiz and Princess Gasparine of Rohan-Rochefort. Her father’s sister, born Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, was the wife of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, which is why Bavaria focused so much in her family’s life.

Marie Gasparine had one older sibling:

Marie Gasparine had four half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Amalie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen who died in 1841 due to childbirth complications:

Marie Gasparine spent the early years of her life in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria where her father, Lieutenant General and Commander of the Cavalry Division of the 1st Army Corps in Munich, was stationed near his favorite sister Queen Therese of Bavaria. In 1852, Marie Gasparine’s father died when she was just seven-years-old. After her father’s death Marie Gasparine, her mother, her brother, and her two surviving half-siblings were moved to Nymphenburg Palace in Munich.

In 1854, Luise Karoline Reuss of Greiz, Marie Gasparine’s mother, married for a second time to Prince Heinrich IV Reuss of Köstritz, a nobleman from the Princely House of Reuss. Marie Gasparine’s family moved to the Paragiat, a settlement for younger sons of ruling or noble houses and their families, in the Principality of Reuss-Köstritz.

Marie Gasparine had four half-siblings from her mother’s second marriage:

Marie Gasparine in her teenage years; Credit – Wikipedia

After her confirmation in April 1860, fifteen-year-old Marie Gasparine was sent to the court of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, her older first cousin, in Altenburg, Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg. During her nine-year stay, Fraulein von Liederskron, her lady-in-waiting, was responsible for her upbringing and education.

Karl Günther of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, circa 1870; Credit – Wikipedia

In March 1868 at the royal court in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, Marie Gasparine met her future husband, then Hereditary Prince Karl Günther of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, and soon they became engaged. The wedding, scheduled for August 1868, had to be postponed because Marie Gasparine was seriously ill with diphtheria.

On June 12, 1869, at Altenburg Castle in Altenburg, Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, now in the German state of Thuringia, Maria Gasparine and Karl Günther were finally married. Their impressive guest list included the Crown Prince of Prussia (the future German Emperor Friedrich III), Heinrich XXII, the reigning Prince of Reuss-Greiz, Marie Gasparine’s first cousin Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna of Russia (born Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg and the wife of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia), Hereditary Prince Friedrich and Hereditary Princess Antoinette of Anhalt, (the future Duke and Duchess of Anhalt, Antoinette was Marie Gasparine’s sister) and Karl Günther’s brothers Prince Leopold and Prince Hugo of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

Marie Gasparine as Hereditary Princess of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen; Credit – Wikipedia

During the 1870 – 1871 Franco-Prussian War, Hereditary Princess Marie Gasparine showed great commitment to the wounded and the soldiers’ families. She founded an organization that collected funds for soldiers’ wives and children and mobilized women who produced bandages and who obtained other necessary items. However, the marriage of Marie Gasparine and Karl Günther remained childless and this would cause a succession crisis.

On July 17, 1880, 79-year-old Günther Friedrich Karl II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen abdicated in favor of his son Karl Günther due to old age and illness. He survived nine more years, dying on September 15, 1889.

In addition to her duties as Princess of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Marie Gasparine was interested in culture and history. She was particularly interested in Mon plaisir, the miniature doll town of Auguste Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1666–1751), wife of Anton Günther II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Mon plaisir 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. The doll collection had long been forgotten. Marie Gasparine restored the collection and made it important once again. The doll collection is still on display at the Schloss Museum in Arnstadt.

Karl Günther in 1898; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1906, Karl Günther suffered a debilitating hunting accident, never recovered, and spent the rest of his life bedridden. He died on March 28, 1909, aged 78, in a sanatorium in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, and was buried in the princely burial chapel at Trinitatiskirche (Trinity Church – link in German) in Sondershausen, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia. Because Karl Günther was childless and his unmarried brothers had died, the two Schwarzburg principalities were united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union and he was then styled Prince of Schwarzburg.

Marie Gasparine in her later years; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of her husband, a separate court was established for Marie Gasparine as Dowager Princess. She lived mostly at Schloss Sondershausen (link in German) and Schloss Gehren (link in German). 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. At the same time, Marie Gasparine received the right to live in a wing of Schloss Sondershausen which she shared with the abdicated Günther Victor and his wife Anna Luise.

Trinitatiskirche (Trinity Church) with the princely burial chapel on the right; Credit – Von ErwinMeier – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53603995

Marie Gasparine survived her husband by 21 years. She died on July 5, 1930, aged 85, at Schloss Sondershausen, in Sondershausen, Thuringia, Germany, and was buried with her husband in the princely burial chapel at Trinitatiskirche (Trinity Church) in Sondershausen.

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. Karl Günther (Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_G%C3%BCnther_(Schwarzburg-Sondershausen)> [Accessed 13 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Marie Von Sachsen-Altenburg (1845–1930). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_von_Sachsen-Altenburg_(1845%E2%80%931930)> [Accessed 13 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charles Gonthier, Prince Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Gonthier,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg-Sondershausen> [Accessed 13 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Princess Marie Gasparine Of Saxe-Altenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Marie_Gasparine_of_Saxe-Altenburg> [Accessed 13 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 13 November 2020].

Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

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

Born in Arnstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia, on August 7, 1830, Karl Günther, was the last Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen from the House of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. After his death, the final Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen would come from the House of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Karl Günther was the second but the eldest surviving of the three sons and the third of the four children of Günther Friedrich Karl II, Prince of Schwarzburg–Sondershausen and his first wife Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1809 – 1833), daughter of Prince Carl of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Luise Ulrike of Hesse-Homburg, and the granddaughter of Friedrich Karl, reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.

Karl Günther had three siblings:

  • Günther Friedrich Carl Alexander (1828 – 1833), died in childhood
  • Elisabeth Caroline Luise (1829 – 1893), unmarried
  • Leopold (1832 – 1906), unmarried, served in the Prussian Army

Karl Günther’s mother died when he was three-years-old. His father married for a second time on May 29, 1835, to Mathilde of Hohenlohe-Öhringen (1814 – 1888), daughter of Prince August of Hohenlohe-Öhringen and Luise of Württemberg. Karl had two half-siblings from this marriage which ended in divorce in 1852:

  • Marie (1837 – 1921), unmarried
  • Hugo (1839 – 1871), unmarried

Karl Günther, circa 1870; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl Günther studied law and literature at the University of Bonn. After his studies, he joined the Prussian Army as an Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) and served in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War. He progressed through the ranks of the Prussian Army, ultimately achieving the rank of General of the Infantry in 1886.

Marie Gasparine of Saxe-Altenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 12, 1869, in Altenburg, Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, now in the German state of Thuringia, Karl Günther married Princess Marie Gasparine of Saxe-Altenburg, daughter of Prince Eduard of Saxe-Altenburg and his second wife Princess Luise Caroline Reuss of Greiz. The marriage was childless and this would cause a succession crisis.

On July 17, 1880, 79-year-old Günther Friedrich Karl II abdicated in favor of his son Karl Günther due to old age and illness. He survived nine more years, dying on September 15, 1889. Karl Günther was more interested in hunting than in government affairs and he mostly left those matters to his ministers. However, Karl Günther oversaw advancements to the education system of the principality by opening a state school and a teacher-training facility.

Because Karl Günther was childless, his heir presumptive was his unmarried younger brother Prince Leopold. In 1890, the two brothers caused a scandal, published in newspapers worldwide, when they had a fistfight after 58-year-old Leopold was offended when 60-year-old Karl Günther suggested that he marry a commoner if no royal woman would agree to marry him.

The princely house of Schwarzburg consisted of two branches: Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was the senior line and Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was the junior line. According to a 1713 family pact, upon the extinction of one of the lines, the principality would pass to the surviving line. However, because the Rudolstadt line was also threatened with extinction, an agreement was made in 1896 between the three remaining Schwarzburg dynasts, Karl Günther and his brother Leopold, and their childless cousin Günther Victor, reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.

To ensure the continued existence of the House of Schwarzburg, Prince Sizzo of Leutenberg was recognized as a member of the House of Schwarzburg with full succession rights. 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. When Prince Leopold of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen died in 1906, Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, became heir presumptive to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

Trinitatiskirche (Trinity Church) with the princely burial chapel on the right; Credit – Von ErwinMeier – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53603995

In 1906, Karl Günther suffered a debilitating hunting accident, never recovered, and spent the rest of his life bedridden. He died on March 28, 1909, aged 78, in a sanatorium in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, and was buried in the princely burial chapel at Trinitatiskirche (Trinity Church – link in German) in Sondershausen, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia. The two Schwarzburg principalities were united under Günther Victor of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union and he was then styled Prince of Schwarzburg.

Marie Gasparine survived her husband by 21 years. She died on July 5, 1930, aged 85, in Sondershausen, Thuringia, Germany, and was buried with her husband in the princely burial chapel at Trinitatiskirche (Trinity Church) in Sondershausen.

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. Günther Friedrich Carl II. (Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Friedrich_Carl_II._(Schwarzburg-Sondershausen)> [Accessed 13 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Karl Günther (Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_G%C3%BCnther_(Schwarzburg-Sondershausen)> [Accessed 13 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Marie Von Sachsen-Altenburg (1845–1930). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_von_Sachsen-Altenburg_(1845%E2%80%931930)> [Accessed 13 November 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charles Gonthier, Prince Of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Gonthier,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg-Sondershausen> [Accessed 13 November 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/gunther-victor-prince-of-schwarzburg/> [Accessed 13 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 13 November 2020].

Günther Friedrich Karl 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

Born September 24, 1801, in Sondershausen, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia, Günther Friedrich Karl II, Prince of Schwarzburg–Sondershausen was the only son and the eldest of the two children of Günther Friedrich Karl I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Caroline of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the daughter of Friedrich Karl, reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. His mother was an influential figure in his upbringing. She took him on several trips throughout Europe and raised him to be enlightened and progressive.

Günther Friedrich Karl II had one sibling:

Günther Friedrich Karl II married twice. On March 12, 1827, he married his first cousin Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1809 – 1833), daughter of Prince Carl of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, son of Friedrich Karl, reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and Luise Ulrike of Hesse-Homburg.

Günther Friedrich Karl II and Marie had four children:

Günther Friedrich Karl’s first wife Marie died March 29, 1833, aged 23. She was buried with her five-year-old son Günther Friedrich Carl Alexander, who also died in 1833, at the Fürstengruft auf dem Alten Friedhof (Princely Crypt at the Old Cemetery) in Arnstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia.

Mathilde of Hohenlohe-Öhringen; Credit – Wikipedia

Günther Friedrich Karl II married for a second time on May 29, 1835, to Mathilde of Hohenlohe-Öhringen (1814 – 1888), daughter of Prince August of Hohenlohe-Öhringen and Luise of Württemberg. Günther Friedrich Karl II and Mathilde divorced in 1852. Mathilde, aged 74, died in 1888 at the Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria. Despite the divorce, Mathilde was buried Fürstengruft auf dem Alten Friedhof (Princely Crypt at the Old Cemetery) in Arnstadt.

Günther Friedrich Karl and Mathilde had two children:

  • Marie (1837 – 1921), unmarried
  • Hugo (1839 – 1871), unmarried

Günther Friedrich Karl II’s father, Günther Friedrich Karl I, ruled as an absolute monarch despite his subjects wanting a say in the principality’s government. His refusal to grant any concessions made him very unpopular and he was forced to abdicate on August 19, 1835, by his son Günther Friedrich Karl II in a palace revolt called the Ebeleben Revolution.

Soon after Günther Friedrich Karl II became the reigning prince, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen joined the Zollverein or German Customs Union, a coalition of German states formed to manage tariffs and economic policies within their territories. On Günther Friedrich Karl II’s 40th birthday, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen received a new constitution instituting the first state parliament. During the Revolutions of 1848, there were uprisings in Schwarzburg-Sondershausen ultimately resulting in a new, liberal constitution that curtailed the reigning prince’s rights. However, in 1857, the constitution was reformed conservatively, and the previously curtailed rights of the reigning prince were mostly restored.

In 1867, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen joined the North German Confederation, the German federal state that was controlled and led by the Kingdom of Prussia, the largest and most powerful member. Günther Friedrich Karl II then became a Major General in the Prussian Army and received subsequent promotions until in 1879, he became General of the Infantry. In 1871, when the German Empire was formed, the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen became a constituent member but Günther Friedrich Karl II was not 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.

Trinitatiskirche (Trinity Church) with the princely burial chapel on the right; Credit – Von ErwinMeier – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53603995

On July 17, 1880, Günther Friedrich Karl abdicated in favor of his son Karl Günther due to old age and illness. Günther Friedrich Karl II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen died on September 15, 1889, in Sondershausen at the age of 88. His remains were interred in an unknown location until the completion of the princely burial chapel at Trinitatiskirche (Trinity Church – link in German) in Sondershausen, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia. In 1891, the remains of Günther Friedrich Karl II were transferred to the new princely burial chapel.

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. Günther Friedrich Carl I. (Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Friedrich_Carl_I._(Schwarzburg-Sondershausen)> [Accessed 12 November 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Günther Friedrich Carl II. (Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Friedrich_Carl_II._(Schwarzburg-Sondershausen)> [Accessed 12 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].

Günther Friedrich Karl I, 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

Günther Friedrich Karl I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was born on December 5, 1760, in Sondershausen, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia. He was the eldest of the four sons and the six children of Christian Günther III, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Charlotte Wilhelmine of Anhalt-Bernburg.

Günther Friedrich Karl I had five younger siblings:

  • Catharina (1761 – 1801), married Prince Friedrich of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, had one child Guntherina of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen who married her uncle (see below)
  • Günther Albrecht (1767 – 1833), unmarried
  • Caroline Auguste (1769 – 1819), Deaness of the Protestant Herford Abbey
  • Albertine (1771 – 1829), married Duke Ferdinand of Württemberg, divorced, no children
  • Johann (1772 – 1842), married his niece Guntherina of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, had four children

On June 23, 1799, Günther Friedrich Karl I married Caroline of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1774–1854). She was the daughter of Friedrich Karl, reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Friederike of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.

Günther Friedrich Karl I and Caroline had two children:

Upon the death of his father Christian Günther III on October 14, 1794, Günther Friedrich Karl became the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. During his reign, the Holy Roman Empire, the institution that held the German monarchies together, collapsed. His reign also saw the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1807, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen joined the Confederation of the Rhine, a confederation of the client states of Napoleon’s First French Empire, and was under the protection of Napoleon until 1813. In 1815, the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen joined the German Confederation, an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe, created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, which had been dissolved in 1806.

Günther Friedrich Karl I promoted the arts in his principality. He built a theater in Sondershausen and continued the princely patronage of the Loh Orchestra Sondershausen (link in German), first established circa 1600, and still in existence.

Günther Friedrich Karl I ruled as an absolute monarch despite his subjects wanting a say in the principality’s government. His refusal to grant any concessions made him very unpopular and he was forced to abdicate on August 19, 1835, by his son Günther Friedrich Karl II in a palace revolt called the Ebeleben Revolution.

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

Günther Friedrich Karl I lived out the rest of his life at his hunting lodge Jagdschloss zum Possen (Hunting Castle of Antics – link in German) near Sondershausen. He died there on April 22, 1837, aged 77, and was buried in Ebeleben, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia. His exact burial site is unknown but it could have been Schloss Ebeleben (link in German). However, during World War II, the castle buildings were destroyed and the ruins were later removed.

His wife Caroline survived him by seventeen years, dying in 1854. She was buried at Fürstengruft auf dem Alten Friedhof (Princely Crypt at the Old Cemetery) in Arnstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, 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. Günther Friedrich Carl I. (Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Friedrich_Carl_I._(Schwarzburg-Sondershausen)> [Accessed 12 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 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].

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].