Royal Burial Sites of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Schlosskirche Schwarzburg; Credit – Wikipedia

The Schlosskirche Schwarzburg (link in German), the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle (link in German) in Schwarzburg, now in the German state of Thuringia, was the site of many family burials. There had been a chapel at the site since the 14th century. In 1695, the chapel was so badly damaged by a fire that the construction work lasted until 1713. Work on a burial vault for the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt family was finished at the same time. The chapel was connected to both the main building and the Leutenberg wing, the oldest part of the castle. A second fire in 1726 again damaged the church, the main building, and the Leutenberg wing.

Some family members had been buried in the Alter Friedhof/Garnisonfriedhof (Old Cemetery/Garrison Cemetery) in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. When that cemetery was closed sometime after 1869, their remains were moved to the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg.

During World War II, the German government took possession of Schwarzburg Castle and compensated the widow of the last reigning prince. They planned to convert the castle into Adolf Hitler’s Imperial Guest House. 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 on the castle, especially after Schwarzburg Castle was transferred to the Thuringian Palaces and Gardens Foundation in 1994.

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Stadtkirche St. Andreas; Credit – Von Michael Sander – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=543007

The Stadtkirche St. Andreas (link in German) is an Evangelical Lutheran church in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany. It is a three-aisled late Gothic church renovated from a 12th-century church during the years 1463-1475. The church building underwent a renovation in the years 1634-1636 and the early Baroque interior dates from that period.

The two-room princely crypt has been in use since 1605 and there are many members of the families of the Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt interred in the sealed vault under the church. Also, the coffins of the family members interred at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg moved during the Nazi era are in the crypt and this led to significant overcrowding. The crypt suffered a series of break-ins and some coffins were badly damaged. The crypt needs to be renovated so that the original sarcophagi of members of the families of the Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt from the 16th and 17th centuries, which have now been extensively restored, can be returned. However, plans need to be devised regarding how to proceed with the coffins moved from the Schwarzburg to the Rudolstadt crypt in the 1940s.

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Princes of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

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 1710, the County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. The territory that encompassed the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

  • Ludwig Friedrich I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (reigned 1710-1718)
  • Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (reigned 1718-1744)
  • Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (reigned 1744-1767)
  • Ludwig Günther II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (reigned 1767-1790)
  • Friedrich Karl, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (reigned 1790-1793)
  • Ludwig Friedrich II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (reigned 1793-1807)
  • Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (reigned 1807-1867)
  • Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (reigned 1867-1869)
  • Georg Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (reigned 1869-1890)
  • Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg (reigned 1890-1918)

All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted. There are no photos available of the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt coffins or tombs probably due to the circumstances of the reburials and the conditions of the coffins/tombs and the crypt at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas.

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Ludwig Friedrich I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Ludwig Friedrich I, born in 1667, was the son of Albert Anton, Count of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Countess Emilie Juliane of Barby-Mühlingen. In 1697, his father was raised to Imperial Prince but he chose not to accept his elevation. In 1710, when offered the elevation once more, he accepted but not made it public and died soon after. Ludwig Friedrich married Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1670 – 1728) and they had thirteen children. On June 24, 1718, Ludwig Friedrich I, aged 50, died in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany. He was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle, in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia.

Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Ludwig Friedrich’s wife, died on December 28, 1728, at the age of 58, and was buried with her husband at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle. In the early 1940s, the remains of Ludwig Friedrich and Anna Sophie were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg.

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Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Born in 1692, Friedrich Anton was the eldest son of Ludwig Friedrich I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Although his father had been raised to a prince, Friedrich Anton was the first to use the title Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. He married Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld ( 1693 – 1727) and they had three children. After the death of his first wife, Friedrich Anton married Christina Sophia of East Frisia (1688-1750) but their marriage was childless. Friedrich Anton died on September 1, 1744, at the age of 52, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany. He was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia.

Friedrich Anton’s first wife Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld predeceased him, dying on December 4, 1727, aged 34. Friedrich Anton’s second wife Christina Sophia survived him by six years, dying on March 31, 1750, aged 62. Both wives were buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle. In the early 1940s, the remains of Friedrich Anton, Sophia Wilhelmina, and Sophia Christina were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg.

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Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

The only son of Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Johann Friedrich was born in 1721. He married Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1724 – 1757). The couple had a total of six children: a son and a daughter who died in infancy, two daughters who died in childhood, and two surviving daughters. Johann Friedrich died at the age of 46 on July 10, 1767, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany. He was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. Because he had no male heir, Johann Friedrich was succeeded by his uncle Louis Günther II. In 1763, Louis Günther II’s eldest son, the new Crown Prince Friedrich Karl, had married Johann Friedrich’s eldest daughter Friederike.

Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Johann Friedrich’s wife, predeceased him, dying on June 5, 1757, aged 33. She was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle. In the early 1940s, the remains of Johann Friedrich and Bernardina Christina were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg.

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Ludwig Günther II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Born in 1708, Ludwig Günther II was the third of the three sons and the youngest of the thirteen children of the first Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Ludwig Friedrich I and Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. He succeeded to the throne upon the death of his nephew Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, who had no sons. Ludwig Günther married Sophie Henrietta Reuss of Untergreiz (1711-1771) and they had four children. He died at the age of 81, on August 29, 1790, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany. Ludwig Günther was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia.

Sophie Henrietta Reuss of Untergreiz, Ludwig Günther’s wife, predeceased him, dying on January 22, 1771, aged 60. She was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle. In the early 1940s, the remains of Ludwig Günther and Sophie Henrietta were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg.

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Friedrich Karl, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Friedrich Karl, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, born in 1736, was the son of Ludwig Günther II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Sophie Henrietta Reuss of Untergreiz. He married his first cousin once removed Friederike of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1745 – 1778), the daughter of Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and they had six children. After the death of his first wife, Friedrich Karl married Auguste of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1752–1805) but the marriage was childless. Friedrich Karl suffered a stroke in 1792 and died, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany, on April 13, 1793, aged 56, after a reign of only two and a half years. He was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia.

Friedrich Karl’s first wife Friederike

Friedrich Karl’s first wife Friederike predeceased him, dying on January 26, 1778, aged 32. His second wife Auguste survived him by twelve years, dying on May 28, 1805, at the age of 52. Both wives were buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle. In the early 1940s, the remains of Friedrich Karl and his two wives were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg.

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Ludwig Friedrich II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

The elder son of Friedrich Karl, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and his first wife and first cousin Princess Friederike of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Ludwig Friedrich II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was born in 1767. He married Karoline of Hesse-Homburg (1771 – 1854) with whom he had seven children. Ludwig Friedrich II died at the age of 39 on April 28, 1807, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany. Because his son and successor Friedrich Günther was only 14-years-old, his mother served as regent until he came of age. Ludwig Friedrich was first buried in the Alter Friedhof/Garnisonfriedhof (Old Cemetery/Garrison Cemetery) in Rudolstadt. When that cemetery was closed sometime after 1869, his remains were moved to the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg. His remains were moved a second time to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg in the early 1940s.

Ludwig Friedrich’s wife Karoline died on June 20, 1854, aged 82. Her remains are now at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt but it is not known if they were previously buried in Alter Friedhof/Garnisonfriedhof (Old Cemetery/Garrison Cemetery) and/or Schlosskirche Schwarzburg.

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Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Born in 1793, Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was the eldest son of Ludwig Friedrich II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Caroline of Hesse-Homburg. His father died when he was 14-years-old and so his mother served as regent until he came of age. Friedrich Günther married three times. His first wife was Auguste of Anhalt-Dessau (1793 – 1854) whom he married on April 15, 1816, at Dessau. They had three sons, all three predeceased their father. Next, he married Countess Helene of Reina (1835 – 1860). They had a set of twins, one boy and one girl, but their mother died three days after their birth. This marriage was considered morganatic under the House Laws of the Schwarzburg family, and there were issues with the titles of the children and succession rights. Friedrich Günther’s third marriage to Marie Schultze (1840 – 1909) was also morganatic and was childless.

Friedrich Günther died at Heidecksburg Castle, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany, aged 73, on June 28, 1867. He was first buried in the Alter Friedhof/Garnisonfriedhof (Old Cemetery/Garrison Cemetery) in Rudolstadt. When that cemetery was closed sometime after 1869, his remains were moved to the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg. His remains were moved a second time to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg in the early 1940s. Friedrich Günther was succeeded by his brother Albrecht as all of his sons by his first wife had predeceased him and his son by his second wife was born from a morganatic marriage.

Friedrich Günther’s first wife Auguste

Friedrich Günther’s first wife Auguste died on June 12, 1854, aged 60. His second wife Countess Helene of Reina died in childbirth in 1860, aged 25. Both wives were first buried in the Alter Friedhof/Garnisonfriedhof (Old Cemetery/Garrison Cemetery) in Rudolstadt. When that cemetery was closed sometime after 1869, their remains were moved to the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg. Their remains were moved a second time to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg in the early 1940s. Friedrich Günther’s third wife Marie Schultze died in 1909, aged 69, and was buried in Bern, Switzerland.

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Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Born in 1798, Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was the second son of Ludwig Friedrich II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Caroline of Hesse-Homburg. He succeeded his elder brother Friedrich Günther due to a lack of legal male heirs. Albrecht married Augusta Luise of Solms-Braunfels (1804 – 1865). They had three sons (two died in infancy) and one daughter. Albrecht’s reign lasted only two years. He died on November 26, 1869, aged 71, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany. He was first buried in the Alter Friedhof/Garnisonfriedhof (Old Cemetery/Garrison Cemetery) in Rudolstadt.

Augusta Luise, Albrecht’s wife, predeceased him, dying on October 8, 1865, aged 61. Like her husband, she was first buried in the Alter Friedhof/Garnisonfriedhof (Old Cemetery/Garrison Cemetery) in Rudolstadt. When that cemetery was closed sometime after 1869, Albrecht and Augusta Luise’s remains were moved to the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg. Their remains were moved a second time to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg in the early 1940s.

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Georg Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

Georg Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, born in 1838, was the only surviving son of Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Augusta Luise of Solms-Braunfels. Georg Albrecht never married. He had been engaged to Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin but she broke the engagement to marry Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia. He died on January 19, 1890, at the age of 51, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany, and was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt. Georg Albrecht was succeeded by his first cousin once removed Günther Victor.

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Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg

Günther Victor was the last reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Born in 1852, Günther Victor was the son of Prince Adolf of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Mathilde of Schönburg-Waldenburg. Upon the death of his father in 1875, Günther Victor became the heir presumptive to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and succeeded upon the death of his unmarried first cousin once removed Georg Albrecht, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1890. When Prince Leopold of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen died in 1906, Günther Victor became heir presumptive to the other Schwarzburg principality. He succeeded in 1909, upon the death of Karl Günther, as 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 married Anna Luise of Schönburg-Waldenburg (1871 – 1951) but the marriage was childless. After the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, Günther Victor, the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicated on November 22, 1918. He died on April 21, 1925, at the age of 72, in Sondershausen, Germany, and was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt, Germany.

His wife Anna Luise survived him by 26 years, dying on November 7, 1951, aged 80, in Sondershausen, Thuringia, Germany, and was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt, Germany.

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