Henry Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode (german: Heinrich Ernst (later calling himself Henrich Ernst) zu Stolberg-Wernigerode; 7 December 1716,

Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,041 in 2012. Wernigerode is located southwest of Halberstadt, and is picturesquely s ...

– 24 October 1778,

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...

) was a German politician,

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

of many

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

. He also published some poetry and collections of songs. He was

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Stolberg-Wernigerode The County of Stolberg-Wernigerode (german: Grafschaft Stolberg-Wernigerode) was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the Harz region around Wernigerode, now part of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was ruled by a branch of the House of Stolberg. ...

from 1771 until his death.

Life

Henry Ernest was the eldest surviving son of Count

Christian Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode Christian Ernest, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode, (2 April 1691, Gedern – 25 October 1771, Wernigerode) was a German politician and a member of the House of Stolberg. From 1710 to 1771 he governed County of Wernigerode in the Harz mountain ...

. His mother, Countess Sophie Charlotte of Leiningen-

Westerburg Westerburg () is a small town of roughly 6,000 inhabitants in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is named after the castle built on a hill above the mediaeval town centre (''Burg'' is German for “castle”) Geography ...

, was heavily influenced by

Pietism Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy and ...

and raised her son in this spirit. Henry Ernest studied at the universities in Halle and

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

and, already in 1739, he received a

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

at the cathedral chapter at Halberstadt; this appointment was confirmed by King

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

. Also in 1739, he was awarded the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

by King

Christian VI of Denmark Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...

. His father involved him in the ruling of the county from a young age and after 1742 he consistently attended meetings of the Chamber of Wernigerode. He was involved, for example, in the development of the

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

industry on Mount

Brocken The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elbe. ...

, in 1743 establishing a peat works on the Brocken named ''

Heinrichshöhe The Heinrichshöhe is a subsidiary peak of the highest mountain in the Harz, the Brocken, and, at , it is the second summit in the Harz Mountains. Today, it may only be visited with permission from the national park authority for the purposes of ...

''. During his father's lifetime he enlarged the

hymnology Hymnology (from Greek ὕμνος ''hymnos'', "song of praise" and -λογία ''-logia'', "study of") is the scholarly study of religious song, or the hymn, in its many aspects, with particular focus on choral and congregational song. It may be m ...

department of the count's library, and collected and composed himself almost 400 hymns. He also supported the popular poet Anna Louisa Karsch. In 1763 he had

Johann Georg Ziesenis Johann Georg Ziesenis (1716, Copenhagen – 4 March 1776, Hannover) was a German – Danish portrait painter. Life His father Johan Jürgen Ziesenis was a painter from Hanover who had been granted Danish citizenship in Copenhagen in 1709 and wh ...

make him a painting showing King Frederick II of Prussia down to the knee. After his father's death on 25 October 1771, the 55-year-old Henry Ernest took up the government in the county of Wernigerode, where he promoted the most pietistic form of religious life.

Marriage and issue

Henry Ernest was married on 11 December 1738 in Sorau to Marie Elizabeth, daughter of Count

Erdmann II of Promnitz Erdmann II, Count von Promnitz (born 22 August 1683 in Sorau, Electorate of Saxony (now Żary, Poland); died: 7 September 1745 at the forest castle near Żary) was Lord of Żary (german: Sorau) and Trzebiel (german: Triebel) in Lower Lusatia, and ...

. She died on 29 July 1741 in Wernigerode as a result of the birth of their second daughter. * Charlotte Auguste (9 October 174020 September 1741) * Daughter (1741–1741) After a year of mourning, he was married a second time, in Köthen, to Princess Christiane Anna of Anhalt-Köthen, daughter of Prince Augustus Louis and his second wife, Countess Emilie of Promnitz (making her a niece of his first wife). His son and heir was born from this marriage: *

Christian Frederick Christian VIII (18 September 1786 – 20 January 1848) was King of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, King of Norway in 1814. Christian Frederick was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick, a younger son of King Frederic ...

(1746–1824) : married Auguste Eleonore of Stolberg-Stolberg (1748–1821) * Auguste Friederike (4 September 17439 January 1783) : married firstly on 5 December 1767 to Gustav Frederick of

Isenburg-Büdingen Isenburg-Büdingen was a County of southern Hesse, Germany, located in Büdingen. It was originally a part of the County of Isenburg. There were two different Counties of the same name. The first (1341–1511) was a partition of Isenburg-Cleberg ...

(7 August 171512 February 1768) : married secondly on 24 September 1768 to Louis Casimir of Isenburg-Büdingen (25 August 171015 December 1775) : married thirdly on 26 June 1777 to Friedrich von Wendt (died 24 September 1818) * Louise Ferdinand (30 September 17443 February 1784) : married on 13 June 1766 to

Frederick Erdmann, Prince of Anhalt-Pless Frederick Erdmann of Anhalt-Pless (Köthen, 27 October 1731 – Pszczyna, Pless, 12 December 1797) was a German Fürst, prince from the Anhalt-Köthen branch of the House of Ascania, and the first Reigning prince, ruler of the Duchy of Pless#P ...

(1731–1797)

Works

* Religious Poems, edited by Siegmund Jakob Baumgarten, 4 vols, Halle, 1748-52. * ''Der sel. u. sichere Glaubensweg eines ev. Christen in gebundene Rede gebracht'', Wernigerode 1747 * ''Neue Sammlung geistlicher Lieder'', Wernigerode, 1752 ditor including his song: ''Fort, fort, mein Herz, du mußt stets aufwärts steigen''

References and sources

* *

External links

portrait of Henry Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode in the Gleimhaus in Halberstadt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stolberg-Wernigerode, Henry Ernest Von 1716 births 1778 deaths 18th-century German people Henry Ernest German Protestant hymnwriters German poets German politicians Henry Ernest Von Stolberg-Wernigerode Order of the Dannebrog People from Wernigerode