The House of Schwarzburg was one of the oldest noble families of
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
. Upon the death of
Prince Friedrich Günther in 1971, a claim to the headship of the house passed under
Semi-Salic
The Salic law ( or ; la, Lex salica), also called the was the ancient Frankish civil law code compiled around AD 500 by the first Frankish King, Clovis. The written text is in Latin and contains some of the earliest known instances of Old D ...
primogeniture to his elder sister,
Princess Marie Antoinette of Schwarzburg
Marie Antoinette, Princess of Schwarzburg (german: Marie Antoinette Prinzessin zu Schwarzburg; 7 February 18984 November 1984) was the eldest child of Sizzo, Prince of Schwarzburg.
Early life and background
Marie Antoinette was born at Großh ...
who married Friedrich Magnus V, Count of
Solms-Wildenfels
Solms-Wildenfels was a minor County around Wildenfels in south-western Saxony, Germany. The House of Solms had its origins at Solms, Hesse.
Solms-Wildenfels was a partition of Solms-Baruth. In 1741 it was partitioned between itself and Solms- ...
.
[James, John ''Almanach de Gotha, Volume I'', 2013.] Reigning over the
County of Schwarzburg
The House of Schwarzburg was one of the oldest noble families of Thuringia. Upon the death of Prince Friedrich Günther in 1971, a claim to the headship of the house passed under Semi-Salic primogeniture to his elder sister, Princess Marie An ...
and founded by
Sizzo I of Schwarzburg (died 1160), the family split in the 16th century into the lines of
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a small principality in Germany, in the present day state of Thuringia, with its capital at Sondershausen.
History
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a county until 1697. In that year, it became a principality, which la ...
and
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was a small historic state in present-day Thuringia, Germany, with its capital at Rudolstadt.
History
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was established in 1599 in the course of a resettlement of Schwarzburg dynasty lands. Since t ...
, with the Sondershausen dying out in 1909.
Family history
The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was a small historic state in present-day Thuringia, Germany, with its capital at Rudolstadt.
History
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was established in 1599 in the course of a resettlement of Schwarzburg dynasty lands. Since t ...
and
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a small principality in Germany, in the present day state of Thuringia, with its capital at Sondershausen.
History
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a county until 1697. In that year, it became a principality, which la ...
. It was ruled by counts from the House of Schwarzburg.
Schwarzburg Castle was first mentioned in a 1071 deed. In 1123 Count Sizzo III of Käfernburg (Kevernburg), mentioned by the medieval chronicler
Lambert of Hersfeld Lambert of Hersfeld (also called Lampert; – 1082/85) was a medieval chronicler. His work represents a major source for the history of the German kingdom of Henry IV and the incipient Investiture Controversy in the eleventh century.
Life
What ...
and according to the
Annalista Saxo
The Annalista Saxo ("Saxon annalist") is the anonymous author of an important imperial chronicle, believed to have originated in the mid-12th century at Nienburg Abbey in the Duchy of Saxony.
General
The chronicle of the "Annalista Saxo" is a c ...
a grandson of Prince
Yaropolk Izyaslavich
Yaropolk Iziaslavich or Yaropolk Iziaslavych (died 1087) was a '' Kniaz'' (prince) during the eleventh-century in the Kievan Rus' kingdom and was the King of Rus (1076–1087). The son of Grand Prince Iziaslav I of Kiev (Kyiv) by a Polish ...
of Turov by his mother, rebuilt the castle calling himself a "Count of Schwarzburg". Sizzo also established
Georgenthal
Georgenthal is a municipality in the district of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany. The former municipalities Leinatal, Hohenkirchen and Petriroda
Petriroda is a village and a former municipality in the district of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany. ...
Abbey and in 1157, he accompanied Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt o ...
during his campaign against High Duke
Bolesław IV the Curly
Bolesław IV the Curly (; 1122 – 5 January 1173), a member of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Masovia from 1138 and High Duke of Poland from 1146 until his death.
Early life
Bolesław was the third son of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth of Polan ...
of Poland.
In 1197, Sizzo's grandson
Henry II divided the common heritage with his brother Günther III and made Schwarzburg Castle his residence. His territory then also comprised the nearby castle of
Blankenburg Blankenburg may refer to:
Places
* Blankenburg am Harz, a German town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt
* Blankenburg Castle (Harz), the castle in Blankenburg am Harz (see above)
* Bad Blankenburg, a German town in the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt dis ...
.
The most famous family member is
Günther XXI von Schwarzburg. In 1349, he was elected as German king by the majority of electors. But, due to waning support, he renounced some months later and died shortly after.
The Schwarzburg lands were again divided among his successors until in 1538 when Count
Günther XL the Rich was able to unite the territories including
Frankenhausen and
Rudolstadt
Rudolstadt is a town in the German federal state Thuringia, with the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north.
The former capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the town is built along the River Saale inside a wide v ...
under his rule. He was succeeded by his eldest son
Günther XLI. However, after his death in 1583, his younger brothers again divided the county:
John Günther I received the territory around
Arnstadt, later called
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a small principality in Germany, in the present day state of Thuringia, with its capital at Sondershausen.
History
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a county until 1697. In that year, it became a principality, which la ...
, while
Albrecht VII Albert VII may refer to:
* Albert VII, Archduke of Austria (1559–1621)
* Albert VII, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Albrecht VII, the Handsome, Duke of Mecklenburg in Güstrow (25 July 1486 – 5 January 1547), was a minor ruler in North Germ ...
inherited the lands of
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was a small historic state in present-day Thuringia, Germany, with its capital at Rudolstadt.
History
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was established in 1599 in the course of a resettlement of Schwarzburg dynasty lands. Since t ...
. The partition was finally confirmed by the 1599 Treaty of
Stadtilm
Stadtilm is a town in the Ilm-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Ilm, 15 km northeast of Ilmenau, and 11 km southeast of Arnstadt. In July 2018 the former municipality of Ilmtal was merged into Stadtilm.
...
.
Counts of Schwarzburg and Käfernburg
House of Schwarzburg
Partitions of Schwarzburg under Schwarzburg rule
Table of rulers
(Note: There are two manners for numbering the rulers of this noble family: birth numbers or regnal numbers. This table uses the regnal numbers for avoiding confusion or holes in the numbering. There's a different numbering for Schwarzburg, Käfernburg (from Günther IIII onwards) and Hallermund (as an already existing county which came into the family by marriage)).
Counts and Princes of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
* 1552–1586:
John Günther I
* 1586–1631: Günther XLII, ''with''
Anton Henry, John Günther II and
Christian Günther I
* 1631–1638: Günther XLII, ''with''
Anton Henry and
Christian Günther I
* 1638–1642: Günther XLII, ''with''
Christian Günther I
* 1642–1643: Günther XLII, ''with''
Anton Günther I
* 1643–1666:
Anton Günther I
* 1666–1697:
Christian William, ''with''
Anton Günther II
* 1697–1716:
Anton Günther II
* 1697 – 10 May 1721:
Christian William
* 10 May 1721 – 28 November 1740:
Günther XLIII
* 28 November 1740 – 6 November 1758:
Henry XXXV
* 6 November 1758 – 14 October 1794:
Christian Günther III
* 14 October 1794 – 19 August 1835: Günther Friedrich Karl I
* 19 August 1835 – 17 July 1880: Günther Friedrich Karl II
* 17 July 1880 – 28 March 1909:
Karl Günther
Karl Günther (25 November 1885 – 27 June 1951) was an Austrian film actor.
Selected filmography
* '' The Masked Ones'' (1920)
* ''The Riddle of the Sphinx'' (1921)
* ''The Adventuress of Monte Carlo'' (1921)
* ''The Call of Destiny'' (1922)
* ' ...
* 28 March 1909 – November 1918:
Günther Victor
See also
*
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was a small historic state in present-day Thuringia, Germany, with its capital at Rudolstadt.
History
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was established in 1599 in the course of a resettlement of Schwarzburg dynasty lands. Since t ...
*
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a small principality in Germany, in the present day state of Thuringia, with its capital at Sondershausen.
History
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a county until 1697. In that year, it became a principality, which la ...
*
List of consorts of Schwarzburg
Schwarzburg
Countess of Schwarzburg (Incomplete), 1197–1552
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Countess of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, 1552–1697
Princess of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, 1697–1918
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzb ...
References
External links
House Laws of Schwarzburg
{{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Schwarzburg
Schwarzburg