Johann Adolf of Schwarzenberg (20 September 1615,

Wermelskirchen Wermelskirchen (; Ripuarian: ''Wärmelßkirrshe'') is a town in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, southeast of Remscheid. It is home to one of Europe's biggest live Christmas trees (measuring 26m). Coat of arms ...

– 26 May 1683,

Laxenburg __NOTOC__ Laxenburg (Central Bavarian: ''Laxnbuag'') is a market town in the district of Mödling, in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Located about south of the Austrian capital Vienna, it is chiefly known for the Laxenburg castles, which, be ...

) was the first Prince of Schwarzenberg. A diplomat in the service of the Habsburgs, he was a member of the prestigious

House of Schwarzenberg The House of Schwarzenberg is a German ( Franconian) and Czech ( Bohemian) aristocratic family, and it was one of the most prominent European noble houses. The Schwarzenbergs are members of the German nobility and Czech nobility and they held the ...

Biography

Johann Adolf of Schwarzenberg was born on 20 September 1615 in

, then part of the Holy Empire. He was the son of

Adam, Count of Schwarzenberg Adam Graf von Schwar(t)zenberg (26 August 1583 – 14 March 1641) was a German official who advised George William, Elector of Brandenburg, during the Thirty Years' War and served as the Master of the ''Johanniterorden'', the Bailiwick of Bran ...

and Margareta von Palant. A shrewd diplomat, he first served in Vienna, before entering the service of

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (5 January 1614 – 20 November 1662), younger brother of Emperor Ferdinand III, was an Austrian soldier, administrator and patron of the arts. He held a number of military commands, with limited success, and ...

, then Governor General of the Spanish Netherlands, of which he became chamberlain. He then lived in Brussels at the court of the Archduke. Johann Adolf was a very cultured and polyglot man, familiar with classical literature and a great patron of art. Over time, he collected a rich collection of works of art, which he passed on to his descendants.
He was highly appreciated by Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria and appointed

Knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Knights of the Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th Century !Year of Induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , ...

in 1650. After the latter's death in 1662, Johann Adolf of Schwarzenberg settled permanently in Bohemia, thus acquiring the domains of Wittingau in 1660 and Frauenberg in 1661. Johann Adolf was a good manager. He contributed a lot in improving the lands he owned, by for example, introducing new crops or supporting the development of crafts. Devout, he sought to help the poorest by founding, among other things, a refuge for the poor. On 14 July 1670, Emperor Leopold I made him Prince of Schwarzenberg. He died on 26 May 1683 in his sixty-seventh year in

, Austria.

Marriage and descendants

On 15 March 1644, he married in Vienna Marie-Justine de Starhemberg (1608–1681), daughter of Ludwig von Starhemberg (1564-1620).
They had six children: *Johann Leopold Philipp (January 1647 - August 1647); *Maria Ernestina (1649–1719), married Fürst Johann Christian von Eggenberg, also a Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece; * Ferdinand Wilhelm Eusebius (1652–1703), 2nd Prince of Schwarzenberg; *Charlotte (1654–1661); *Louis Adam (1655–1656); *Polyxena (1658–1659).

Sources

BLKÖ:Schwarzenberg, Johann Adolph Fürst (1615–1683)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johann Adolf of Schwarzenberg, Prince 1615 births 1683 deaths 17th-century Austrian people Austrian Empire politicians Johann Adolf Bohemian nobility German Bohemian people