Christian Günther I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (11 May 1578 – 25 November 1642) was the ruling Count 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 ...

from 1601 until his death.

Life

Count Christian Günther I was the son of Count John Günther I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1532–1586) and his wife, Countess Anna (1539–1579), daughter of Count Anton I of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst. Christian Günther I and his brothers were still minors when their father died in 1586 and they inherited Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Their uncles Counts Anthony I (1505–1573) and John VII (1540–1603) of

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

took up the regency. Later, the brothers ruled jointly. In 1593, they inherited the County of Honstein, according to an inheritance treaty from 1433. However, other relatives of the Counts of Honstein also claimed the County, and after a lengthy dispute, the Counts of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen only received a small part of Honstein. Schwarzburg-Sondershausen suffered badly during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, especially the city of

Arnstadt Arnstadt () is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, on the river Gera about south of Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. Arnstadt is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia, and has a well-preserved historic centre with a partially preserved town ...

and its surroundings. The brothers did their best to try to mitigate the burdens of war. The brothers added the north wing to

Sondershausen Palace From an architectural and art historical point of view Sondershausen Palace can be considered one of the most important palace complexes in Thuringia. It is an irregular four-wing complex. With its imposing silhouette the former Schwarzburg residenc ...

Marriage and issue

On 15 November 1612, Christian Günther I married Anna Sibylle (1584–1623), the daughter of Count Albert VII of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. They had the following children: * Anna Juliane (1613–1652) * John Günther III (1615–1616) * Christian Günther II (1616–1666), nicknamed ''the Pious'', Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen-Arnstadt * Catharina Elisabeth (1617–1701), married Henry II of Reuss-Gera * Sophie Eleanor (1618–1631) * Anton Günther I (1620–1666), Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen * Louis Günther II (1621–1681), Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen-Ebeleben * Sophie Elisabeth (1622–1677) * Clara Sabine (1623–1654)

References

* Friedrich Apfelstedt: ''Das Haus Kevernburg-Schwarzburg von seinem Ursprunge bis auf unsere Zeit'', Arnstadt, 1890 * Dr. Kamill von Behr: ''Genealogie der in Europa regierenden Fürstenhäuser'', Leipzig, 1870 House of Schwarzburg Counts of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen 1578 births 1642 deaths 16th-century German people 17th-century German people {{Germany-count-stub