Günther XLIII, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (also known as Günther I; 13 August 1678 – 28 November 1740) was the ruling Prince 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 (earldom) until 1697. In that year, it became a principal ...

from 1720 until his death.

Life

Prince Günther XLIII was son of Prince Christian William I (1647-1721) and his wife Princess Antonie Sybille (1641-1684), a daughter of Count Albert Fredrick I of Barby-Mühlingen. He took up government during his father's the lifetime, and in 1720 and continued as a fair, gentle and pious regent until his death. In 1713, a decree had been issued instituting

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

, that is, the Prince's oldest son would be his sole successor, rather than having to share sovereignty with his younger brothers, or dividing the principality. He made an end to foreign sovereignty over various parts of his principality, thereby increasing its prestige. He built new church in Jechaburg and a Princely House in

Sondershausen Sondershausen () is a town in Thuringia, central Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km (30 mi) north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was merged with Sondershausen. Until 1918 i ...

. His hobby was hunting, and he built a hunting lodge named on the

Hainleite The Hainleite is a Muschelkalk ridge of hills up to in northern Thuringia, Germany. Geography This heavily wooded landscape lies between Bleicherode in Nordhausen district, Sondershausen in Kyffhäuser district, Bad Frankenhausen, Dingel ...

near Sondershausen. The name of the lodge was derived from a poem by his half-sister Christiane Wilhelmine. After he died childless in 1740, his half-brother Henry XXXV inherited the principality.

Marriage

On 2 October 1712 Günther married Elisabeth Albertine (1693-1774), a daughter of Prince Charles Frederick of

Anhalt-Bernburg Anhalt-Bernburg was a Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire and a duchy of the German Confederation ruled by the House of Ascania with its residence at Bernburg in present-day Saxony-Anhalt. It emerged as a subd ...

. The marriage was childless.

References

* Friedrich Apfelstedt: ''Das Haus Kevernburg-Schwarzburg von seinem Ursprunge bis auf unsere Zeit'', * Dr. Kamill von Behr: ''Genealogie der in Europa regierenden Fürstenhäuser'', Leipzig, 1870 Princes of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Princes of the Holy Roman Empire House of Schwarzburg 1678 births 1740 deaths 18th-century German nobility {{Germany-noble-stub