PRINCIPALITY OF SCHWARZBURG-RUDOLSTADT
The Principality
of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, a German state in Thüringia
since 1711, was a member state of the German Confederation
from 1815 to
1866. After the Prussian-Austrian War, where they allied with Prussia,
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt became
a member state of the North German
Confederation in 1867. The Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt military became a
contingent
of the Prussian Army on 26 June 1867. It became a member state
of the German Empire in 1871. Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
was a hereditary
constitutional monarchy. The parliament consisted of one chamber called
the Landtag and was
only summoned every three years. The parliament
consisted of sixteen members, four chosen by the highest assessed taxpayers,
the others by universal secret and direct elections. The principality has
one vote in the Reichstag and one in the
Bundesrat. The population was
103,000 in 1914, and almost all of them were Lutheran.
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen were
joined by
family lines originally. Similar to the Reuß family all of the male descendents
had
a common name, in this instance Günther, such as Günther XL, who died
in 1552. Over time, this tradition
changed. Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was the
junior line. On the death of Charles Günther of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
in 1909 the two Schwartzberg principalities were united in a personal union
under Günther Viktor of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.
This was a personal union,
and he still ruled two separate states with inside the German Empire. Günther
Viktor was fond of calling a joint principality Schwarzburg. They were
however not united in a constitutional sense,
and were always two separate
states having two distinct votes in the Bundesrat.
The Rulers of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
The Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
* 1574-1605: Count Albrecht VII............................(1537-1605),
son of Count Günther XL of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg,
founder of the county (state) of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
* 1605-30.............Count Karl Günther, also known as Charles
Guenther (1576-1630, succeeded by younger
brother Ludwig I)
* 1630-46..........................................Count Ludwig Günther I,
also known
as Louis Guenther (1581-1646)
* 1646-62: Regent Emilie of Delmenhorst..................(1614-70)
* 1662-1710:
Count Albrecht Anton.........................(1641-1710)
The Princes of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
* 1710-18: Prince Louis Frederick I............................(1667-1718)
* 1718-44: Prince Frederick Anton............................(1692-1744)
* 1744-67: Prince John Frederick..................................(1721-67)
* 1767-1790: Prince Louis Günther II............................(1708-90)
* 1790-93: Prince Frederick
Charles..............................(1736-93)
* 1793-1807: Prince Louis Frederick II........................(1767-1807)
* 1807-14: Regent Caroline Luise of Hessen-Homburg (1771-1854)
* 1814-67: Prince Frederick Günther...........................(1793-1867)
* 1867-69: Prince Albert..............................................(1798-1869)
* 1869-90: Prince Georg Albert......................................(1838-90)
* 1890-1918.........................................Prince Günther (1852-1925)
succeeded as Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
in 1909 on the death of Prince Karl Günther.
The Heads of the Princely House of Schwarzburg
On the death of the childless Prince Günther Victor
in 1925
he was succeeded by Prince Sizzo (1860-1926) who was the son
of Prince Friedrich Günther (1793-1867)
from his second,
morganatic marriage. Prince Sizzo was recognised as a full
member of the House of Schwarzburg
in 1896.
* 1918-1925......................Prince
Günther (1852-1925)
* 1925-1926..........................Prince Sizzo (1860-1926)
* 1926-1971 Prince
Friedrich Günther...........(1901-71)
The Family Titles and Styles
The members of this line bore the title Prince
or Princess von
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt together with the formal appellation
of His or Her Serene Highness.
The
Genealogy of The Princely House
FRIEDRICH KARL Fst von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
(Rudolstadt 7 Jun 1736-
Rudolstadt 13 Apr 1793); m.1st Schwarzburg 21 Oct 1763 Friederike Pss
von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
(Rudolstadt 17 Aug 1745- Rudolstadt 26 Jan
1778); m.2d Stadtroda 28 Nov 1780 Auguste Pss of Saxe-Gotha (Stadtroda
30 Nov 1752-Rudolstadt 28 May 1805)
1a)
Friederike (Rudolstadt 12
May 1765-Rudolstadt 4 Feb 1767)
2a) LUDWIG FRIEDRICH Fst von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (Rudolstadt 9
Aug 1767-Rudolstadt 28 Apr 1807);
m.Homburg 21 Jul 1791 Caroline
Ldgvne of Hesse-Homburg (Homburg 26 Aug 1771-Rudolstadt 20 Jun 1854)
1b) Karoline Auguste Friederike Cäcilie
(Rudolstadt
17 Jul 1792-Rudolstadt 4 Mar 1794)
2b) FRIEDRICH GÜNTHER Fst
von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (Rudolstadt 6 Nov
1793-Schloß Heidecksburg 28 Jun 1867); m.1st Dessau 15 Apr 1816 Auguste
Pss of Anhalt-Dessau (Dessau 18 Aug 1793-Rudolstadt 12 Jun 1854); m.2d
Dresden 7 Aug 1855 Helene Pss of Anhalt (Dessau
1 Mar 1835-Rudolstadt
6 Jun 1860); m.3d (morganatically) Schwarzburg 24 Sep 1861 Marie Schultze,
cr 1864 Gfn von
Brockenburg (Insterburg 22 Oct 1840-Bern 19 Mar 1909)
1c) Friedrich Günther (Rudolstadt
31 Jan 1818-Rudolstadt 16 Mar 1821)
2c) Günther (Rudolstadt 5 Nov
1821-Rudolstadt
11 Nov 1845)
3c) Gustav (Rudolstadt
7 Jan
1828-Rudolstadt 30 Nov 1837)
4c)
Helene, cr 1860 Pss von Leutenberg (Rudolstadt 2 Jun 1860
-Hannover 17 May 1937); m.Rudolstadt 24 Jan 1884 Hans Pr von
Schoenaich-Carolath (Saabor 26 Aug 1849-Hannover 5/6 May 1910)
5c) Günther SIZZO, cr 1860 Pr von Leutenberg,
recognized as heir
presumptive 1896, succeeded his cousin as Fst von Schwarzburg
1925 (Rudolstadt 3 Jun 1860- Großharthau
24 Mar 1926); m.Dessau
25 Jan 1897 Alexandra Pss of Anhalt (Dessau 4 Apr 1868-
Schwetzingen 26 Aug 1958)
1d) Marie-Antoinette (Großharthau 7 Feb 1898-Schloß
Blumenthal
4 Nov 1984); m.Wildenfels 4 Jan 1925 Friedrich Magnus Gf zu Solms
-Wildenfels (Wildenfels 1 Nov 1886-Groß-Schweidnitz
6 Sep 1945)
2d) Irene (Großhartau
27 May 1899-Munich 28 Feb 1939)
3d)
FRIEDRICH GÜNTHER Fst von Schwarzburg (Großharthau 5 Mar 1901-Munich
9 Nov 1971); m.Heinrichau, Silesia 7
Mar 1938 (div 1938) Sophie Pss of
Saxe-Weimar (Weimar 20 Nov 1911-Hamburg 21 Nov 1988)
3b) Thekla (Rudolstadt 23 Feb 1795-Gauernitz 4 Jan 1861); m.
Rudolstadt
11 Apr 1817 Otto Viktor Fst von Schönburg-Waldenburg
(1 Mar 1785-16 Feb 1859)
4b) Karoline (Rudolstadt 7 Jun
1796-Rudolstadt 18 Dec 1796)
5b) ALBERT Fst von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
(Rudolstadt 30 Apr 1798-
Rudolstadt 26 Nov 1869); m.Berlin-Schönhausen 26 Jul 1827 Auguste
Pss zu Solms-Braunfels
(Triesdorf 25 Jul 1804-Eichberg 8 Oct 1865)
1c)
Karl Günther Friedrich Ernst Wilhelm
(Rudolstadt 30 Apr 1828-Rudolstadt 9 May 1828)
2c) Elisabeth (Rudolstadt 1 Oct 1833-Detmold 27 Nov 1896);
m.Rudolstadt
17 Apr 1852 Leopold Fst zur Lippe (Detmold 1
Sep 1821-Detmold 8 Dec 1875)
3c) GEORG Albert Fst von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
(Rudolstadt 23 Nov 1838-Rudolstadt 19 Jan 1890)
4c) Ernst Heinrich (Rudolstadt 15
Mar 1848-Rudolstadt 19 Mar 1848)
6b) Bernhard (Rudolstadt 23 Jun
1801-Rudolstadt 26 Jan 1816)
7b) Rudolph (Rudolstadt 23 Jun
1801-Rudolstadt 21 Jul
1808)
3a) Therese Sophie Henriette
(Rudolstadt
31 Mar 1770-Rudolstadt 23 May 1783)
4a) Karl Günther (Rudolstadt 23 Aug 1771-Rudolstadt 4 Feb 1825)
; m.Homburg 19 Jun 1793 Ulrike
Ldgvne of Hesse-Homburg (Homburg
26 Oct 1772-Rudolstadt 18 Sep 1854)
1b) Friedrich (b.and d.
Rudolstadt 6 Oct 1798)
2b) Ludwig Heinrich Theodor (Rudolstadt
9 May 1800-Rudolstadt
20 Jul 1800)
3b) Franz Friedrich
Karl Adolf (Rudolstadt 27 Sep 1801-Rudolstadt
1 Jul 1875); m.Waldenburg 27 Sep 1847 Mathilde Pss von Schönburg
-Waldenburg (Waldenburg 18 Nov 1826-Rudolstadt 22 Mar 1914)
1c) Marie Karoline Auguste (Rudolstadt 29 Jan 1850-The Hague
22 Apr 1922); m.Rudolstadt 4 Jul 1868
Friedrich Franz III,
Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Ludwigslust 28 Feb 1823
-Schwerin 15 Apr 1883)
2c) GÜNTHER Victor Fst von Schwarzburg-Sondershausen,
succeeded
his cousin Georg as Fürst von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1890,
succeeded his cousin Karl as Fürst
von Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
in 1909, andassumed the title Fürst von Schwarzburg; abdicated
22 Nov 1918 (Rudolstadt
21 Aug 1852-Sondershausen 16 Apr 1925);
m.Rudolstadt 9 Dec 1891 Anna Pss von Schönburg-Waldenburg
(Hermsdorf
19 Feb 1871-Sondershausen 7 Nov 1951)
3c)
Thekla (Rudolstadt 12 Aug
1859-Rudolstadt 5 Feb 1939)
4c) Luise (Rudolstadt 5 Jan
1862-Droyssig 7 Jun 1867)
4b) Karoline Auguste Luise Amalie (Rudolstadt 4 Apr 1804
-Rudolstadt 14
Jan 1829); m.Rudolstadt 6 Aug 1825 Georg
Pr of Anhalt (Dessau 21 Feb 1896-Dresden 16 Oct 1865)
5b) Wilhelm Friedrich (Rudolstadt
31 May 1806-Dresden
6 May 1849)
6b) Karoline Irene
Marie (Rudolstadt 6 Apr 1809-Arnstadt
29 Mar 1833); m.Rudolstadt 12 Mar 1827 Günther Fst von
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
(1801-1889)
5a) Wilhelmine Friederike
Karoline (Rudolstadt 21 Jan 1774
-Arnstadt 11 Jan 1854); m.Rudolstadt 23 Jun 1799 Günther
Fst von Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
(1760-1837)
6a) Christiane Luise
(Rudolstadt 2 Nov 1775-Kassel 25
Dec 1808); m.Rudolstadt 10 Apr 1796 Ernst Konstantin
Ldgve of Hesse-Philippsthal
(1771-1849)
____________
Welcome to The Almanach de Saxe Gotha
