Fürstentum (Principality) of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Grafschaft (County) Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
State of the Holy Roman Empire, State of the Confederation of the Rhine, State of the German Confederation, State of the North German Confederation, State of the German Empire, State of the Weimar Republic
← 1599–1920 →
Flag Coat of arms
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen within the German Empire
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen within Thuringia
Capital		Sondershausen
Government		Principality
Historical era		Middle Ages
-	Partitioned from     Schwarzburg	1599
-	Raised to Principality	1697
-	German Revolution	1920
-	Merged into Thuringia	1920
Area
-	1905	862 km² (333 sq mi)
Population
-	1905 est.	85,000
Density		98.6 /km²  (255.4 /sq mi)

Karl Gunther, the last Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen

The castle at Sondershausen

Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a small principality in Germany, in the present day state of Thuringia, with capital at Sondershausen.

History[edit]

Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a county until 1697; in that year it became a principality, which lasted until the fall of the German monarchies in 1918, during the German Revolution of 1918–1919. After the German Revolution, it became a republic.

In 1920 it joined with other small states in the area to form the new state of Thuringia. Schwarzburg-Sondershausen had an area of 862 km² and a population of 85,000 (1905). Towns placed in the state were: Arnstadt, Sondershausen, Gehren, Langewiesen, Großbreitenbach, Ebeleben, Großenehrich, Greußen and Plaue.

Rulers of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, 1552–1918[edit]

Counts of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen[edit]

• 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

Raised to Principality in 1697

Princes of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen[edit]

• 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

United under Prince Günther of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

• 28 March 1909 – November 1918: Prince Günther

Heads of the princely house of Schwarzburg[edit]

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. Upon the death of Prince Friedrich Günther, the last in the male line, the headship passed under Semi-Salic primogeniture to his elder sister, Princess Marie Antoinette of Schwarzburg who married Friedrich Magnus V, Count of Solms-Wildenfels. The House of Schwarzburg subsequently became a personal union with the House of Solms-Wildenfels.^{[1][self-published source?] [2][unreliable source?]}

• 1918–1925: Prince Günther Victor (1852–1925)
• 1925–1926: Prince Sizzo (1860–1926)
• 1926–1971: Prince Friedrich Günther (1901–1971)
• 1971-1984: Princess Marie Antoinette of Schwarzburg
• 1984: Friedrich Magnus VI, Prince of Schwarzburg, Count of Solms-Wildenfels

Villages with more than 2000 people[edit]

See also[edit]

• House of Schwarzburg

References[edit]

External links[edit]

•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Schwarzburg-Sondershausen". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

v t e Upper Saxon Circle (1512–1806) of the Holy Roman Empire Electorates Brandenburg Saxony Ecclesiastical Cammin Secular Principality of Anhalt Bernburg Köthen Zerbst Barby Hatzfeld-Gleichen Pomerania Further Hither Querfurt Reuss Elder Junior Saxe-Altenburg Saxe-Coburg Saxe-Eisenach Saxe-Gotha Saxe-Weimar Schwarzburg Rudolstadt Sondershausen Prelates Gernrode Quedlinburg Abbey Walkenried Abbey Counts / Lords Hohnstein Lohra / Klettenberg Mansfeld Schönburg (Saale) Stolberg Stolberg Wernigerode Rossla Circles est. 1500: Bavarian, Swabian, Upper Rhenish, Lower Rhenish–Westphalian, Franconian, (Lower) Saxon Circles est. 1512: Austrian, Burgundian, Upper Saxon, Electoral Rhenish     ·     Unencircled territories

v t e States of the Confederation of the Rhine (1806–13) Rank elevated by Napoleon Kingdoms Bavaria Saxony Württemberg Grand Duchies Baden Hesse Duchies Nassau States created Kingdoms Westphalia Grand Duchies Berg Frankfurt1 Würzburg Principalities Aschaffenburg2 Leyen Regensburg2 Pre-existing states Saxon duchies Coburg-Saalfeld Gotha-Altenburg Hildburghausen Meiningen Weimar3 Eisenach3 Weimar-Eisenach4 Other duchies Anhalt (Bernburg Dessau Köthen) Arenberg Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg Principalities Hohenzollern Hechingen Sigmaringen Isenburg-Birstein Liechtenstein Lippe-Detmold Reuss Ebersdorf Greiz Lobenstein Schleiz Salm5 Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg Rudolstadt Sondershausen Waldeck 1 from 1810 2 until 1810 3 until 1809 4 from 1809 5 until 1811

v t e States of the German Confederation (1815–66) Empires Austria1 Kingdoms Prussia1 Bavaria Saxony Hanover Württemberg Electorates Hesse Grand Duchies Baden Hesse Luxembourg Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Duchies Anhalt Bernburg2 Dessau2 Köthen3 Brunswick Holstein Limburg4 Nassau Saxe-Lauenburg Saxony Altenburg5 Coburg-Saalfeld6 Coburg-Gotha5 Gotha-Altenburg6 Hildburghausen6 Meiningen Principalities Hesse-Homburg Hohenzollern Hechingen7 Sigmaringen7 Liechtenstein Lippe Reuss Elder Junior Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg Rudolstadt Sondershausen Waldeck and Pyrmont City-states Bremen Frankfurt Hamburg Lübeck Unrecognized 1 w/o areas listed under other territories 2 Merged with Anhalt from 1863 3 until 1847 4 from 1839 5 from 1826 6 until 1826 7 until 1850 8 1849–60 9 as of 1849 10 until 1837 11 until 1829 12 until 1848/57 13 until 1848 14 as of 1848 15 as of 1829 16 as of 1864

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v t e States of the German Empire Kingdoms Bavaria Prussia Saxony Württemberg Grand Duchies Baden Hesse Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Duchies Anhalt Brunswick Saxe-Altenburg Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Lauenburg (until 1876) Saxe-Meiningen Principalities Lippe Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) Reuss-Greiz (Senior Line) Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Waldeck-Pyrmont City-States Bremen Hamburg Lübeck Imperial state Alsace-Lorraine Other territories German colonial empire