Günther XL. (Schwarzburg)

Count Günther XL., The rich man or the one with the fat mouth

Günther XL. von Schwarzburg called the rich or the one with the fat mouth (born October 31, 1499 in Sondershausen ; † November 10, 1552 in Gehren ) was Count von Schwarzburg .

Live and act

Günther was the eldest son of Count Heinrich XXXI. von Schwarzburg-Blankenburg (1473–1526) and his first wife Magdalena, née Countess von Hohnstein (1480–1504).

Günther gradually united all Schwarzburg possessions with the exception of the people mountain . After the death of his brother Heinrich XXXIV. he received the rule Frankenhausen in 1537 and after the death of his cousin Heinrich XXXII. In 1538 the entire supremacy was added. In order to represent his accumulated wealth and his power, he had the Sondershäuser castle complex demolished for the most part and in 1533 built a renaissance palace on it, the present-day old north, east and south wings of the Sondershäuser palace .

He led the Protestantism in its countries and participated in the Schmalkaldic War against Emperor Charles V in part. The count took considerable advantage of the political decline of the Saxon Ernestines . In feudal matters he came into conflict with the elector Johann Friedrich von Sachsen . He felt compelled to occupy the county of Schwarzburg with troops and to inflict arson on the city of Sondershausen , so that Count Günther had to flee. Only after the Battle of Mühlberg in 1547 was he able to return successfully.

After the count died in 1552, four sons had the right to inheritance. The two brothers of legal age ran the Grafschaft Schwarzburg in cooperation. From 1571 the supremacy (towns of Rudolstadt and Arnstadt ) and the subordinate rule (towns of Sondershausen and Frankenhausen ) were separated. Two brothers each ruled one of these territories. In 1599, two completely redesigned territories were created, which remained almost unchanged. The death of two childless brothers was the reason for the reallocation. Another brother died but had heirs. The surviving count of his brothers was Albrecht VII. He had been count of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt since 1571 and was regent of the county from 1599 with newly established national borders. There was also the Grafschaft Schwarzburg-Sondershausen , whose area was also established in 1599.

Püstrich von Sondershausen

Günther XL. acquired a bronze figure, Püstrich von Sondershausen , for his art and natural history cabinet. The origin, time of origin and former importance of the Püstrich are not sufficiently known, which is why it has been the subject of numerous studies and speculations for centuries. In earlier times the Püstrich attracted many curious people to Sondershausen , including high-ranking personalities.

progeny

Günther XL. was married to Elisabeth (* 1507 in Büdingen, † 14 May 1572 in Sondershausen), daughter of Count Philipp von Isenburg-Büdingen zu Ronneburg , since November 29, 1528 , and had the following children with her:

Günther XLI. (1529–1583), the belligerent (Bellicosus), Count of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt, childless
Magdalena (1530–1565), ⚭ 1552 Count Johann Albrecht VI. from Mansfeld to Arnstein
Amalie (1531-1543)
Johann Günther I (1532–1586), Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Wilhelm I (1534–1598), Count of Schwarzburg-Frankenhausen, childless
Philip (1536–1536)
Albrecht VII (1537–1605), Count of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Otto Heinrich (1538–1539)
Anna Sibylle (1540–1578), ⚭ 1571 Count Ludwig III. from Isenburg-Büdingen to Birstein
Elisabeth (1541–1612), ⚭ 1576 Count Johann VII (XVI.) Of Oldenburg

Trivia

It is reported that Günther XL. died immediately after an " opulent Thuringian festival at Gehren Castle ".

literature

Heinrich Friedrich Theodor Apfelstedt : The House of Kevernburg-Schwarzburg from its origins to our time. Arnstadt 1890, ISBN 3-910132-29-4 .
Dr. Kamill von Behr: Genealogy of the princely houses in Europe. Leipzig 1870.
Horst Fleischer among others: The Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt: Albrecht VII to Albert Anton. In: Small series of cultural history. Vol. 3, 2nd edition, Rudolstadt 2004, ISBN 3-910013-40-6 .
Kurt Hermann: The inheritance divisions in the Schwarzburg house. Hall 1919.
Johann Christian August Junghans: History of the black castle regents , Leipzig 1821 E-Text

Individual evidence

↑ Lexicon of the Middle Ages
^ ^A ^b Carl Eduard Vehse: History of the German courts since the Reformation . Hoffmann and Campe, 1856 ( google.de [accessed January 1, 2018]).
^ Thilo Irmisch : Elisabeth von Schwarzburg, née Countess von Ysenburg. A life story from the sixteenth century. (Lecture September 24, 1872. Reprinted in the “Kleines Feuilleton” section of Der Deutsche 1895, No. 164 to 171. ) Here: Der Deutsche 1895 No. 164 and 169 .

personal data
SURNAME	Günther XL.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Günther the Rich; Günther with the fat mouth
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Count of Schwarzburg
DATE OF BIRTH	October 31, 1499
PLACE OF BIRTH	Sondershausen
DATE OF DEATH	November 10, 1552
Place of death	Miter

[1] Lexicon of the Middle Ages

[:0-2] A ^b Carl Eduard Vehse: History of the German courts since the Reformation . Hoffmann and Campe, 1856 ( google.de [accessed January 1, 2018]).

[3] Thilo Irmisch : Elisabeth von Schwarzburg, née Countess von Ysenburg. A life story from the sixteenth century. (Lecture September 24, 1872. Reprinted in the “Kleines Feuilleton” section of Der Deutsche 1895, No. 164 to 171. ) Here: Der Deutsche 1895 No. 164 and 169 .