John Günther I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (also known as ''Hans Günther'' or ''Johann Günther''; 20 December 1532 in Sondershausen – 28 October 1586 in Arnstadt) was the co-ruler of Schwarzburg from 1552 until 1571 and the sole ruler

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 la ...

from 1571 until his death. He is regarded as the progenitor of the line Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

Life

Count John Günther I was the son of the Count Günther XL of Schwarzburg (1490–1552), nicknamed ''Günther the Rich'' or ''Günther with the large Jaws'', and his wife Elisabeth (d. 14 May 1572), a daughter of Count Philip of Isenburg-Büdingen-Ronneburg. John Günther I was raised as a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and destined for an ecclesiastical career. After his father's death, however, he converted to

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

. He spent some time at the court of Elector

Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...

of Saxony and fought in the

Battle of Sievershausen The Battle of Sievershausen occurred on 9 July 1553 near the village of Sievershausen (today part of Lehrte in present-day Germany), where the forces of the Hohenzollern margrave Albert Alcibiades of Brandenburg-Kulmbach fought against the unit ...

on the side of Maurice against

Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach Albert II (german: Albrecht; 28 March 15228 January 1557) was the Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (Brandenburg-Bayreuth) from 1527 to 1553. He was a member of the Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. Because of his bellicose nature ...

. Maurice's successor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

confirmed his tariff privilege on the salt trade in Frankenhausen. After his father's death, John Günther I initially ruled Schwarzburg jointly with his three brothers. He chose the city of Sondershausen as his residence. In 1571, the brothers decided to divide the County. John Günther I's part was named

, after its capital. He fought in the Netherlands alongside his eldest brother Günther XLI and distinguished himself during the conquest of Saint-Quentin in 1583. After his brothers Günther XLI of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt and

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

of Schwarzburg-Frankenhausen had died without male heirs, John Günther I inherited Schwarzburg-Arnstadt and his remaining brother Albert VII inherited Schwarzburg-Frankenhausen.

Marriage and issue

John Gunther married on 16 February 1566 with Anna (1539–1579), daughter of

Anthony I, Count of Oldenburg Anthony I, Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst (150522 January 1573) was a member of the House of Oldenburg and was the Imperial Count of the Counties of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst within the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation. His parents were ...

. They had the following children: * Ursula (1568) * Sophie Elisabeth (1568–1621) * Clara (1569–1639) * Günther XLII (1570–1643), Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen * Anton Henry (1571–1638), Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen * Catharina (1572–1626), Deaness at Herford Abbey * Sabine (1573–1628) * Anna (1574–1640) * Marie (1576–1577) * John Günther II (1577–1631), Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen * Christian Günther I (1578–1642), Count of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen * Dorothea (1579–1639), married in 1604 Duke

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1573–1627)

References

* * Friedrich Apfelstedt: ''Das Haus Kevernburg-Schwarzburg von seinem Ursprunge bis auf unsere Zeit'', Arnstadt, 1890 * Kamill von Behr: ''Genealogie der in Europa regierenden Fürstenhäuser'', Leipzig, 1870 {{DEFAULTSORT:John Gunther 01 Schwarzburg-Sondershausen House of Schwarzburg Counts of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen People from Sondershausen 1532 births 1586 deaths 16th-century German people