Albrecht VII of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

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Albrecht VII of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (16 January 153710 April 1605) was Count of Schwarzburg and founder of the Line of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, which received later title of Prince. He was the joungest from the survived sons of Count Günther XL of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg and his wife Countess Elisabeth zu Ysenburg-Büdingen in Birstein.

All possessions, which were united under his father, came after the death of Günther XL in 1552 to his four survived sons, Günther XLI, Johann Günther, Wilhelm I and Albrecht VII, who divided their country in 1571. After the deaths of childless Günther XLI in 1583 and Wilhelm I in 1597, his possessions were divided between the still living brothers Johann Günther and Albrecht VII. This partition became the beginning of two lines of the house of Schwarzburg, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, existed until 1918.

Albrecht, studied on several German universities and in Padua, lived since 1557 at courtof the Princes of Orange-Nassau. He served from 1563 under his brother Günther in the army of King of Denmark and resided since 1573 in Rudolstadt.

[edit] Family and children

He was married two times. Firstly, on 14 June 1575 he married with Countess Juliana of Nassau-Dillenburg, daughter of Count William I of Nassau-Dillenburg and had the following children:

  1. Count Karl Günther I of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (6 November 157624 September 1630)
  2. Elisabeth Juliane (1 January 157828 March 1658)
  3. Sophie (1 March 157924 August 1630), married on 30 March 1595 to Count Jobst II of Barby-Mühlingen
  4. Magdalene (12 April 158022 April 1632), married on 22 May 1597 to Heinrich II Reuss zu Gera
  5. Count Ludwig Günther I of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (27 May 15814 November 1646)
  6. Albrecht Günther I (8 August 158220 January 1634)
  7. Anna Sybilla (14 March 158422 August 1623), married on 15 November 1612 to Count Christian Günther I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
  8. Katharina Maria (13 July 158519 January 1659)
  9. Katharina Susanna (13 February 158719 April 1662)
  10. Heinrich Günther, died young in 1589

Secondly, on 2 March 1591 he married with Countess Albertine Elisabeth of Leiningen-Westerburg, but this marriage was childless.

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