Albrecht VII, Count of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | |
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Albrecht VII of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
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Spouse(s) |
Juliana of Nassau-Dillenburg Albertine Elisabeth of Leiningen-Westerburg |
Noble family | House of Schwarzburg |
Father | Günther XL, Count of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg |
Mother | Elisabeth zu Ysenburg-Büdingen in Birstein |
Born |
Sondershausen |
16 January 1537
Died | 10 April 1605 Rudolstadt |
(aged 68)
Albrecht VII, Count of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (16 January 1537 – 10 April 1605) was Count of Schwarzburg and founder of the Line of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, which later received the title of Prince. He was the youngest of the surviving sons of Günther XL, Count of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg and his wife Countess Elisabeth zu Ysenburg-Büdingen in Birstein.
His father, Günther XL, had united all of the Schwarzburg possessions. After he died in 1552, the county inherited by his four surviving sons, Günther XLI, John Günther I, William I and Albrecht VII, who divided their country in 1572. 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, both of which existed until the post-World War I major governmental changes of 1918.
Albrecht, studied at several German universities and in Padua. From 1557 he resided at the court of the Prince of Orange-Nassau. He served from 1563 under his brother Günther XLI in the army of King of Denmark and from 1573 lived in Rudolstadt.
He was married twice. Firstly, on 14 June 1575 he married Countess Juliana of Nassau-Dillenburg, daughter of Count William I of Nassau-Dillenburg and had the following children: