John Frederick, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
| John Frederick | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | |
John Frederick of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, painting by Heinsius
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| Spouse(s) | Bernardina Christina Sophia of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach |
| Noble family | House of Schwarzburg |
| Father | Frederick Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt |
| Mother | Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld |
| Born |
8 January 1721 Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (present-day Thuringia, Germany) |
| Died | 10 July 1767 (aged 46) Rudolstadt |
John Frederick, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (8 January 1721 in Rudolstadt – 10 July 1767 in ibid) was the ruling Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt from 1744 to 1767.
John Frederick von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was the only son of Frederick Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and his first wife, Princess Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
John Frederick mastered the French language. Between 1738 and 1742, John Frederick made a Grand Tour. He attended lectures on theology at the University of Strasbourg and lectures on mathematics and physics at the University of Utrecht. During his Grand Tour, he came into contact with the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment. He later tried to reconcile these ideas with his faith.
In 1742, John Frederick represented his father at the coronation of Emperor Charles. The ceremony in Frankfurt Cathedral lasted several hours and John Frederick found it very impressive.
In 1744, at the age of 23, he inherited the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. He continued the Heidecksburg construction project his father had begun. His father had built the exterior of the castle, John Frederick took up decorating the interior. He commissioned frescoed ceilings and overdoor ornaments. In 1750, the ballroom was completed by Gottfried Heinrich Krohne. It is considered a prime example of Rococo interior design in Germany.
The princely collection of sheet music had been lost in a fire in 1735. John Frederick started a new collection to replace it. Georg Gebel composed at least nine opera libretti and about a hundred symphonies, partitas and concerts. In 1746, John Frederick rewarded him with the title of Concertmeister and in 1750 with the title of Kapellmeister. In 1754, Christian Gotthelf Scheinpflug succeeded gebel as Kapellmeister. He composed music for all kinds of courtly occasions
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