Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1667?1718)
Louis Frederick I of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
(25 October 1667 in
Rudolstadt
? 24 June 1718, in Rudolstadt) was the ruling prince of
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
, Count of Hohenstein, Lord of Rudolstadt, Blankenburg and Sondershausen from 1710 until his death.
Life
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edit
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Louis Frederick was the son of
Albert Anton of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
and his wife, the poet and pietist,
Countess Emilie Juliane of Barby-Muhlingen
.
Between May 1687 and October 1688, he made a
Grand Tour
, accompanied by his
Hofmeister
Johann von Asseburg. He was received at the
Palace of Versailles
by King
Louis XIV
and in Vienna by Emperor
Leopold I
. He was also received by Duke
Frederick I
of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, whose daughter
Anna Sophie
he would marry on 15 October 1691 at
Friedenstein Castle
in
Gotha
. The pair would have 15 children.
His father was raised to
Imperial Prince
in 1697 and again in 1710. In 1710, his father had accepted the elevation, but not made it public. After his father died in 1710, Louis Frederick I inherited Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and published the promotion. From 15 April 1711, he styled himself
Prince
of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. At the time, the principality had around
45
000
inhabitants. The elevation strengthened the position of the
House of Schwarzburg
against the
House of Wettin
and ensured its survival into modern times. Between 1697 and 1719, they added an
Imperial Hall
to the southern side of their
Schwarzburg Castle
, underlining the importance the princes attached to their elevation.
Louis Frederick I assisted his father in administrating the principality even before 1710. After he inherited the throne, he reformed the administration on an
absolutist
basis. George Ulrich von Beulwitz was the highest civil servant in the principality. Inspired by the
Sun King
, Louis Frederick I toyed with the idea to move his residence to
Schwarzburg
. However, his financial position made this impossible.
Louis Frederick I took his own life on 24 June 1718 and was succeeded by his eldest son,
Frederick Anton
.
Marriage and issue
[
edit
]
On 15 October 1691 at
Friedenstein Castle
in
Gotha
, Louis Frederick I married Princess
Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
, the daughter of Duke
Frederick I
of
Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
. They had 13 children:
References
[
edit
]
- Die Fursten von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
, Thuringer Landesmuseum Heidecksburg, Rudolstadt, 1997 (3rd ed., 2001),
ISBN
3-910013-27-9
- Horst Fleischer, Hans Herz, Lutz Unbehaun and Frank Esche:
Die Grafen von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt: Albrecht VII. bis Albert Anton
, Taschenbuch, 2000
- Johann Christian August Junghans:
Geschichte der schwarzburgischen Regenten
, Leipzig, 1821
Online
Louis Frederick I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Born:
25 October 1667
Died:
24 June 1718
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Preceded by
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Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
1710-1718
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Succeeded by
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