Princess Anna Louise of Schönburg-Waldenburg

Princess Anna Louise of Schönburg-Waldenburg (Anna Louise; 19 February 1871 – 7 November 1951) was born a member and princess of the House of Schönburg and was a Princess consort of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Princess consort of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt as the wife Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg, the last sovereign prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

She was the grand aunt of Princess Anna Luisa Pignatelli Schoenburg, writer, born on 22 novembre 1952, daughter of Prince Wolf von Schoenburg Waldenburg (1902-1983) (see Schönburg family)

Biography Childhood and youth On February 19, 1871, Anna Luise was born in Hermsdorf Castle as the only daughter and youngest child of Prince Georg of Schönburg-Waldenburg (1828–1900) and Princess Luise (1844–1922), daughter of Prince Adolf of Bentheim -Tecklenburg-Rheda, to the world. Together with her brothers Prince Hermann of Schönburg-Waldenburg| (1865–1943) and Prince Ulrich (1869–1939) she spent her childhood in Hermsdorf and Schneeberg.

She was only allowed to live in her own room from the age of eight, as she was previously under the strict supervision of a nanny. At the age of six she was taught for the first time together with her brother Ulrich and the children of Captain von Hoffmann and the head forester von Obereigner. One of their teachers was Pastor Arnold Braue, who was later appointed general superintendent in Rudolstadt. Her training also included music and drawing lessons. Anna Luise learned the violin and, from 1879, the piano from her mother.

In order to acquire the correct appearance and behavior in noble circles, her mother took control of her upbringing so that Anna Luise could prepare herself as best as possible for her future role as a representative of royal society. who was 19 years older than her, after his engagement to Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg was mutually broken off. The marriage arranged within the family unit was concluded on December 9, 1891, in Rudolstadt. While the civil wedding took place in the Red Rooms in Heidecksburg Castle, the church wedding then took place in the castle church (today: Porcelain Gallery). 130 guests attended the festivities.

The pregnancy was happily announced six months after the wedding. This seemed to secure the succession to the throne. But complications arose in the 7th month, and on September 1, 1892, a boy was stillborn. He was strong and theoretically viable, but the child had already died in the womb.

The princess remained politically reserved as much as possible, knowing full well about current political affairs. Only after 1914 would their role change radically.

By marrying Günther Victor, she took on the role of “country mother” as the prince's wife. She was responsible for the patronage of various non-profit institutions and associations. For example, in 1893 she supported the establishment of an old-age and poor welfare service in Quittelsdorf and in 1901 that of the Anna-Luisen-Stift in Bad Blankenburg. She was also present at numerous war club, civic or shooting festivals and inaugurations of public buildings, as well as the Kyffhäuser Monument near Bad Frankenhausen. at Schwarzburg Castle, and he had been a welcome guest of the royal family ever since. They even gave him a refuge in the Fasanerie near Schwarzburg, which he furnished according to his own designs.

It was only after a long time with a heavy heart that Anna Luise was able to accept the forced loss of meaning. According to her, the current rulers probably only wanted to keep them as “historical rarities”. The question of the princely house's severance payment, which the state of Thuringia was supposed to pay, was ultimately never clarified.

On April 16, 1925, Günther Victor died in Sondershausen Castle after a long illness. Her husband had made her sole heir, so she had to continue the legal dispute with Sizzo. Even after his death in 1926, Anna Luise ruled out adopting his only son Prince Friedrich Günther of Schwarzburg because he continued his father's legal battle against her. In 1942, the last Princess of Schwarzburg decided to adopt Prince Wilhelm of Schönburg-Waldenburg, the youngest son of her brother Ulrich.

In 1945, however, it was expropriated and most of the Schwarzburg property was transferred to public ownership. However, she was allowed to stay in the Sondershausen residential palace until her death in 1951. She was one of three members of former ruling houses who became citizens of the GDR in 1949, alongside Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, the only one of the German federal princes who ruled until 1918, and Princess Adelaide of Schaumburg-Lippe.

Later life The prince died in 1925. Anna Luise, the last princess of Schwarzburg, had to vacate the castle within a few days on the orders of the imperial government. It was to be converted into Adolf Hitler's Reich guesthouse. After the Second World War, the princess lived under the most difficult living conditions in Sondershausen Castle.

After her death, Anna Louise left behind an almost complete series of diaries spanning sixty years from which her life can be reconstructed.

She died in 1951. With great sympathy from the population, she was buried in the crypt of the Rudolstadt town church.

Literature Gerlinde Countess of Westphalen: Anna Luise of Schwarzburg. The last princess. Jenzig Verlag, Jena 2005, 4th updated edition 2015, ISBN 978-3 9101-4172-8.