Christian Frederick of Stolberg-Wernigerode


Count Christian Frederick of Stolberg-Wernigerode was the only son of Count Henry Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode, whom he succeeded as ruler of the County of Wernigerode in 1778.

Life

As the son of Henry Ernest, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode, Christian Frederick was a member of the noble Stolberg family. His mother was Henry Ernest's second wife, Princess Anna of Anhalt-Köthen, daughter of Augustus Louis of Anhalt-Köthen by his second wife, Emilie.
During his studies in Halle from 1764 to 1767 he joined the Freemason lodge zu den drei Degen. In the summer of 1767 he obtained the fourth and later the fifth grade at the lodge in Leipzig.
Count Christian Frederick was until 1796 dean of Halberstadt and provost of Walbeck. He was made a Knight of the Order of Saint John in 1790 by Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia. In 1797 he was made a Knight of the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle and in 1803, a member of the Order of the Black Eagle.
Among the count's friends were the poets Anna Louisa Karsch and Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim.

Possessions

On 8 June 1765, his maternal great-uncle Count Johann Erdmann of Promnitz left him the Lordships of Pieszyce, Janowice Wielkie and Grodztwo in Silesia. In a deed of 18 December 1815, he left the Lordship of Pieszyce as special fideicommiss and majorat to his second son, Count Ferdinand, and Janowice Wielkie to his third son, Count Constantine, and Grodztwo to his fourth surviving son, Count Anton. They founded the Silesian branch of the Stolberg-Wernigerode family. They kept their possessions in Silesia until they were expelled in 1945.
He left the County of Wernigerode to his eldest son, Henry.

Issue

He was married to Countess Auguste Eleonore of Stolberg-Stolberg, daughter of Count Christoph Louis of Stolberg-Stolberg. They had the following children:
  1. Anne, married in 1797 Baron Alexander of Wylich
  2. Louise, married in 1807 Maurice Haubold of Schönberg
  3. Henry, married in 1799 Princess Jenny of Schönburg-Waldenburg
  4. Marie, married in 1803 Prince Henry LIV Reuss of Lobenstein
  5. Ferdinand, married on 25 May 1802 Countess Marie Agnes of Stolberg-Stolberg ; their daughter Auguste married Count Rudolph, youngest son of Henry of Stolberg-Wernigerode
  6. Friederike, married in 1806 Henry Louis, Burgrave and Count of Dohna-Schlodien
  7. Ernestine
  8. Constantine, married on 30 September 1804 Baroness Ernestine von der Recke
  9. Theodore
  10. Anton, married on 12 June 1809 Baroness Louise von der Recke