(1813-1871)
The Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, a German state in Thuringia since 1697, was a member state of the German Confederation from 1815 to 1866. After the Austro-Prussian War where she allied with Prussia, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen became a member state of the North German Confederation in 1867. It became a member state of the German Empire in 1871.
Prince Charles Günther succeeded his father on 17 July 1880 when his father renounced the throne due to eye disease. With the death of Prince Charles Günther in 1909, the Sondershausen line ended and the prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt ruled both states.
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a hereditary constitutional monarchy. The parliament had one chamber known as the Landtag. There was a three-tier appointment system where of the 18 members of parliament, six representatives were appointed by the highest taxpayers, six by universal secret and direct election, and six were appointed for life by the prince. The principality had one vote in the Reichstag and one in the Bundesrat.
The population was 93,000 in 1914 and they were almost all Lutheran. The capital was Sondershausen. The principality was 862 km² in size. The soldiers were concentrated in 3 Battalion 7. Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 96 of the Prussian army.