County of Wernigerode

Lordship/Principality of Gedern

County of Schwarza

This page covers the territory of the County of Wernigerode after the partition of Stolberg-Wernigerode in 1645. The County lost country status in 1714, when it came under Prussian subjection. It was nominally placed under Halberstadt supervision, but largely governed itself according to Stolbergian law. It also retained the right to administer Stolbergian territory that was not subject to Prussia. Those properties make it similar to a spin-off, but it cannot be characterized as such because its administrators were Stolbergian, not a branch of the Hohenzollerns. Instead, I characterize it as an “Insourcing”—where administration is neither carried out by the sovereign nor outsourced to foreigners, but left to the pre-existing rulers. The fully-specified name is indistinguishable in structure from a name denoting an outsourcing, except that the administration is identified with a territory internal to the sovereign country, not to a foreign country or nobleman. This structure is unusual, but not unique. Stolberg itself had a similar arrangement with the Electorate of Saxony.

 

County of Wernigerode

 

  • Simplified country name: Wernigerode
  • Nation: Stolbergian Germany
  • Predecessor: County of Stolberg-Wernigerode
  • Chronology
    • ~1150: Originally founded
    • 1429: Merged with Stolberg
    • 1645: Restored upon partition of Stolberg-Wernigerode
    • 1715: Subjected to Prussia
  • Successor: Principality of Halberstadt (adm. Stolbergian Wernigerode)
  • Personal unions
    • as primary:
      • Lordship of Gedern (1645-1677)
    • as secondary: none

 

Principaity of Halberstadt (adm. Stolbergian Wernigerode)

 

  • Simplified country name: Halberstadt-Wernigerode
  • Nation: Kingdom of Prussia
  • Predecessor: County of Wernigerode
  • Chronology
    • 1714: Created
    • 1806: Terminated
  • Successor: Kingdom of Westphalia (Napoleonic client)
  • Outsourcings
    • to Stolbergian Wernigerode by
      • Lordship of Gedern (1804-1806)

 

Subdivisions of Wernigerode

 

The County of Wernigerode dates to the 12th century, but the line died out in 1429 and the territory fell to the Counts of Stolberg and the resulting country became known as the County of Stolberg-Wernigerode. In 1645, Stolberg-Wernigerode split into two counties—one centered on each of the two cities. Both countries and their spinoffs remained part of Stolbergian Germany. As part of the partition, Wernigerode was assigned Gedern (in Hesse), which became independent in 1677, and Schwarza (in Thuringia), which was spun off from Gedern in 1710.

 

In 1714, what was left of Wernigerode was acquired by the Kingdom of Prussia and assigned to the Principality of Halberstadt. Nevertheless, it was largely autonomous, so I place it in a country with the simplified name of Halberstadt-Wernigerode.

 

Schwarza nominally reverted to Wernigerode in 1748, but the Electorate of Saxony asserted administrative control over the territory and it was not associated with Halberstadt. I render the simplified country name as Schwarza-Saxony to reflect that and leave it in Stolbergian Germany.

 

Gedern reverted to Wernigerode in 1804, which actually took over administrative functions. But like Schwarza, Gedern was not associated with Halberstadt. Thus, I continue to recognize Gedern as its own country within Stolbergian Germany, but give it the simplified name of Gedern-Wernigerode to reflect Wernigerode’s administration of the territory.

 

Upon the demise of the Holy Roman Empire, Wernigerode and Schwarza were assigned to the Kingdom of Westphalia and Gedern was assigned to the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt—both Napoleonic client states.