Anthony Günther, Count of Oldenburg

Anthony Günther
Count of Oldenburg
Anthony Günther of Oldenburg
Born (1583-11-10)10 November 1583
Oldenburg
Died 19 June 1667(1667-06-19) (aged 83)
Rastede
Noble family House of Oldenburg
Spouse(s) Sophie Catherine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
Father John VII, Count of Oldenburg
Mother Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg

Anthony Günther, Count of Oldenburg (aka Anton Günther, 10 November 1583 in Oldenburg – 19 June 1667 in Rastede) was an Imperial Count and a member of the House of Oldenburg.[1][2]

Overview

Engraving of Anthony Günther.

Günther was the ruling count of Oldenburg from 1603 until his death, and of Delmenhorst from 1647 until his death. He was the son of John VII (1540–1603) and Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg.

Anthony Günther married Sophie Catherine (28 June 1617 – 22 November 1696), a daughter of Alexander, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg and Dorothea of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

Life

S. Baring-Gould relates the following interesting anecdote about the count in his book "Strange Survivals Some Chapters in the History of Man":

In 1615 Count Anthony Günther of Oldenburg, on visiting a dyke in process of construction, found the workmen about to bury an infant under it. The count interfered, saved the child, reprimanded the dam-builders, and imprisoned the mother who had sold her babe for the purpose. Singularly enough, this same count is declared by tradition to have buried a living child in the foundations of his castle at Oldenburg.

Haus "Graf Anton Günther"

The Haus "Graf Anton Günther" is a historic house in central Oldenburg, dating from 1682.[3] Count Anton Günther is depicted on the facade, which was redesigned in the neo-Renaissance style in 1894. The house was used by merchants and tobacco manufacturers.

References

  1. ↑ Merzdorf (1875), "Anton Günther, letzter Graf von Oldenburg", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) (in German), 1, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 491–493
  2. ↑ Hermann Lübbing (1953), "Anton Günther, Graf von Oldenburg", Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB) (in German), 1, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 317–317 ; (full text online)
  3. ↑ Oldenburg, Oldenburg Tourist

Sources

  • Friedrich-Wilhelm Schaer: Anton Günther, in: Hans Friedl, Wolfgang Günther, Hilke Günther-Arndt and Heinrich Schmidt (eds.): Biographisches Handbuch zur Geschichte des Landes Oldenburg, Isensee Verlag, Oldenburg, 1992, ISBN 3-89442-135-5, pp. 37–40
  • Karl Veit Riedel: August Oetken, in: Biographisches Handbuch zur Geschichte des Landes Oldenburg, Isensee Verlag, Oldenburg, 1992, ISBN 3-89442-135-5, pp. 534–535
  • Gerold Schmidt: Der Kirchenmaler und Mosaikkünstler des Historismus Prof. August Oetken (1868–1951), Mitgestalter des Melanchthonhauses in Bretten, in: Stefan Rhein and Gerhard Schwinge (eds.): Das Melanchthonhaus Bretten. Ein Beispiel des Reformationsgedenkens der Jahrhundertwende, Verlag Regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher, 1997, ISBN 3-929366-63-0, pp. 167–212
Anthony Günther, Count of Oldenburg
Born: 10 November 1583 Died: 19 June 1667
Preceded by
John VII		 Count of Oldenburg
1603–1667		 Succeeded by
Frederick I
Preceded by
Christian V		 Count of Delmenhorst
1647–1667
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