Henry of Stolberg-Wernigerode

Count Henry of Stolberg-Wernigerode (25 September 1772 in Wernigerode Castle – 16 February 1854 in Wernigerode Castle) succeeded his father in 1824 as ruler of the County of Wernigerode. Life Count Henry was the eldest son of Count Christian Frederick of Stolberg-Wernigerode (1746–1824) and Countess Auguste Eleonore of Stolberg-Stolberg (1748–1821). He was a member from the noble family of the Counts of Stolberg. Henrich zu Stolberg-Wernigerode was educated by private tutors and studied until 1790 (with an interruption in 1789 by the turmoil of revolution) in Strasbourg. He then continued his studies in Göttingen. After completing his studies, he devoted himself to the administration of his territories. After his attempts to prevent the mediatization of his house as part of Reichsdeputationshauptschluss had failed, he sided with Napoléon Bonaparte, and became Oberstallmeister in the Kingdom of Westphalia. From 1808 to 1813 he was a member of the Diet the Kingdom of Westphalia. From 1813 to 1815, he served the General Government between the Weser and the Rhine as administrator of the district of Osterwieck (the General Government was a temporary province of Prussia, to administer the territories that had been liberated from French occupation during the War of the Sixth Coalition). During the Congress of Vienna, all of the territories of the County of Stolberg were awarded to count Henry.