Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a
county (earldom) until 1697. In that year, it became a
principality, which lasted until the fall of the
German monarchies in 1918, during the
German Revolution of 1918–1919. After the German Revolution, it became the
Free State of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and joined the
Weimar Republic as a constituent state. In 1920, it joined with other small states in the area to form the new state of
Thuringia. Schwarzburg-Sondershausen had an area of 862 km2 (333 sq. mi.) and a population of 85,000 (1905). Towns placed in the state were:
Arnstadt,
Sondershausen,
Gehren,
Langewiesen,
Großbreitenbach,
Ebeleben,
Großenehrich,
Greußen and
Plaue. ==Rulers of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, 1552–1918==