He was the youngest of the surviving sons of Günther XL, Count of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg and his wife Countess Elisabeth zu Ysenburg-Büdingen-Birstein (1508–1572).

His father, Günther XL, had united all of the Schwarzburg possessions.

This partition became the beginning of two lines of the house of Schwarzburg, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, both of which existed until the post-World War I major governmental changes of 1918.

He served from 1563 under his brother Günther XLI in the army of King of Denmark and from 1573 lived in Rudolstadt.

Firstly, on 14 June 1575 he married Countess Juliana of Nassau-Dillenburg, daughter of Count William I of Nassau-Dillenburg and had the following children: Secondly, on 2 March 1591 he married Countess Albertine Elisabeth of Leiningen-Westerburg (1568–1617), daughter of Count Reinhard II von Leiningen-Westerburg (1530–1584) and his wife, Countess Ottilia von Manderscheid-Blankenheim-Keyll (1536–1597).