GUNTHER OF SCHWARZBURG , German king. was a descendant of the counts of Schwarzburg and the younger son of Henry VII., count of Blankenburg. He was elected German king at Frankfort on Jan. 3o, 1349 by four of the electors, who were partisans of the house of Witteisbach and opponents of Charles of Luxemburg, afterwards the emperor Charles IV. Charles defeated him at Eltville, and Gunther re nounced his claims for the sum of 20,000 marks of silver. He died three weeks afterwards at Frankfort, and was buried in the cathedral.
See Graf L. Utterodt zu Scharffenberg, Gunther, Graf von Schwarz burg, erwahlter deutscher Konig (Leipzig, 1862) ; and K. Janson, Das Konigtum Giinthers von Schwarzburg (Leipzig, 188o) .