List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein
The following is a list of rulers (usually dukes) who ruled both Schleswig and Holstein, starting from the first Holstein count who received Schleswig, until both territories were annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866; and afterwards, titular dukes.
The Houses of Schauenburg and Estridsen
In the course of history, the County of Holstein was several times partitioned among the inheriting sons into up to six lines. In 1386 King Oluf II of Denmark and his mother-regent, Queen Margaret I, enfeoffed in Nyborg Gerhard VI, Count of Holstein-Rendsborg and his cognatic successors with the Duchy of Schleswig, which had been in the royal family's hands until 1375.[1] He was as Gerhard II duke of Schleswig. Until 1390 the Rendsborg branch united by inheritance all branches except of that of Holstein-Pinneberg. It remaining a separately ruled territory in Holstein until its line was extinct in 1640, when Holstein-Pinneberg was merged into the then Duchy of Holstein. Furthermore, the here mentioned rulers of course only reigned Holstein and Schleswig in their respective territorial composition of the time, thus without states and territories only merged later in what became today's State of Schleswig-Holstein, such as Ditmarsh, conquered and annexed in 1559, Saxe-Lauenburg merged in 1876, Heligoland (British rule 1807–1891), Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Region of Lübeck, together with some Hamburgian exclaves in 1937. In turn much of the current westerly, northerly and easterly suburbs within Greater Hamburg were ceded from Holstein on 1 April 1937 (Cf. Greater Hamburg Act). North Schleswig had merged into Denmark in 1920. Some Lauenburgian and Mecklenburgian municipalities were exchanged by the Barber Lyashchenko Agreement in 1945.
Partitions of Schleswig-Holstein in the period
County of Holstein-Schauenburg (1110-1137) Under domain of Schauenburg family |
Duchy of Schleswig Under domain of Estridsen family (1080-1375) and Schauenburg family (Holstein-Rendsburg branch) (1325-1330 and 1375-1433) | ||||
County of Holstein (1137-1143) |
County of Schauenburg (1137-1143) | ||||
County of Holstein-Schauenburg (1143-1203) | |||||
Annexed by Denmark | County of Schauenburg (1203-1227) | ||||
County of Holstein-Schauenburg (1227-1261) | |||||
Holstein-Itzehoe and Schauenburg (1261-1290) | |||||
Holstein-Segeberg (1st creation) (1273-1315) |
Holstein-Kiel (1261-1390) | ||||
Holstein-Plön (1290-1350) |
Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg (1290-1640) | ||||
Holstein-Rendsburg (1290-1459) | |||||
Holstein-Segeberg (2nd creation) (1397-1403) |
|||||
Annexed by Denmark |
Ruler | Born | Reign | Death | Part | House | Consort | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Olaf I Hunger | c.1050 | 1080-1095 | 18 August 1095 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Ingegerd of Norway c.1070 one child |
Jarl (earl) of Jutland, since 1086 king of Denmark. | |
Eric (I) the Good | c.1050 | 1095-1103 | 10 July 1103 | Schleswig | Estridsen Part of Denmark |
Boedil Thurgotsdatter before 1086 one child |
Duke-King of Schleswig-Denmark. | |
Nicholas (I) | c.1065 | 1103-1115 | 25 June 1134 | Schleswig | Estridsen Part of Denmark |
Margaret Fredkulla c.1105 two children Ulvhild Håkansdotter 1130 no children |
Duke-King of Schleswig-Denmark. | |
Adolph I | ? | 1106-1110 | 13 November 1130 | Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Hildewa before 1128 four children |
First count of Schauenburg, in 1110 becomes count of Holstein. | |
1110-1130 | Schauenburg and Holstein | |||||||
Canute I Lavard | 12 March 1096 | 1115-1131 | 7 June 1131 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Ingeborg of Kiev 1116 four children |
Titled dux Daciae[2] (i.e. Duke of Denmark) | |
Adolph II | c.1128 | 1130-1137 | 6 July 1164 | Schauenburg and Holstein | Schauenburg | Mechthild of Schwarzburg-Käfernburg before 1160 one son |
In 1137 Henry of Badewide occupied Holstein. | |
1137-1143 | Schauenburg | |||||||
Magnus I | c.1106 | 1131-1134 | 4 June 1134 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Richeza of Poland c.1127 two children |
Also King of Sweden | |
Eric (II) the Memorable | c.1090 | 1134-1137 | 18 September 1137 | Schleswig | Estridsen Part of Denmark |
Malmfred of Kiev c.1130 no children |
Duke-King of Schleswig-Denmark. | |
Henry of Badewide | ? | 1137-1143 | 1164 | Holstein | Non-dynastic | A relative of the King of Denmark before 1164 at least two children |
Restrained in 1139 to Wagria. | |
Eric (III) Lamb | c.1120 | 1137-1146 | 27 August 1146 | Schleswig | Estridsen Part of Denmark |
Lutgard of Salzwedel c.1144 no children |
Duke-King of Schleswig-Denmark. | |
Adolph II | c.1128 | 1143-1164 | 6 July 1164 | Schauenburg and Holstein | Schauenburg | Matilda of Schwarzburg-Käfernburg before 1160 one son |
Reunites Holstein and Schauenburg. | |
Sweyn I Grathe | c.1125 | 1146-1152 1154-1157 |
23 October 1157 | Schleswig | Estridsen Part of Denmark |
Adela of Meissen c.1152 two children |
Duke-King of Schleswig-Denmark. | |
Canute II | c.1129 | 9 August 1157 | Helena of Sweden c.1156 no children |
Duke-King of Schleswig-Denmark. | ||||
Valdemar I the Great | 14 January 1131 | 1146-1170 | 12 May 1182 | Sophia of Minsk c.1144 Viborg Cathedral eight children |
Duke-King of Schleswig-Denmark. | |||
Matilda of Schwarzburg-Käfernburg (regent) |
? | 1164-c.1174 | 1192 | Schauenburg and Holstein | Schauenburg | Adolph II before 1160 one son |
Regent during the minority of her son. | |
Adolph III | 1160 | c.1174-1203 | 3 January 1225 | Schauenburg and Holstein | Schauenburg | Adelaide of Assel 1182 no children Adelaide of Querfurt Before 10 May 1189 four children |
Count of Schauenburg and Holstein, ceding the latter to Valdemar II in 1203 in order to be released from his captivity. | |
1203-1225 | Schauenburg | |||||||
Christopher I | 1150 | 1170-1173 | 1173 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Sophia of Minsk c.1144 Viborg Cathedral eight children |
Between 1152 and 1154, titled dux Iuciae[3] (i.e. Duke of Jutland). | |
Valdemar I the Great | 14 January 1131 | 1173-1182 | 12 May 1182 | Schleswig | Estridsen Part of Denmark |
Sophia of Minsk c.1144 Viborg Cathedral eight children |
Duke-King of Schleswig-Denmark. | |
Canute III | c.1163 | 1182-1183 | 12 November 1202 | Schleswig | Estridsen Part of Denmark |
Gertrude of Bavaria February 1177 Lund Cathedral no children |
Duke-King of Schleswig-Denmark. | |
Valdemar II the Victorious | 9 May or 28 June 1170 | 1183-1209 | 28 March 1241 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Dagmar of Bohemia 1205 one son Berengaria of Portugal 1214 four children |
Titled dux slesvicensis[4] (i.e. Sleswickian duke), represented by the regent Bishop Valdemar Knudsen (1182–1193), Valdemar II became Danish king in 1202. He also invaded Holstein in 1203, and resigned in 1227, after being expelled. | |
1203-1227 | Holstein | |||||||
Valdemar (III) the Young | c.1209 | 1209-1216 | 28 November 1231 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Eleanor of Portugal 24 June 1229 Ribe Cathedral one child |
Minor duke as co-duke of Valdemar II. | |
Eric (IV) Ploughpenny | c.1216 | 1216-1232 | 9 August 1250 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Jutta of Saxony 17 November 1239 six children |
Minor duke as co-duke of Valdemar II. | |
Adolph IV | Before 1205 | 1225-1227 | 8 July 1261 | Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Heilwig of Lippe 1223 four children |
Count of Holstein by military victory over Valdemar II; he later resigned and became a monk. | |
1227-1238 | Schauenburg and Holstein | |||||||
Abel | c.1218 | 1232-1252 | 29 June 1252 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Matilda of Holstein 25 April 1237 Schleswig Cathedral four children |
Also king of Denmark from 1250. | |
Heilwig of Lippe (regent) | 1200 | 1238-c.1243 | 1249 or 1250 | Schauenburg and Holstein | Schauenburg | Adolph IV 1223 four children |
Regent during the minority of her sons. | |
John I | 1229 | c.1243-1261 | 20 April 1263 | Schauenburg and Holstein | Schauenburg | Elisabeth of Saxe-Wittenberg 1249 or 1250 four children |
Sons of Adolph IV, ruled jointly. On the aftermath of the death of their father in self-retirement, they divided their possessions: John received Holstein-Kiel; Gerhard received Holstein-Itzehoe and also the county of Schauenburg. After Gerhard's death in 1290 his sons partitioned Holstein-Itzehoe and Schaumburg into three branches, with Adolph getting Holstein-Pinneberg and Schaumburg, Gerhard getting Holstein-Plön, and Henry getting Holstein-Rendsburg. | |
1261-1263 | Holstein-Kiel | |||||||
Gerhard I | 1232 | c.1243-1261 | 21 December 1290 | Schauenburg and Holstein | Elizabeth of Mecklenburg 1250 eleven children Alexia of Montferrat 1282 no children | |||
1261-1290 | Holstein-Itzehoe and Schauenburg | |||||||
Christopher II | c.1219 | 1252-1254 | 29 May 1259 | Schleswig | Estridsen Part of Denmark |
Margaret Sambiria 1248 five children |
Duke-King of Schleswig-Denmark. | |
Valdemar III | c.1238 | 1254-1257 | c.1257 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Unmarried | ||
Eric I | c.1242 | 1257-1272 | 27 May 1272 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Margaret of Rugia 1259 or 1260 three children |
||
John II the One-Eyed | 1253 | 1263-1316 | 1321 | Holstein-Kiel | Schauenburg | Margareta of Denmark 1276 two children |
Sons of John I, ruled jointly. In 1273 divided the land: John II kept Holstein-Kiel; Adolph received Holstein-Segeberg. After the death of Adolph in 1308 without descendants, Holstein_Segeberg returned to Holstein-Kiel. In 1316, John II was deposed by his cousin John III from Holstein-Plön. | |
Adolph V the Pomeranian | 1252 | 1263-1273 | 10 April or 11 November 1308 | Holstein-Kiel | Schauenburg | Euphemia of Pomerania-Wolgast 1273 or 1278 one child | ||
1273-1308 | Holstein-Segeberg | |||||||
Margaret Sambiria (regent) | c.1219 | 1272-1282 | 29 December 1282 | Schleswig | Estridsen Part of Denmark |
Christopher I 1248 five children |
Regent of Schleswig-Denmark. | |
Eric (V) | c.1249 | 1282-1283 | 22 November 1286 | Schleswig | Estridsen Part of Denmark |
Agnes of Brandenburg 11 November 1273 Schleswig Cathedral seven children |
Duke-King of Schleswig-Denmark. | |
Valdemar IV | c.1265 | 1283-1312 | 26 March or 7 July 1312 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Elisabeth of Saxe-Lauenburg 1287 one child |
||
Gerhard II the Blind | 1254 | 1290-1312 | 28 October 1312 | Holstein-Plön | Schauenburg | Ingeborg of Sweden 12 December 1275 four children Agnes of Brandenburg 1293 one child |
First son of Gerhard I, ruled in -Plön. | |
Adolph VI the Elder | 1256 | 1290-1315 | 13 May 1315 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Helen of Saxe-Lauenburg 14 February 1294 seven children |
Second son of Gerhard I, ruled in -Pinneberg and also received Schauenburg. | |
Henry I | 1258 | 1290-1304 | 5 August 1304 | Holstein-Rendsburg | Schauenburg | Heilwig of Bronckhorst 1289 four children |
Third son of Gerhard I, ruled in -Rendsburg. | |
Gerhard III the Great | 1292 | 1304-1326 | 1 April 1340 | Holstein-Rendsburg | Schauenburg | Sophia of Werle 1315 four children |
As Gerhard I, also Duke of Schleswig between 1326 and 1330. | |
Gerhard IV | 1254 | 1312-1323 | 1323 | Holstein-Plön | Schauenburg | Anastasia of Schwerin 30 July 1313 two children |
Sons of Gerhard II, ruled jointly. In 1316, John III deposed John II of Holstein-Kiel and took over the duchy, leaving sole rule of Plön to his brother Gerhard IV. John III also served, alongside Gerhard III, as lord ruling in guardianship the Danish Duchy of Schleswig 1332–1340. | |
John III the Mild | 1297 | 1312-1316 | 27 September 1359 | Holstein-Plön | Schauenburg | Catherine of Głogów 25 December 1317 or 27 January 1319 three children Miroslawa of Schwerin-Wittenburg 1327 three children | ||
1316-1359 | Holstein-Kiel | |||||||
Eric II | c.1290 | 1312-1325 | 12 March 1325 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Adelaide of Holstein-Rendsburg 1313 two children |
||
Adolph VII | 1295 or 1297 | 1315-1354 | 9 October 1354 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Hedwig of Schwalenberg by 1301 three children Helwig of Lippe 1322 eight children |
||
Gerhard V | 1315 | 1323-1350 | 22 September 1350 | Holstein-Plön | Schauenburg | Unmarried | After his death, his uncle John III, ruler of -Kiel and previous co-ruler in -Plön, reunites both lands. | |
Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (regent) | 1292 | 1325-1326 | 1 April 1340 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Sophia of Werle 1315 four children |
Regent in name of his nephew, Valdemar V, placed him on Denmark in 1326 and ruled Schleswig himself. | |
Valdemar V | c.1314 | c.1364 | Schleswig | Richardis of Schwerin c.1329? two children |
Under regency of his uncle, in 1326 became king of Denmark. | |||
Gerhard III the Great | 1292 | 1326-1330 | 1 April 1340 | Holstein-Rendsburg and Schleswig | Schauenburg | Sophia of Werle 1315 four children |
Between 1326 and 1330, as ruler of Schleswig, he united (briefly) Schleswig and Holstein-Rendsburg. | |
1330-1340 | Holstein-Rendsburg | |||||||
Valdemar V | c.1314 | 1330-1364 | c.1364 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Richardis of Schwerin c.1329? two children |
||
Henry I | c.1342 | 1364-1375 | August 1375 | Schleswig | Estridsen | Kunigunde no children |
In 1375, Schleswig reunited with Holstein-Rendsburg. | |
Nicholas I | 1321 | 1340-1375 | 8 May 1397 | Holstein-Rendsburg | Schauenburg | Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg 1354 one child |
Nicholas and Henry ruled jointly as sons of Gerhard III. In 1375 they inherited the Duchy of Schleswig from the House of Estridsen. In 1384, with the death of his brother, Nicholas associated his nephews (Gerhard and Albert, sons of Henry) to power. In 1386 he abdicated of Schleswig to his older nephew Gerhard, who assumed alone this lands. In 1390 Nicholas inherited Holstein-Kiel. After Nicholas' death in 1397, the co-ruling nephews, Gerhard and Albert, divided the land: Gerhard kept Rendsburg, which he reunited with his duchy of Schleswig; Albert received Segeberg. As Albert left no descendants at his death in 1403, Segeberg reunited again with Rendsburg, still in hands of his brother, who died in the following year. | |
1375-1386 | Holstein-Rendsburg and Schleswig | |||||||
1386-1397 | Holstein-Rendsburg | |||||||
Henry II of Iron | 1317 | 1340-1375 | 1384 | Holstein-Rendsburg | Matilda of Lippe one child Ingeborg of Mecklenburg-Schwerin before 1374 four children | |||
1375-1384 | Holstein-Rendsburg and Schleswig | |||||||
Gerhard VI | 1367 | 1384-1386 | 5 August 1404 | Holstein-Rendsburg | Catherine Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg 1390 six children | |||
1386-1404 | Holstein-Rendsburg and Schleswig | |||||||
Albert I | 1369 | 1384-1397 | 28 September 1403 | Holstein-Rendsburg | Agnes of Saxe-Lauenburg before 23 March 1399 no children | |||
1397-1403 | Holstein-Segeberg | |||||||
Adolph VIII the Younger | After 1301 | 1354-1370 | 13 October 1370 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Unmarried | ||
Adolph IX the Mild | 1327 | 1359-1390 | 26 January 1390 | Holstein-Kiel | Schauenburg | Anne of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 4 December 1362 or 21 September 1365 no children |
Received from inheritance of his father -Kiel and also -Plön, incorporated in 1350. After his death in 1390 without descendants, -Kiel and its patrimony is inherited by Holstein-Rendsburg. | |
Otto I | 1330 | 1370-1404 | After 16 March 1404 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Mechtild of Brunswick-Lüneburg 25 June 1368 ten children |
||
Henry III | c.1372 | 1404-1421 | February 1421 | Holstein-Rendsburg | Schauenburg | Unmarried | Also Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück as Henry I (1402–1410). | |
Adolph X | 1375 | 1404-1426 | 9 October 1426 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Helena of Hoya 1378 three children |
||
Catherine Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg (regent) | 1385 | 1404-1413 | After 1423 | Schleswig | Schauenburg | Gerhard II 1390 six children |
Respectively mother and uncle, took the regency in name of Henry III. | |
Henry III, Count of Schauenburg-Holstein (regent) | c.1372 | February 1421 | Unmarried | |||||
Henry IV | 1397 | 1413-1421 | 28 May 1427 | Schleswig | Schauenburg | Unmarried | Died without descendants. Passed the land to his brothers. | |
1421-1427 | Holstein-Rendsburg and Schleswig | |||||||
Otto II | 1400 | 1426-1464 | 2 June 1464 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Elisabeth of Hohnstein 1418 ten children |
||
Adolph XI | 1401 | 1427-1459 | 4 December 1459 | Holstein-Rendsburg and Schleswig | Schauenburg | Matilda before 1433 no children Margareta of Mansfeld 1433 no children |
Sons of Gerhard VI, ruled jointly in Holstein-Rendsburg. As Gerhard also wanted to rule in Schleswig he claimed (unsuccessfully) this duchy for himself against his brother. Adolph was the mightiest vassal of Danish crown at his time, gaining royal Danish recognition in 1440. After Adolph's death his patrimony is annexed by Denmark. | |
Gerhard VII | 1404 | 1427-1433 | 24 July 1433 | Holstein-Rendsburg and Schleswig | Schauenburg | Agnes of Baden 2 June 1432 Baden ten children | ||
Adolph XII | 1419 | 1464-1474 | 9 October 1474 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Irmgard of Hoya 1459 no children |
First son of Otto II. Left no descendants. | |
Eric I | 1420 | 1474-1492 | 24 or 25 March 1492 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Heba of East Frisia 1476 no children |
Second son of Otto II. Left no descendants. | |
Otto III | 1426 | 1492-1510 | 1510 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Unmarried | Third son of Otto II. Left no descendants. | |
Anton I | 1439 | 1510-1526 | 22 December 1526 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg 29 November 1492 no children Anna of Schönburg before 25 September 1497 no children |
Sixth son of Otto II and the fourth ruling. Left no descendants. | |
John IV | 1449 | 1526-1527 | 30 March 1527 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Cordula of Gehmen 1482 one child |
||
Jobst I | 1483 | 1527-1531 | 5 June 1531 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Maria of Nassau-Dietz 1506 eight children |
||
Adolph XIII | 19 January 1511 | 1531-1544 | 20 September 1556 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Unmarried | Joint rule with his brother John IV. Abdicated in 1544. Later he became Archbishop of Cologne as Adolph III (1547-1556). | |
John V | 1512 | 1531-1544 | 1560 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Elisabeth of East Frisia 1558 no children |
Joint rule with his brother Adolphus XIII. Abdicated in 1544. | |
Otto IV | 1517 | 1544-1576 | 21 December 1576 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Maria of Pomerania-Stettin before 1545 four children Ursula of Brunswick-Lüneburg 1558 three children |
In 1559 he officially began the Reformation in Schauenburg and Holstein-Pinneberg. | |
Adolph XIV | 27 February 1547 | 1576-1601 | 2 July 1601 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 6 May 1583 Wolfenbüttel one child |
||
Ernest | 24 September 1569 | 1601-1622 | 17 January 1622 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Hedwig of Hesse-Kassel 11 September 1597 Schmalkalden ten children |
Brother of Adolphus XIV. Was elevated to "Prince of Schaumburg" in 1619. | |
Jobst Herman | 6 October 1593 | 1622-1635 | 5 November 1635 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Unmarried | Cousin of his predecessor. Died without descendants. | |
Otto V | 1 March 1614 | 1635-1640 | 15 November 1640 | Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg | Schauenburg | Unmarried | Cousin of his predecessor. Died without descendants. |
With Otto's death, the main line of Schauenburg was extinct, and Holstein-Pinneberg was acquired by Christian IV for the royal share of the Holstein duchy. Schauenburg went to the House of Lippe.
The House of Oldenburg
In 1460, Schleswig fell to the Danish royal House of Oldenburg, in the person of Christian I, who inherited not only the Duchy, a Danish fief, but also the County of Holstein-Rendsburg, a Saxe-Lauenburgian subfief within the Holy Roman Empire, following the death of his maternal uncle Adolf I (and VIII as Count of Holstein-Rendsburg). In 1474, Lauenburg's liege lord Emperor Frederick III elevated Christian as Count of Holstein-Rendsburg to Duke of Holstein, thus becoming an immediate imperial vassal (see imperial immediacy). The smaller Holstein-Pinneberg remained a county further ruled by the House of Schauenburg. In 1544, after Christian III's brothers reached majority, they partitioned the Duchies of Holstein (a fief of the Holy Roman Empire) and of Schleswig (a Danish fief) in an unusual way, following negotiations between the brothers and the Estates of the Realm of the duchies, which opposed a factual partition. They determined their youngest brother Frederick for a career as Lutheran administrator of an ecclesiastical state within the Holy Roman Empire.[5]
So the revenues of the duchies were divided in three equal shares by assigning the revenues of particular areas and landed estates to each of the elder brothers, while other general revenues, such as taxes from towns and customs dues, were levied together but then shared among the brothers. The estates, whose revenues were assigned to the parties, made Holstein and Schleswig look like patchwork rags, technically inhibiting the emergence of separate new duchies, as intended by the estates of the duchies. The secular rule in the fiscally divided duchies thus became a condominium of the parties. As dukes of Holstein and Schleswig, the rulers of both houses bore the formal title of "Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Dithmarschen and Stormarn".
The dynastic name Holstein-Gottorp comes as convenient usage from the technically more correct Duke of Schleswig and Holstein at Gottorp. Adolf, the third son of Duke and King Frederick I and the second youngest half-brother of King Christian III, founded the dynastic branch called House of Holstein-Gottorp, which is a cadet branch of the then royal Danish House of Oldenburg. The Danish monarchs and the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp listed below ruled both duchies together as to general government, however, collected their revenues in their separate estates. John II the Elder conveniently called Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev produced no issue, so no branch emerged from his side.
Similar to the above-mentioned agreement Christian III's youngest son John the Younger gained for him and his heirs a share in Holstein's and Schleswig's revenues in 1564, comprising a third of the royal share, thus a ninth of Holstein and Schleswig as to the fiscal point of view. John the Younger and his heirs, however, had no share in the condominial rule, they were only titular partitioned-off dukes.
The share of John II the Elder, who died in 1580, was halved between Adolf and Frederick II, thus increasing again the royal share by a fiscal sixth of Holstein and Schleswig.[6] As an effect the complicated fiscal division of both separate duchies, Holstein and Schleswig, with shares of each party scattered in both duchies, provided them with a condominial government binding both together, partially superseding their legally different affiliation as Holy Roman and Danish fiefs.
Ruler | Born | Reign | Death | Part | Consort | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Christian I (Christian 1.) |
February 1426 | 1460-1481 | 21 May 1481 | Schleswig | Dorothea of Brandenburg 28 October 1449 Copenhagen five children |
First ruler of Schleswig, which was inherited from Holstein-Rendsburg. Also King of Denmark and of the Kalmar Union. | |
John I (Hans) |
2 February 1455 | 1481-1513 | 20 February 1513 | Schleswig | Christina of Saxony 6 September 1478 Copenhagen five children |
Ruled jointly in Schleswig, John and Frederick, brothers, ruled together, and after the death of John, Frederick, kept the co-rulership with his nephew, Christian II. In 1523 the latter was deposed in both Denmark and Schleswig. They were also in succession Kings of Denmark: John 1481–1513, Christian 1513–23, Frederick 1523–33. John and Christian were also Kings of the Kalmar Union. | |
Frederick I (Frederik 1.) |
7 October 1471 | 1490-1533 | 20 February 1533 | Schleswig | Anna of Brandenburg 10 April 1502 Stendal two children Sophie of Pomerania 9 October 1518 Kiel six children | ||
Christian II the Tyrant (Christian 2.) |
February 1426 | 1513-1523 | 21 May 1481 | Schleswig | Isabella of Austria 12 August 1515 Copenhagen six children | ||
Christian III (Christian 3.) |
12 August 1503 | 1533-1544 | 1 January 1559 | Schleswig | Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg 29 October 1525 Lauenburg five children |
Christian was also King of Denmark. In 1544 divided Schleswig with his half-brothers. John received Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev, and Adolph Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp. | |
1544-1559 | Schleswig-Schleswig | ||||||
John II the Elder | 21 June 1521 | 1544-1580 | 1 October 1580 | Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev | Unmarried | ||
Adolph | 25 January 1526 | 1544-1586 | 1 October 1586 | Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp | Christine of Hesse 17 December 1564 Schleswig ten children | ||
Haderslev divided between Schleswig and Gottorp | |||||||
Frederick II (Frederik 2.) |
1 July 1534 | 1559-1588 | 4 April 1588 | Schleswig-Schleswig | Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow 20 July 1572 Copenhagen eight children |
Also King of Denmark. | |
Frederick III | 21 April 1568 | 1586-1587 | 15 June 1587 | Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp | Unmarried | Died without descendants. He was succeeded by his brother. | |
Philip | 10 August 1570 | 1587-1590 | 18 October 1590 | Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp | Unmarried | Died without descendants. He was succeeded by his brother. | |
Christian IV (Christian 4.) |
12 April 1577 | 1588-1648 | 28 February 1648 | Schleswig-Schleswig | Anne Catherine of Brandenburg 27 November 1597 Haderslev seven children Kirsten Munk 31 December 1615 Copenhagen (morganatic) twelve children |
Also King of Denmark. | |
John Adolph | 27 February 1575 | 1590-1616 | 31 March 1616 | Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp | Augusta of Denmark 30 August 1596 Copenhagen eight children |
||
Frederick IV | 22 December 1597 | 1616-1659 | 10 August 1659 | Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp | Marie Elisabeth of Saxony 21 February 1630 Dresden sixteen children |
||
Frederick V (Frederik 3.) |
18 March 1609 | 1648-1670 | 9 February 1670 | Schleswig-Schleswig | Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg 1 October 1643 Glücksburg eight children |
Also King of Denmark as Frederick III. | |
Christian Albert | 3 February 1641 | 1659-1695 | 6 January 1695 | Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp | Frederica Amalia of Denmark 24 October 1667 Glücksburg four children |
||
Christian V (Christian 5.) |
15 April 1646 | 1670-1699 | 25 August 1699 | Schleswig-Schleswig | Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel 25 June 1667 Nykøbing Falster eight children |
Also King of Denmark. | |
Frederick VI | 18 October 1671 | 1695-1702 | 19 July 1702 | Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp | Hedvig Sophia of Sweden 12 May 1698 Karlberg one child |
||
Frederick VII (Frederik 4.) |
11 October 1671 | 1699-1730 | 12 October 1730 | Schleswig-Schleswig (until 1713) Schleswig (after 1713) |
Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow 5 December 1695 Copenhagen five children Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg 26 September 1703 (morganatic and bigamous) one child Anne Sophie Reventlow 4 April 1721 Copenhagen three children |
Also King of Denmark as Frederick IV. In 1713 reunited Schleswig. | |
Charles Frederick | 30 April 1700 | 1702-1739 | 18 June 1739 | Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (until 1713) Holstein-Gottorp (after 1713) |
Anna Petrovna of Russia 21 May 1725 St Petersburg one child |
||
Christian VI (Christian 6.) |
30 November 1699 | 1730-1746 | 6 August 1746 | Schleswig | Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach 7 August 1721 Pretzsch three children |
Also King of Denmark. | |
Charles Peter Ulrich | 21 February 1728 | 1739-1762 | 17 July 1762 | Holstein-Gottorp | Sophie Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst 21 August 1745 St Petersburg one child |
He later ascended as Peter III of Russia. | |
Frederick VIII (Frederik 5.) |
31 March 1723 | 1746-1766 | 14 January 1766 | Schleswig | Louise of Great Britain 11 December 1743 Altona five children Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 8 July 1752 Hillerød one son |
Also King of Denmark as Frederick V. | |
Paul I | 1 October 1754 | 1762-1773 | 23 March 1801 | Holstein-Gottorp | Wilhelmina Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt 20 September 1773 St Petersburg no children Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg 7 October 1776 St Petersburg ten children |
He later succeeded his mother, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. | |
Gottorp reunited with Schleswig | |||||||
Christian VII (Christian 7.) |
29 January 1749 | 1766-1773 | 13 March 1808 | Schleswig | Caroline Matilda of Great Britain 8 November 1766 Copenhagen two children |
Also King of Denmark. In 1773 reunited Schleswig and Holstein. | |
1773-1808 | Schleswig and Holstein | ||||||
Frederick IX (Frederik 6.) |
28 January 1768 | 1808-1839 | 8 December 1839 | Schleswig and Holstein | Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel 31 July 1790 Schleswig eight children |
Also King of Denmark as Frederick VI. | |
Christian VIII (Christian 8.) |
18 September 1786 | 1839-1848 | 20 January 1848 | Schleswig and Holstein | Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 21 June 1806 Ludwigslust two children Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg 22 May 1815 Augustenborg no children |
Also King of Denmark. | |
Frederick X (Frederik 7.) |
6 October 1808 | 1848-1863 | 15 November 1863 | Schleswig and Holstein | Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark 1 November 1828 Copenhagen (annulled 1837) no children Caroline Mariane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 10 June 1841 Neustrelitz (annulled 1846) no children Louise Rasmussen 7 August 1850 Hillerød (morganatic) no children |
Also King of Denmark as Frederick VII. | |
Christian IX (Christian 9.) |
8 April 1818 | 1863-1864 | 29 January 1906 | Schleswig and Holstein | Louise of Hesse-Kassel 26 May 1842 Copenhagen six children |
He was from the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg branch of the Oldenburgs. Also King of Denmark. In 1864 the duchy was annexed to the Kingdom of Prussia. |
In 1864, following the Second Schleswig War, the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were ceded by the Danish King and were ruled in a joint condominium by Austria and Prussia. Following the defeat of Austria in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, they were annexed by Prussia and were formed into the new Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein.
Titular dukes
Prussia, the annexing state, recognized the head of the House of Oldenburg as mediatised duke of this duchy/these two duchies, with the rank and all the titles pertaining:
- 1848–1869 : Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, rival in 1848, renounced first in 1851, second in 1863
- 1863–1880 : Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
- 1880–1921 : Ernst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
- 1921–1931 : Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
- 1931–1934 : Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
- 1934–1965 : Wilhelm Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
- 1965–1980 : Peter, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (1922–1980)
- 1980– : Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein (born 1949)
- Heir : Friedrich Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein (born 1985)
-
Christian IX (1848–1869) -
Frederick VIII (1863–1880) -
Ernst Gunther (1880–1921) -
Albert (1921–1931) -
Friedrich Ferdinand (1931–1934) -
Wilhelm Friedrich (1934–1965) -
Peter (1965–1980) -
Christoph (1980 to date) -
Friedrich Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein Heir Apparent
See also
Notes
- ^ Esben Albrectsen, "Das Abel-Geschlecht und die Schauenburger als Herzöge von Schleswig", Marion Hartwig and Frauke Witte (trls.), in: Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg [De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 52–71, here pp. 63seq. ISBN 978-3-529-02606-5
- ^ Esben Albrectsen, "Das Abel-Geschlecht und die Schauenburger als Herzöge von Schleswig", Marion Hartwig and Frauke Witte (trls.), in: Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg [De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 52–71, here p. 52. ISBN 978-3-529-02606-5
- ^ "Albrectsen 2008 p. 52"
- ^ "Albrectsen 2008 p. 52"
- ^ In 1551, Frederick became administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim, comprising ecclesiastical and secular power, and, however, lacking secular power Bishop of Schleswig with the pertaining revenues from episcopal estates.
- ^ Cf. Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen, "Die dänischen Könige als Herzöge von Schleswig und Holstein", Frauke Witte and Marion Hartwig (trls.), in: Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg [De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 73–109, here pp. 87seq. ISBN 978-3-529-02606-5