List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein

See also: List of consorts 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

Main articles: House of Schauenburg and House of Estridsen

Further information: Duke of Schleswig and Counts of Schauenburg and Holstein

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. 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 (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 (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 (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.

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. 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 Austrian Empire and 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, part of Germany since 1870.

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:

• 1848–1863 : Christian August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, rival in 1848, renounced firstly in favour of Denmark in 1852, reassumed pretension, renounced secondly in favour of his son in 1863, died in 1869
• 1863–1880 : Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, annexed by Austria and Prussia in 1864 and by Prussia in 1866, becoming part of Germany in 1870; became a mediatized duke
• 1880–1921 : Ernst Günther, 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–to date : 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

• List of Danish monarchs
• List of dukes of Schleswig
• Counts of Schauenburg and Holstein