Gerhard VI of Oldenburg
Encyclopedia
Count Gerhard VI "the Quarrelsome" of Oldenburg (1430 – 22 February 1500) was a Count of Oldenburg and regent of Bad Zwischenahn
in 1440–1482.
Gerhard was the third son of Count Dietrich of Oldenburg
and his wife Helvig of Schauenburg
. His eldest brother succeeded their father as Christian VI but was elected King Christian I of Denmark
in 1448, therefore passing on the county to his brothers in 1450. In 1440–1463 Gerhard VI ruled in Delmenhorst
as regent and in 1464–1482 (after the death of his brother Maurice) as the guardian of his nephew Jakob. He was constantly at war with Gerhard III, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, and Frisians
. In 1483 Gerhard was compelled to abdicate in favor of his sons, and he died whilst on a pilgrimage
in the Rhône river
valley.
Bad Zwischenahn
Bad Zwischenahn is a village and a municipality in the low-lying Ammerland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the lake Zwischenahner Meer, approx...
in 1440–1482.
Gerhard was the third son of Count Dietrich of Oldenburg
Dietrich of Oldenburg
Derrick or Dietrich of Oldenburg, Latin-based anglicization also Theoderic of Oldenburg , nicknamed Theoderic the Lucky or the Fortunate , was a feudal lord in northern Germany, holding the counties of Delmenhorst and Oldenburg...
and his wife Helvig of Schauenburg
Helvig of Schauenburg
Helvig of Schauenburg , also known as Hedwig of Schauenburg, was a duchess of Schleswig and a countess of Holstein from the family of Schauenburg, and ancestor of the Danish Royal houses of Oldenburg and Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.She was a daughter of Count Gerhard VI of...
. His eldest brother succeeded their father as Christian VI but was elected King Christian I of Denmark
Christian I of Denmark
Christian I was a Danish monarch, king of Denmark , Norway and Sweden , under the Kalmar Union. In Sweden his short tenure as monarch was preceded by regents, Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna and Erik Axelsson Tott and succeeded by regent Kettil Karlsson Vasa...
in 1448, therefore passing on the county to his brothers in 1450. In 1440–1463 Gerhard VI ruled in Delmenhorst
Delmenhorst
Delmenhorst is an urban district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of 74,500 and is located 10 km/6 miles west of downtown Bremen with which it forms a contiguous urban area, whereas the city of Oldenburg is 25 km/15 miles to the northwest. The city has a total area of 62.36 km²...
as regent and in 1464–1482 (after the death of his brother Maurice) as the guardian of his nephew Jakob. He was constantly at war with Gerhard III, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, and Frisians
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
. In 1483 Gerhard was compelled to abdicate in favor of his sons, and he died whilst on a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
in the Rhône river
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
valley.
Family and children
In 1453 he married with Adelheid of Tecklenburg (ca. 1435 – 2 March 1477), daughter of Count Otto VIII of Tecklenburg. They had eleven children:- Gerhard (1454–1470)
- Dietrich (ca. 1456 – 1463)
- Adolph, Count of Oldenburg (1458 – 17 February 1500)
- Christian (1459 – 27 May 1492)
- John (1460 – 10 February 1526)
- Otto (d. 17 February 1500), a canonCanon (priest)A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Bremen CathedralBremen CathedralBremen Cathedral , dedicated to St. Peter, is a church situated in the market square in the center of Bremen, in northern Germany. The cathedral belongs to the Bremian Evangelical Church, a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation named Evangelical Church in Germany...
ChapterCathedral chapterIn accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their... - Elisabeth (1468 – 12 September 1505)
- Anna (1469 – 26 September 1505)
- Irmgard, married to Hero Oomkens von EsensHero Oomkens von EsensHero Oomkens von Esens was a Frisian nobleman, Earl of Harlingerland, who inherited the title on the death of his father, Sibet Attena von Esens, in 1473. He is usually referred to as Hero Oomkens "the Younger" to distinguish him from his maternal grandfather, Hero Oomkens the Elder...
- Hedwig (d. 22 February 1502, married in 1498 to Edo Wimken II zu Jever
- Adelheid (d. 1513), married in 1503 to Dietrich III von Plesse