Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
Encyclopedia
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg was the name of a branch line of the House of Oldenburg
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...

 as well as the name of their land. It existed from 1564 until 1668 and was a titular duchy
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...

 under the King of Denmark, rather than a true territorial dukedom in its own right. The seat of the duke was Sonderburg, but parts of the domain were located in Denmark (in the Duchy of Schleswig), mainly on the islands of Als and Ærø
Ærø
Ærø is one of the Danish Baltic Sea islands, and part of Region of Southern Denmark. The western portion of the island was the municipality of Ærøskøbing; the eastern portion of the island was the municipality of Marstal...

 and around Glücksburg
Glücksburg
Glücksburg is a small town in the district Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.It is situated on the south side of the Flensburg Fjord, an inlet of the Baltic Sea, approx. 10 km northeast of Flensburg...

, whilst other lands were part of the Holy Roman Empire (in the Duchy of Holstein
Holstein-Glückstadt
The Duchy of Holstein in Glückstadt was the northernmost state of the Holy Roman Empire. It consisted of the part of Holstein that was ruled by the king of Denmark; its capital was Glückstadt on the River Elbe.-History:...

), including the Ämter of Plön
Plön
Plön is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides...

, Ahrensbök
Ahrensbök
Ahrensbök is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approx. 17-km northwest of Lübeck, and 45-km southeast of Kiel.-History:...

, and Reinfeld. As a result of various inheritance arrangements it fragmented into numerous small territories which were eventually absorbed into Greater Denmark in the 18th century.

Background

The ducal family was related to the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf; both belonged to the House of Oldenburg
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...

. The duchy was created in the 16th century when King Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...

 shared his part of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein
Holstein-Glückstadt
The Duchy of Holstein in Glückstadt was the northernmost state of the Holy Roman Empire. It consisted of the part of Holstein that was ruled by the king of Denmark; its capital was Glückstadt on the River Elbe.-History:...

 with his two brothers, each receiving a third of the royal estate in Schleswig and Holstein. Sonderburg was the portion received by Duke John III, called "the Younger". His domain included inter alia the territories of Sonderburg, Norburg
Nordborg
Nordborg , is a town with a population of 6,730 and a former municipality in Sønderborg Municipality, Region of Southern Denmark on the northwest half of the island of Als off the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The former Nordborg municipality covered an area of...

, Ærø
Ærø
Ærø is one of the Danish Baltic Sea islands, and part of Region of Southern Denmark. The western portion of the island was the municipality of Ærøskøbing; the eastern portion of the island was the municipality of Marstal...

, Plön
Plön
Plön is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides...

 and Ahrensbök
Ahrensbök
Ahrensbök is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approx. 17-km northwest of Lübeck, and 45-km southeast of Kiel.-History:...

 together with their assigned Ämter or administrative offices. However, the division was not recognized by the local nobles, who considered it illegal, and the new duchy was managed by Duke John as a so-called abgeteilter Herr
Partitioned-off duke
thumb | upright | John III was the first of the partitioned-off Dukes. After his death his territory was divided into several partitioned off [[microstates]]...

, i.e. a ruler who did not have the consent of his local landlords. So, while the Duke of Sonderburg received the ducal title and the income from the territory assigned to him, he did not have political rights in this territory. Sovereignty remained with the King of Denmark in his role as Duke of Schleswig-Holstein.

Fragmentation

The dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg repeatedly split their possessions among their heirs, so that a variety of very small territories came into existence.

After the death of Duke John in 1622, the duchy was divided among those sons who were legal heirs and the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg produced several collateral lines. The names of the individual lines added the name of their respective Residenz town to the family line. The sons of Duke Alexander - a son of Duke John - also received or acquired some territories outside of Schleswig-Holstein to sustain themselves.

Some of the newly created sub-duchies only had a few square kilometres of land and their masters were merely titular dukes. These new lines sometimes only lasted for a short time before their estates passed to other lines as a result of inheritance or bankruptcy, or even went back to the Danish royal house.
  1. The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg was continued by Duke Alexander, who resided at Sønderborg Castle
    Sønderborg Castle
    Sønderborg Castle is located in the town of Sønderborg, Denmark on the island of Als in South Jutland. It houses a museum focusing on the history and culture of the area. The castle is located in the middle of the town, in a park setting overlooking Als Fjord...

    . After a bankruptcy in 1667 the Sonderburg portion of the duchy reverted to the King of Denmark. The cadet lines that emerged from this line included the following:
    1. The line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Franzhagen
      Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Franzhagen
      The Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Franzhagen line was a short-lived name of the main line of the ducal house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, after its bankruptcy in 1667. The name is derived from the Franzhagen Castle in Schulendorf in the duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg...

       based on Franzhagen Castle
      Franzhagen Castle
      The Franzhagen Castle - also known as Franzgarten or Franzhof was a castle near the present-day Schulendorf in southern Schleswig-Holstein. Before its destruction in 1716 it was owned by the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg....

       near Schulendorf
      Schulendorf
      Schulendorf is a municipality in the district of Lauenburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....

      , founded by Duke Hans Christian.
    2. The so-called Catholic line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, founded by Duke Alexander Henry.
    3. The line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg
      Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg
      thumb | 240px | Wiesenburg Castle in Saxony gave its name to this branch of the ducal familyThe House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg was one of the many side-lines of the house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg...

       based on Wiesenburg Castle
      Wiesenburg Castle
      thumb | 300px | Wiesenburg Castlethumb | 200px |Wiesenburg Castle, lithograph 1839The Wiesenburg Castle is castle located in the Wiesenburg district of Wildenfels, Saxony, on a hill overlooking the eastern shore of the Mulde river...

       in Saxony, founded by Duke Philip Louis.
    4. The line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, founded by Duke Ernest Günther who resided in the Augustenburg Palace. The line became extinct in 1931, its most famous member being Augusta Victoria, the last German Empress.
    5. The line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck
      Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck
      Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck was a branch of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg branch of the House of Oldenburg. It consists of August Philipp, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck , and his male-line descendants...

      , founded by Duke Augustus Philip. The following branch later emerged from this line:
      1. The younger line of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
        Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
        The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , known as the House of Glücksburg for short, is a German ducal house, junior branches of which include the royal houses of Denmark and Norway, the deposed royal house of Greece, and the heir to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms The House...

        , now usually referred to as the House of Glücksburg. Founded in 1825 by a descendant of John III, Duke Frederick William. Family members of this branch up to the present day are members of the European aristocracy and include the current royal houses of Denmark
        Denmark
        Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

         and Norway
        Norway
        Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

        , as well as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
        Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
        Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....

        , the prince consort of Queen Elizabeth II.
  2. The older line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
    Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (elder line)
    Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was a line of the house Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, a branch line of the House of Oldenburg from 1622 to 1779.- History :...

    , founded by Duke Philip
    Philip, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
    Philip of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was the first Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg after the death of his father in 1622...

    , which resided in Glücksburg Castle in Glücksburg
    Glücksburg
    Glücksburg is a small town in the district Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.It is situated on the south side of the Flensburg Fjord, an inlet of the Baltic Sea, approx. 10 km northeast of Flensburg...

    . The line died out in 1779.
  3. The line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Ærø, founded by Duke Christian, resided in Ærøskøbing
    Ærøskøbing
    Ærøskøbing is a town in central Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. The suffix -købing means a trade town in the languages that derive from Old Norse....

    . Duke Christian died without descendants in 1633 and his estate was divided amongst the other sons of John III.
  4. The line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
    Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
    The Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön , also Schleswig-Holstein-Plön, Holstein-Plön or just Duchy of Plön, was a small sub-duchy created by the physical division of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. Today, its remaining significance is primarily the building of Plön Castle...

     founded in 1623 by Duke Joachim Ernest, residing in Plön Castle
    Plön Castle
    Plön Castle in Plön is one of the largest castles in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein and the only one located on a hill. The former Residenz of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön was built in the 17th century during the Thirty Years War and has had a colourful history in which it...

     in Plön
    Plön
    Plön is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides...

    . The line died out in 1761. From it the following branches emerged:
    1. The line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön-Rethwisch
      Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön-Rethwisch
      The ducal line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön-Rethwisch descended from the line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön. It was founded by Joachim Ernest II who as the third son of the Duke of Plön, Joachim Ernest, received the estate of Rethwisch in Storman as his inheritance...

       founded by Joachim Ernest II, resident in Rethwisch. This line died out as early as 1729.
    2. The younger line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg founded by Duke Augustus of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön-Norburg. This line was reunited with the Duchy of Plön by Duke Joachim Frederick in 1706.
  5. The older line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg
    Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg
    The sub-duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg emerged as a collateral line of the House Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. The region of Norburg is on the island of Als.- Historic overview :...

    , founded by Duke John Adolphus, resident at Nordborg Castle
    Nordborg Castle
    Nordborg Castle is a small castle which lies on the southern side of Nordborg Lake in Nordborg on the island of Als in Denmark. The castle premises are currently used as a boarding school.-Founding and Early History:...

     on the island of Alsen
    Alsen
    Alsen may refer to:Places:* Als Island, Denmark; called Alsen under Prussian/German administration * Alsen, North Dakota, United States* Alsen, South Dakota, United States...

    . After going bankrupt in 1669 it was repossessed by the Plön branch in 1679.


In 1668, the king of Denmark confiscated Sonderburg because of excessive debt. Several of the lines that had split off from Sonderburg continued to exist, however. From the money that was left after all debts were paid, the last duke of Sonderburg bought properties in Franzhagen near Schulendorf
Schulendorf
Schulendorf is a municipality in the district of Lauenburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....

; henceforth the line was known as Franzhagen.

Genealogy

The dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg form a line of the House of Oldenburg
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...

; it consists of the male-line descendants of Duke John the Younger. The current royal houses of Denmark and Norway, as well as the future royal house of the United Kingdom (assuming Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...

, will ascend to the crown) belong to the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg line.

Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg

  • John the Younger (1564–1622)
  • Alexander (1622–1627)
  • John Christian (1627–1653)
  • Christian Adolphus (1653–1668)

See also

  • Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
    Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
    The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , known as the House of Glücksburg for short, is a German ducal house, junior branches of which include the royal houses of Denmark and Norway, the deposed royal house of Greece, and the heir to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms The House...

  • Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck
    Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck
    Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck was a branch of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg branch of the House of Oldenburg. It consists of August Philipp, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck , and his male-line descendants...

  • Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg
  • Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
    Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
    The Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön , also Schleswig-Holstein-Plön, Holstein-Plön or just Duchy of Plön, was a small sub-duchy created by the physical division of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. Today, its remaining significance is primarily the building of Plön Castle...

  • Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg
    Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg
    The sub-duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg emerged as a collateral line of the House Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. The region of Norburg is on the island of Als.- Historic overview :...

  • Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön-Rethwisch
    Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön-Rethwisch
    The ducal line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön-Rethwisch descended from the line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön. It was founded by Joachim Ernest II who as the third son of the Duke of Plön, Joachim Ernest, received the estate of Rethwisch in Storman as his inheritance...


Sources


External links

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