Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
Encyclopedia
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg was the name of a branch line of the House of Oldenburg as well as the name of their land. It existed from 1564 until 1668 and was a titular duchy under the King of Denmark, rather than a true territorial dukedom in its own right...
. Today, its remaining significance is primarily the building of 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...
. The Duchy of Plön was not a territorial dukedom in its own right, but a sub-division within the state structure of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. The scattered territorial dominion lay mostly in the southeast part of present-day German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
state of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
.
History
The duchy was created on the death of Duke John III from the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg in 1622 as the result of a provision in his will. This provision was in disregard of the Treaty of Ripen that prohibited any arbitrary division of land in Schleswig-Holstein. The Dukes of Plön were so-called Abgeteilte Herren whose status was not based on territorial lordship. In addition to the creation of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön, the import of this will and testament was that four other small duchies were formed as part of the physical division of Schleswig-Holstein.The first Duke of Plön had already received a share of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Ærø in 1633, which he immediately sold to his brothers, who thereby increased their originally equal shares in the island 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...
. In 1669 the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön was given the land of another ducal sub-division, that 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 :...
, consisting of the northern part of the island of Als
Als
Als is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea. It lies east of the Jutland peninsula of Denmark at the town of Sønderborg, and north of the German coast at Schleswig. Covering an area of 321 km² , the island has a total population of 51,322 as of 1 January 2010...
. This part of the duchy, remote from Plön, was spun off as the line of Plön-Norburg in the wake of further territorial divisions, but was reunited with Plön again in 1706. In 1671 there was a further division of assets after the death of Duke Joachim Ernest, and the Duchy of 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...
was created around the place of the same name under his second son, Duke Joachim Ernest; this reverted back to the line of the first born in 1729.
In 1700 the Treaty of Traventhal was concluded at Traventhal House
Traventhal House
Traventhal House in the municipality of Traventhal near Bad Segeberg in the southern part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein was the summer residence of the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön. In the 18th century the house was renowned for its late baroque garden, which was the...
in Segeberg
Bad Segeberg
Bad Segeberg is a German town of 16,000 inhabitants, located in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, capital of the district Segeberg. It is situated approximately northeast of Hamburg, and west of Lübeck.It is famous for its annual Karl-May-Festival...
, a residence belonging to the Duchy of Plön.
In 1704 both Duke John Adolphus and his son and heir, Adolphus Augustus, died. Although Duke John's grandson, Leopold Augustus, formally inherited the dukedom, in 1706 he too died, in infancy. As a result the duchy passed to Joachim Frederick
Joachim Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
Joachim Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön , also known as Joachim Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön, was the third Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön, a dukedom created by the division of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg.He was born in Magdeburg on 9 May 1668, and...
from the 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 :...
line. He died childless in 1722. The true heir was now John Ernest from the line of Holstein-Plön-Rethwisch, but his formal recognition was rejected by the Danish King Christian V, since John Ernest had been appointed as a grandee
Grandee
Grandee is the word used to render in English the Iberic high aristocratic title Grande , used by the Spanish nobility; Portuguese nobility, and Brazilian nobility....
in the service of Spain and had converted to Catholicism. In 1723 the German emperor confirmed the claims of the line of Rethwisch, a descendant of the second son of Duke Augustus, Charles Christian who died in 1706, but he was not recognized as a duke. The proceedings dragged on for many years and on 24 May 1729, the Duke of Rethwisch died without an heir, whereupon Plön then went to the son of Charles Christian. Frederick Charles, who had been supported during the dispute by the Danish king, renounced the possession of Norburg in gratitude, which then passed to Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway.
Because the last Duke of Plön, Frederick Charles, had no legitimate heirs, in 1756 he introduced the so-called Plön Succession Treatise (Plönische Successionstraktat), by which he named the Danish king as heir to his estates. In return, King Frederick V promised to take over all his debts. After the death of the Duke of Plön, the Plön estate passed, in accordance with the contract, to the Danish royal house, bringing the creation of Greater Denmark (Dänischer Gesamtstaat) closer. The possessions were confiscated, and Plön's castles at Reinfeld
Reinfeld (Holstein)
Reinfeld is a town in the district of Stormarn, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated near the river Trave, approx. 8 km east of Bad Oldesloe, and 14 km west of Lübeck. It belongs to the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.-History:...
, 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 Rethwisch
Rethwisch
Rethwisch is a municipality in the district of Stormarn, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
were demolished. This happened for both economic reasons - the royal house had enough residences on the mainland - as well as for political reasons, because it enabled Denmark to signal an abrupt end to the territorial fragmentation of Schleswig-Holstein, something which was finally sealed by the Treaty of Tsarskoe Selo and the emergence of the Greater Denmark state.
List of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
| Reign | | Name | | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 1622 - 1671 | Joachim Ernest | Founder of the duchy; his first son inherited Plön, his second son became Duke of 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 :... , his third son, Duke of 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... |
| 1671 - 1704 | John Adolphus John Adolphus of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön John Adolphus of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön was the second Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön, which had been created by a division of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg.- Life :... |
Also known as Hans Adolf. Son of Joachim Ernest. His son, Adolphus Augustus, also died in 1704 |
| (1704 - 1706) | Leopold Augustus | Grandson of John Adolphus (John Adolphus), born 1702, died as a child without having reigned |
| 1706 - 1722 | Joachim Frederick Joachim Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön Joachim Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön , also known as Joachim Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön, was the third Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön, a dukedom created by the division of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg.He was born in Magdeburg on 9 May 1668, and... |
Nephew of John Adolphus, originated from the Norburg collateral line (Nebenlinie) |
| 1722 - 1761 | Frederick Charles | Nephew of Joachim Frederick. The last Duke of Plön; as a result of a succession dispute with the Rethwisch line, he did not begin his reign until 1729 |
Topography
Divisions
The territorial centres of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön were the districts (Ämter) of AhrensbökAhrensbök
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
Reinfeld (Holstein)
Reinfeld is a town in the district of Stormarn, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated near the river Trave, approx. 8 km east of Bad Oldesloe, and 14 km west of Lübeck. It belongs to the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.-History:...
established after the Reformation by the merging of the former abbeys at Ahrensbök and Reinfeld. Through the sale and acquisition of land, the size of the duchy, however, changed several times. In the mid-18th century, it largely consisted of the following administrative units, some of which are identical with the present-day towns and villages of the same name:
- Town and Amt of PlönPlönPlön 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...
- Amt of AhrensbökAhrensbökAhrensbök 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:...
- Amt of ReinfeldReinfeld (Holstein)Reinfeld is a town in the district of Stormarn, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated near the river Trave, approx. 8 km east of Bad Oldesloe, and 14 km west of Lübeck. It belongs to the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.-History:...
- Amt of TraventhalTraventhalTraventhal is a municipality in the district of Segeberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It gave name to the Peace of Travendal treaty signed there in 1700....
- Amt of RethwischRethwischRethwisch is a municipality in the district of Stormarn, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
Residences
From 1623 to 1636 the ducal residence was located in Ahrensbök in Hoppenbrook Castle on the site of the former buildings of the CarthusianCarthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
monastery. It was then transferred, on the completion of 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...
, to 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...
, which thereby obtained its character as a small north German Residenz
Residenz
Residenz is a very formal, otherwise obsolete, German word for "place of living". It is in particular used to denote the building or town where a sovereign ruler resided, therefore also carrying a similar meaning as the modern expressions seat of government or capital...
town. Other ducal residences were situated in Reinfeld, Rethwisch and Traventhal.
Source
- Neugebauer, Werner (1957). Schönes Holstein. Lübeck, Lübecker NachrichtenLübecker NachrichtenThe Lübecker Nachrichten is a regional daily newspaper in Germany, covering Schleswig-Holstein and western Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is, along with the Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag and the Kieler Nachrichten, one of the largest daily newspapers in Schleswig-Holstein.LN appears daily...
, p. 84/85, p. 275 ff.