Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg

Schleswig -Holstein -Sonderburg was the name of a collateral line of the house of Oldenburg and at the same time the name of their dominion. Schleswig -Holstein -Sonderburg was not a territorial duchy, but a non-transferable part Duchy within the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. It was distributed to several individual dominions, which were mainly in the southeast and north of Schleswig -Holstein and in part on the territory of today's Denmark. After several inheritances it disintegrated into many small territories that aufgingen in the 18th century the Danish state as a whole.

Background

The ducal family was related to the House of Schleswig -Holstein - Gottorp, both were members of the House of Oldenburg. The reason given branch of the family in the 16th century. By Duke Johann III, a brother of the Danish king Frederick II John III. , Called the Younger, was given by his brother, among others, the Special Castle, Norburg, Ærø, Plön and Ahrensbok including their offices assigned. The new duchy managed Johann partitioned off as so-called Lord, that is, without the consent of the estates.

Decay into various secondary lines

After the death of Duke John in 1622 the duchy was divided among the sons entitled to inherit and from the house of Schleswig -Holstein -Sonderburg emerged several secondary lines. The names of the individual lines were added to the respective Residenzort, the sons of Duke Alexander - a son of Duke John - received or acquired partly territories outside of Schleswig-Holstein for their supply.

Some of the newly formed duchies had only a few square kilometers of land, and their men were only Titularherzöge. The new lines tended to have only a short time and fell through inheritances or bankruptcies on the other lines, or even to the Danish royal house.