Duke of Schleswig

The following list is a list of jarls and dukes, who ruled over Schleswig respectively Southern Jutland (Sønderjylland).

First jarls/dukes

Picture Reign Name
 1080–1095 Olaf I, jarl (earl) of Jutland, since 1086 king of Denmark
 1095–1120 vacant
 1120–1131 Canute Lavard (Knud Lavard), titled dux Daciae[1] (i.e. Duke of Denmark)
 1131–1134 Magnus
 1134-ca. 1152 vacant
 ca. 1152–1154 Valdemar I the Great (Valdemar 1.), titled dux Daciae[1] (i.e. Duke of Denmark), also king of Denmark
 ca. 1152–1170 vacant
 ca. 1170–1173 Christopher of Jutland (illegitimate son of the precedent), titled dux Iuciae[1] (i.e. Duke of Jutland)
 1173–1183 vacant
 1183–1216 Valdemar II (Valdemar 2.), titled dux slesvicensis[1] (i.e. Sleswickian duke), represented by the regent Bishop Valdemar Knudsen (1182–1193), Valdemar II became Danish king in 1202
 1209–1216 Valdemar the Young, son of the precedent, minor co-duke, also Danish co-king (1218–1231, d. 1231)
 1216–1232 Eric Valdemarsøn, minor duke, also Danish king as Eric IV (1241–1250)

Years as given here according to Esben Albrectsen.[2]

Abelslægten (1232–1326)

Portrait Reign Name
 1232–1252 Abel, king of Denmark (1250–52)
 1254–1257 Valdemar III
 1260–1272 Eric I
 1272–1283 vacant
 1283–1312 Valdemar IV (Valdemar 4. af Sønderjylland)
 1312–1325 Eric II
 1325–1326 Valdemar V, as Valdemar III Danish king

House of Schauenburg (1326–1330)

Portrait Reign Name
 1326–1330 Gerhard I the Great (Gerhard den kullede greve), as Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsborg

Abelslægten (1330–1375)

Portrait Reign Name
 1330–1364 Valdemar V., as Valdemar III. king of Denmark
 1364–1375 Henry

House of Schauenburg (1375–1459)

Portrait Reign Name
 1375–1381/1384 Henry the Iron (Danish: Henrik Jern) and his brother Nicholas (Danish: Klaus, joint rule)
 1375–1386 Nicholas and Henry II the Iron in joint rule till 1381/1384
 1386–1404 Gerhard II, Duke of Southern Jutland (Sønderjylland), as Gerhard VI, Count of Holstein-Rendsborg
 1404–1427 Henry III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg as Henry IV also, as duke under tutelage of the Danish crown until 1414, then the crown disputed his claim to dukedom, he was killed in action warring for his claim
 1427/40-1459 Adolf I, also Count of Holstein-Rendsburg as Adolf VIII, younger brother of Henry, Denmark denied his claim to dukedom until 1440
 1427–1433 Gerhard III, co-ruler, also Count of Holstein-Rendsburg as Gerhard VII, younger brother of Adolf VIII, during his lifetime, the claim to dukedom remained disputed by the Danish crown

House of Oldenburg (1460–1544)

Further information: House of Oldenburg
Portrait Reign Name
 1460–1481 Christian I (Christian 1.)
 1481–1513 John (Hans), with Frederick I since 1482
 1513–1523 Christian II (Christian 2.), deposed, died 1559; with Frederick I
 1490–1533 Frederick I (Frederik 1.), as administrator 1482–1490, thereafter co-ruling
 1523–1544 Christian III (Christian 3.), with his father till 1533

Co-ruling dukes of the Houses of Oldenburg, Gottorp and Haderslev

House of Oldenburg (1544–1580)

Further information: House of Oldenburg


Portrait Reign Name
 1523–1559 Christian III – with his brothers Adolf and John II
 1559–1588 Frederick II (Frederik 2.)

House of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev

Further information: Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev
Portrait Reign Name
 1544–1580 John II the Elder – with his brothers Adolf and Christian, and then the latter's son Frederick.


In 1580 Frederick II and Adolf divided John's share among each other.

House of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (1544–1580)


Portrait Reign Name
 1544–1586 Adolf – with his brothers John II and Christian and then the latter's son Danish Frederick II




Co-ruling dukes of the Houses of Oldenburg and of Holstein-Gottorp

House of Oldenburg (1580–1713)

Further information: House of Oldenburg
Portrait Reign Name

1559–1588

Frederick II (Frederik 2.)
1588–1648
Christian IV (Christian 4.)






 1648–1670 Frederick III (Frederik 3.)
 1670–1699 Christian V (Christian 5.)

1699–1730

Frederick IV (Frederik 4.)






In 1713 Frederick IV united all of Schleswig/Sønderjylland in one hand.
Portrait Reign Name
 1544–1586 Adolf
1586–1587 Frederick II
1587–1590 Philip
 1590–1616 John Adolf
 1616–1659 Frederick III
 1659–1694 Christian Albert
 1694–1702 Frederick IV
 1702–1713 Charles Frederick
In 1713 Frederick IV, being as King of Denmark also the liege lord of Schleswig, deposed Charles Frederick as co-ruling Duke of Schleswig. Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway continued as the sole Duke of Schleswig.

House of Oldenburg (1713–1863)

Further information: House of Oldenburg
Portrait Reign Name
 1699–1730 Frederick IV (Frederik 4.)
 1730–1746 Christian VI (Christian 6.)
 1746–1766 Frederick V (Frederik 5.)
 1766–1808 Christian VII (Christian 7.)
 1808–1839 Frederick VI (Frederik 6.)
 1839–1848 Christian VIII (Christian 8.)
 1848–1863 Frederick VII (Frederik 7.)

House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1863–1865)

Portrait Reign Name
 1863–1864/65 Christian IX of Denmark
rivalled by duke Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
In 1864, following the Second Schleswig War, the Duchy of Schleswig became an occupied territory of the German Confederation and two years later, following the Austro-Prussian War, part of the new Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Esben Albrectsen, "Das Abel-Geschlecht und die Schauenburger als Herzöge von Schleswig", Marion Hartwig and Frauke Witte (trls.), in: Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg [De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 52–71, here p. 52. ISBN 978-3-529-02606-5
  2. ↑ Esben Albrectsen, "Das Abel-Geschlecht und die Schauenburger als Herzöge von Schleswig", Marion Hartwig and Frauke Witte (trls.), in: Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg [De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 52–71, here p. 71. ISBN 978-3-529-02606-5