List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein

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The following is a list of rulers (usually dukes) who ruled both Schleswig and Holstein, starting from the first Holstein count who received Schleswig, until both territories were annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866; and afterwards, titular dukes.

In the course of history, the County of Holstein was several times partitioned among the inheriting sons into up to six lines. In 1386 King Oluf II of Denmark and his mother regent, Queen Margaret I, enfeoffed in Nyborg Gerhard VI, Count of Holstein Rendsborg and his cognatic successors with the Duchy of Schleswig, which had been in the royal family's hands until 1375. He was as Gerhard II duke of Schleswig. Until 1390 the Rendsborg branch united by inheritance all branches except of that of Holstein Pinneberg. It remaining a separately ruled territory in Holstein until its line was extinct in 1640, when Holstein Pinneberg was merged into the then Duchy of Holstein. Furthermore, the here mentioned rulers of course only reigned Holstein and Schleswig in their respective territorial composition of the time, thus without states and territories only merged later in what became today's State of Schleswig Holstein, such as Ditmarsh, conquered and annexed in 1559, Saxe Lauenburg merged in 1876, Heligoland (British rule 1807–1891), Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Region of Lübeck, together with some Hamburgian exclaves in 1937. In turn much of the current westerly, northerly and easterly suburbs within Greater Hamburg were ceded from Holstein on 1 April 1937 (Cf. Greater Hamburg Act). North Schleswig had merged into Denmark in 1920. Some Lauenburgian and Mecklenburgian municipalities were exchanged by the Barber Lyashchenko Agreement in 1945.

In 1460, Schleswig fell to the Danish royal House of Oldenburg, in the person of Christian I, who inherited not only the Duchy, a Danish fief, but also the County of Holstein Rendsburg, a Saxe Lauenburgian subfief within the Holy Roman Empire, following the death of his maternal uncle Adolf I (and VIII as Count of Holstein Rendsburg). In 1474, Lauenburg's liege lord Emperor Frederick III elevated Christian as Count of Holstein Rendsburg to Duke of Holstein, thus becoming an immediate imperial vassal (see imperial immediacy). The smaller Holstein Pinneberg remained a county further ruled by the House of Schauenburg. In 1544, after Christian III's brothers reached majority, they partitioned the Duchies of Holstein (a fief of the Holy Roman Empire) and of Schleswig (a Danish fief) in an unusual way, following negotiations between the brothers and the Estates of the Realm of the duchies, which opposed a factual partition. They determined their youngest brother Frederick for a career as Lutheran administrator of an ecclesiastical state within the Holy Roman Empire. So the revenues of the duchies were divided in three equal shares by assigning the revenues of particular areas and landed estates to each of the elder brothers, while other general revenues, such as taxes from towns and customs dues, were levied together but then shared among the brothers. The estates, whose revenues were assigned to the parties, made Holstein and Schleswig look like patchwork rags, technically inhibiting the emergence of separate new duchies, as intended by the estates of the duchies. The secular rule in the fiscally divided duchies thus became a condominium of the parties. As dukes of Holstein and Schleswig, the rulers of both houses bore the formal title of "Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Dithmarschen and Stormarn". The dynastic name Holstein Gottorp comes as convenient usage from the technically more correct Duke of Schleswig and Holstein at Gottorp. Adolf, the third son of Duke and King Frederick I and the second youngest half brother of King Christian III, founded the dynastic branch called House of Holstein Gottorp, which is a cadet branch of the then royal Danish House of Oldenburg. The Danish monarchs and the Dukes of Holstein Gottorp listed below ruled both duchies together as to general government, however, collected their revenues in their separate estates. John II the Elder conveniently called Duke of Schleswig Holstein Haderslev produced no issue, so no branch emerged from his side. Similar to the above mentioned agreement Christian III's youngest son John the Younger gained for him and his heirs a share in Holstein's and Schleswig's revenues in 1564, comprising a third of the royal share, thus a ninth of Holstein and Schleswig as to the fiscal point of view. John the Younger and his heirs, however, had no share in the condominial rule, they were only titular partitioned off dukes. The share of John II the Elder, who died in 1580, was halved between Adolf and Frederick II, thus increasing again the royal share by a fiscal sixth of Holstein and Schleswig. As an effect the complicated fiscal division of both separate duchies, Holstein and Schleswig, with shares of each party scattered in both duchies, provided them with a condominial government binding both together, partially superseding their legally different affiliation as Holy Roman and Danish fiefs. RulerBornReignDeathPartConsortNotes Christian I (Christian 1.) February 14261460 148121 May 1481Schleswig Dorothea of Brandenburg28 October 1449Copenhagenfive children First ruler of Schleswig, which was inherited from Holstein Rendsburg. Also King of Denmark and of the Kalmar Union. John I (Hans) 2 February 14551481 151320 February 1513Schleswig Christina of Saxony6 September 1478Copenhagenfive children Ruled jointly in Schleswig, John and Frederick, brothers, ruled together, and after the death of John, Frederick, kept the co rulership with his nephew, Christian II. In 1523 the latter was deposed in both Denmark and Schleswig. They were also in succession Kings of Denmark: John 1481–1513, Christian 1513–23, Frederick 1523–33. John and Christian were also Kings of the Kalmar Union. Frederick I (Frederik 1.) 7 October 14711490 153320 February 1533Schleswig Anna of Brandenburg10 April 1502Stendaltwo childrenSophie of Pomerania9 October 1518Kielsix children Christian II the Tyrant (Christian 2.) February 14261513 152321 May 1481Schleswig Isabella of Austria12 August 1515Copenhagensix children Christian III (Christian 3.) 12 August 15031533 15441 January 1559Schleswig Dorothea of Saxe Lauenburg29 October 1525Lauenburgfive children Christian was also King of Denmark. In 1544 divided Schleswig with his half brothers. John received Schleswig Holstein Haderslev, and Adolph Schleswig Holstein Gottorp.1544 1559Schleswig Schleswig John II the Elder 21 June 15211544 15801 October 1580Schleswig Holstein Haderslev Unmarried Adolph 25 January 15261544 15861 October 1586Schleswig Holstein Gottorp Christine of Hesse17 December 1564Schleswigten childrenHaderslev divided between Schleswig and Gottorp Frederick II (Frederik 2.) 1 July 15341559 15884 April 1588Schleswig Schleswig Sophie of Mecklenburg Güstrow20 July 1572Copenhageneight children Also King of Denmark. Frederick III 21 April 15681586 158715 June 1587Schleswig Holstein GottorpUnmarriedDied without descendants. He was succeeded by his brother. Philip 10 August 15701587 159018 October 1590Schleswig Holstein GottorpUnmarriedDied without descendants. He was succeeded by his brother. Christian IV (Christian 4.) 12 April 15771588 164828 February 1648Schleswig Schleswig Anne Catherine of Brandenburg27 November 1597Haderslevseven childrenKirsten Munk31 December 1615Copenhagen(morganatic)twelve children Also King of Denmark. John Adolph 27 February 15751590 161631 March 1616Schleswig Holstein Gottorp Augusta of Denmark30 August 1596Copenhageneight children Frederick IV 22 December 15971616 165910 August 1659Schleswig Holstein Gottorp Marie Elisabeth of Saxony21 February 1630Dresdensixteen children Frederick V (Frederik 3.) 18 March 16091648 16709 February 1670Schleswig Schleswig Sophie Amalie of Brunswick Lüneburg1 October 1643Glücksburgeight children Also King of Denmark as Frederick III. Christian Albert 3 February 16411659 16956 January 1695Schleswig Holstein Gottorp Frederica Amalia of Denmark24 October 1667Glücksburgfour children Christian V (Christian 5.) 15 April 16461670 169925 August 1699Schleswig Schleswig Charlotte Amalie of Hesse Kassel25 June 1667Nykøbing Falstereight children Also King of Denmark. Frederick VI 18 October 16711695 170219 July 1702Schleswig Holstein Gottorp Hedvig Sophia of Sweden12 May 1698 Karlbergone child Frederick VII (Frederik 4.) 11 October 16711699 173012 October 1730Schleswig Schleswig (until 1713)Schleswig (after 1713) Louise of Mecklenburg Güstrow5 December 1695Copenhagenfive childrenElisabeth Helene von Vieregg26 September 1703(morganatic and bigamous)one childAnne Sophie Reventlow4 April 1721Copenhagenthree children Also King of Denmark as Frederick IV. In 1713 reunited Schleswig. Charles Frederick 30 April 17001702 173918 June 1739Schleswig Holstein Gottorp (until 1713)Holstein Gottorp (after 1713) Anna Petrovna of Russia21 May 1725St Petersburgone child Christian VI (Christian 6.) 30 November 16991730 17466 August 1746Schleswig Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg Kulmbach7 August 1721Pretzschthree children Also King of Denmark. Charles Peter Ulrich 21 February 17281739 176217 July 1762Holstein Gottorp Sophie Augusta of Anhalt Zerbst21 August 1745St Petersburgone child He later ascended as Peter III of Russia. Frederick VIII (Frederik 5.) 31 March 17231746 176614 January 1766Schleswig Louise of Great Britain11 December 1743Altonafive childrenJuliana Maria of Brunswick Wolfenbüttel8 July 1752Hillerødone son Also King of Denmark as Frederick V. Paul I 1 October 17541762 177323 March 1801Holstein Gottorp Wilhelmina Louisa of Hesse Darmstadt20 September 1773St Petersburgno childrenSophie Dorothea of Württemberg7 October 1776St Petersburgten children He later succeeded his mother, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. Gottorp reunited with Schleswig Christian VII (Christian 7.) 29 January 17491766 177313 March 1808Schleswig Caroline Matilda of Great Britain8 November 1766Copenhagentwo children Also King of Denmark. In 1773 reunited Schleswig and Holstein.1773 1808Schleswig and Holstein Frederick IX (Frederik 6.) 28 January 17681808 18398 December 1839Schleswig and Holstein Marie Sophie of Hesse Kassel31 July 1790Schleswigeight children Also King of Denmark as Frederick VI. Christian VIII (Christian 8.) 18 September 17861839 184820 January 1848Schleswig and Holstein Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg Schwerin21 June 1806Ludwigslusttwo childrenCaroline Amalie of Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Augustenburg22 May 1815Augustenborgno children Also King of Denmark. Frederick X (Frederik 7.) 6 October 18081848 186315 November 1863Schleswig and Holstein Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark1 November 1828Copenhagen(annulled 1837)no childrenCaroline Mariane of Mecklenburg Strelitz10 June 1841Neustrelitz(annulled 1846)no childrenLouise Rasmussen7 August 1850Hillerød(morganatic)no children Also King of Denmark as Frederick VII. Christian IX (Christian 9.) 8 April 18181863 186429 January 1906Schleswig and Holstein Louise of Hesse Kassel26 May 1842Copenhagensix childrenHe was from the Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Glücksburg branch of the Oldenburgs. Also King of Denmark. In 1864 the duchy was annexed to the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1864, following the Second Schleswig War, the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were ceded by the Danish King and were ruled in a joint condominium by Austria and Prussia. Following the defeat of Austria in the Austro Prussian War in 1866, they were annexed by Prussia and were formed into the new Prussian Province of Schleswig Holstein, part of Germany since 1870.