After 1261 the previously jointly ruling brothers Gerhard I and the elder John I divided the Counties of Holstein and Schauenburg (Schaumburg). Gerhard I received the Counties of Holstein-Itzehoe and Schaumburg, whereas John received the County of Holstein-Kiel. After the death of John I, his sons Adolphus V and John II reigned jointly in Holstein-Kiel. In 1273 they partitioned Holstein-Kiel and John II continued ruling over Kiel; Adolphus V the Pomeranian then received Segeberg (aka County of Stormarn). After the death of Adolphus V, Holstein-Segeberg was reincorporated into Holstein-Kiel.
Holstein partition of 1290 and reversions of 1350 and 1390
After Gerhard I's death in 1290 his three younger sons partitioned Holstein-Itzehoe and Schaumburg into three branches, with Adolph VI the Elder, the third brother, getting Holstein-Pinneberg and Schaumburg south of the Elbe, the second brother Gerhard II the Blind getting Holstein-Plön, and the fourth Henry I receiving Holstein-Rendsburg. The eldest brother John was Canon at the Hamburg Cathedral.
After the death of Gerhard II his sons Gerhard IV and his younger half-brother John III the Mild inherited and ruled in Holstein-Plön together. In 1316 the brothers militarily seized the possessions of John II the One-Eyed (d. 1321) in Holstein-Kiel, whose sons had been killed. John III the Mild, before a second-born co-ruling count in Plön, then received Kiel from the deposed John II the One-Eyed, a cousin of his father Gerhard II the Blind. Gerhard IV continued ruling Holstein-Plön as sole count.
After the death of John III's nephew Gerhard V, Count of Holstein-Plön in 1350, who had succeeded Gerhard IV, the Plön line became extinct and John III re-inherited their possessions. In 1390 his son Adolphus IX (aka VII)[2] ruling since 1359 Kiel including Plön, died without issue and thus Nicholas (Claus) of Holstein-Rendsburg and his nephews Albert II and Gerhard VI (jointly ruling till 1397) succeeded to the territories of Holstein-Kiel and Holstein-Plön.
Holstein partition of 1397 and the extinction of the Rendsburg line in 1459
In 1390 the Holstein-Rendsburg line had assembled the larger part of the partitioned Holstein counties, to wit Kiel, Plön and Segeberg, but not Holstein-Pinneberg, which existed until 1640. Members of the Rendsburg family branch were often also simply titled as Counts of Holstein after 1390. For the Pinneberg family branch, usually residing in the County of Schaumburg, the titling after Schaumburg started to prevail.
In 1397 after the death of their uncle Nicholas (Claus), with whom the nephews Albert II and the elder Gerhard VI had jointly ruled Holstein-Rendsburg, they partitioned Holstein-Segeberg (aka county of Stormarn) from Holstein-Rendsburg, with Albert receiving the new branch county in return for waiving his co-rule in Rendsburg. After Albert's death in 1403 Segeberg reverted to Rendsberg. In 1459, with the death of Adolphus XI (aka VIII),[2] the Rendsburg branch was extinct in the male line and the nobility of Holstein-Rendburg and of Schleswig then assigned the succession to his sister's son King Christian I of Denmark, House of Oldenburg.
The last Schauenburg line ruling Schaumburg and Holstein-Pinneberg till 1640
After King Christian I of Denmark, House of Oldenburg had been chosen as heir to the County of Holstein-Rendsburg Christian ascended to the comital throne in 1460. In 1474 Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, elevated Christian I from Count of Holstein-Rendsburg to Duke of Holstein. For his succession in the Duchy of Holstein see List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein#House of Oldenburg (1460–1544). The Schauenburg line in the Counties of Holstein-Pinneberg and Schaumburg persisted until its extinction in the male line in 1640. This line is also known as Holstein-Schauenburg. The Counts were elevated to Princes of Schaumburg in 1619/1620, however, the Dukes of Holstein opposed the transition of that title to the County of Holstein-Pinneberg.
First count of Schauenburg, in 1110 becomes count of Holstein.
Regency of Hildewa (1128-1142)
Between 1137 and 1143, Holstein fell under the control of Henry of Badewide, who married a relative of the King of Denmark. However, Adolph and his mother kept Schauenburg and made great efforts to recover Holstein, as much as, by 1139, Henry's domain was already restricted to Wagria.
Count of Schauenburg and Holstein, ceded Holstein to Denmark in 1203 in order to be released from captivity. In 1208 Holstein passed to the Count of Weimar-Orlamünde, Albert I, who held residence at Stormarn. In 1227, Albert would be defeated by Adolph III's son, Adolph IV.
Count of Holstein by military victory over Valdemar II; In fulfilment of an oath taken before this same victory, Adolph withdrew in 1238 to a Franciscan friary and in 1244 was ordained a priest in Rome.
Children of Adolph IV. John and Gerhard ruled jointly on their first years of rule, under regency. They had to wait their abdicated father's death, because only that would explain their late division of the inheritance. After Gerhard's death in 1290 his sons partitioned Holstein-Itzehoe and Schaumburg into three branches. Matilda received property in Schleswig that she left to her brothers after her death.
Sons of John I, divided officially their inheritance in 1273. After Adolph V's death without descendants, Segeberg went to a son of John I. In 1316, John II was deposed in a coup led by his cousin John III, from Plön.
Children of Gerhard I, divided the land. Gerhard II received his father's capital at Itzehoe, but changed it to Plön, while Adolph VI received, with his portion at Pinneberg, the original Schauenburg. Henry I, the younger son, received a portion of the inheritance in Rendsburg.
Profited from the minority of the duke of Schleswig to take over the duchy to himself, but handed it over in 1330. However, his career and profit rose up to the point where he can be called the de facto ruler of Denmark during the Interregnum of 1332-40.
Sons of Gerhard II, ruled jointly. On 7 June 1314 Gerhard sold most of his inheritance part to his brother, who in 1316 also deposed John II of Kiel. Ruling over two main parts of Holstein, John III also served, alongside Gerhard III, as lord ruling in guardianship the DanishDuchy of Schleswig 1332–1340.
Ruler of only a small part of Plön, after the sell his father made to his uncle. After his death, the aforementioned uncle reunites effectively the entirety of both Plön and Kiel.
Nicholas and Henry ruled jointly as sons of Gerhard III. In 1375 they inherited the Duchy of Schleswig from the House of Estridsen. In 1384, with the death of his brother, Nicholas associated his nephews (Gerhard and Albert, sons of Henry) to power. In 1386 he abdicated of Schleswig to his older nephew Gerhard, who assumed alone this lands. In 1390 Nicholas inherited Holstein-Kiel. After Nicholas' death in 1397, the co-ruling nephews, Gerhard and Albert, divided the land.
Co-rulers in Rendsburg with their uncle Nicholas since 1384. After the abdication of Nicholas in Schleswig, Gerhard took over the duchy, and assumed Rendsburg only after the former's death. Gerhard's brother Albert revived in 1397 the duchy of Segeberg, making official the new division, but after his death in 1403, Segeberg merged again in Rendsburg, still in hands of Gerhard, who died in the following year. The brothers also co-ruled with their cousin, Elisabeth, who had received property in Rendsburg.
Sons of Gerhard VI, ruled jointly in Holstein-Rendsburg. As Gerhard also wanted to rule in Schleswig he claimed (unsuccessfully) this duchy for himself against his brother. Adolph was the mightiest vassal of Danish crown at his time, gaining royal Danish recognition in 1440. After Adolph's death his patrimony is annexed by Denmark.
Children of Jobst, divided their inheritance. The elder brothers ruled jointly in Pinneberg; Jobst II inherited Gemen alone. Adolphus abdicated in 1544, and became Archbishop of Cologne as Adolph III (1547–1556). In 1559 the Reformation officially began in Schauenburg and Holstein-Pinneberg.
^ abThe numbering varies; some authors count all namesakes within the House of Schauenburg, here put in front, others count only the namesakes within any branch line, here given in parentheses.
^Holstein was lost first to Henry of Badewide in 1137-43, and later to Denmark, in 1203-27. In both times the ruling family could reclaim back their land.