Oldenburg (state)

The first famous Earl of Oldenburg was Egilmar I , "the mighty Earl of land bordering Saxony and Frisia," as the document of 1108 reads. His descendants became vassals of the Duchy of Saxony , but after the separation of Saxony by Frederick I in 1180 they gained independence.

In the XIII century, the Oldenburgs fought with the princes of Frisia, annexing the county of Delmengorst to their possessions. This county was subsequently separated several times from Oldenburg, but since the beginning of the 17th century it has been an integral part of the Oldenburg lands. Oldenburg also had to wage frequent wars with Bremen , Münster and other neighboring cities.

Under Dietrich the Happy , the unification of Oldenburg takes place, disintegrating between separate lines of the clan.

In 1448, the son of Dietrich Christian became King of Denmark Christian I. Control over the county was transferred to the Christian brothers, who established tyranny in it. In 1450, Christian became king of Norway , in 1457 - Sweden , and in 1460 he inherited the duchy of Schleswig and the county of Holstein . In 1450, he transferred Oldenburg to his brother Gerhard (circa 1430–1499), who constantly fought with the Bishop of Bremen and other neighbors. In 1483, Gerhard was forced to abdicate in favor of his sons.

In the sixteenth century, Anton I (1505-1573) adopted Protestantism, but remained loyal to Emperor Charles V during the Schmalkalden War , for which he was rewarded with new possessions and obtained the right to sit in the imperial Diet.

The grandson of Anton I, Anton Gunther , added Farel and Knipfausen to his possessions in 1624, and in 1647 he finally joined Delmenhorst. In the Thirty Years War, he remained neutral. He also received from the emperor the right to levy duties on ships sailing along the Weser.

The political power of the counts of Oldenburg was very broad. The nobility did not enjoy special privileges, the urban estate did not represent a major political force. Peasants who were not familiar with serfdom were distinguished by comparative prosperity.

After the death of Anton Gunther, Oldenburg passed to Denmark, whose king, Christian V , made an amicable deal with other applicants - representatives of the Holstein-Gottorp and Holstein-Sonderburg lines of the count family of Oldenburg. The possession of Jever , as a female Lena, went to the Anhalt-Zerbst House (the last owner was Catherine II ), and Kniphausen was given to Gunther's secondary son, Count Anton Aldenburg.

In 1773, Oldenburg was ceded to the Danish King Christian VII by Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich (later Emperor Paul I ) as the head of the Holstein-Gottorp line, and Paul renounced his rights to Schleswig-Holstein. In the same year, the new possessions were transferred by the grand duke to his cousin Friedrich Augustus (1711-1785), a representative of the younger Gottorp line. After the death of Frederick Augustus, who received the ducal title, the state regent ruled over the illness of his son Peter Friedrich Wilhelm , his nephew Peter Friedrich Ludwig , the founder of the house that ruled until 1918 .

In 1810 - 1814, Oldenburg was occupied by Napoleonic France . In 1815, by the decision of the Vienna Congress, Oldenburg became a Grand Duchy and the Principality of Birkenfeld was annexed to it in the Palatinate on the River Nahe .

In 1871, Oldenburg joined the German Empire .

After the November Revolution of 1918, the monarchy was liquidated, and Oldenburg became the “ Free State of Oldenburg ” (“Freistaat Oldenburg”) within the Weimar Republic .

In 1937, Oldenburg lost its Oytin exclaves on the Baltic coast and Birkenfeld in southwestern Germany, which went to Prussia, but got Wilhelmshaven .

In 1946 , after the Second World War, Oldenburg was incorporated into Lower Saxony , which became part of Germany .

• Frederick Augustus I (1773-1785), Count from 1773, Duke from 1777
• Peter Friedrich Wilhelm (1785-1823, regency), Grand Duke since 1815
• Peter I (1823-1829), regent, then the Grand Duke from 1823
• August I (1829-1853)
• Peter II (1853-1900)
• Frederick Augustus II (1900-1918)

The territory of Oldenburg was divided into 3 land parts ( landesteil ): Oldenburg, Lübeck and Birkenfeld, Oldenburg was divided into districts, districts ( kreis ) into departments ( amt ), the rest of the land only into departments. Departments were divided into communities ( gemeinde ).

The highest judicial body is the Supreme Court of Appeal of Oldenburg ( Oberappellationsgericht Oldenburg ), until 1958 - the Justice Office ( Justizkanzlei ), the courts of appeal - the highest courts ( obergericht ), the courts of first instance - the land courts ( landgericht ), the lower court amts ( amt ) and patrimonial courts ( patrimonialgerichte ).

• Oldenburg, Grand Duchy // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.