County of Oldenburg
The County of Oldenburg (German: Grafschaft Oldenburg) was a county of the Holy Roman Empire.
County of Oldenburg | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1108–1774 | |||||||||||
| Anthem: Heil dir, O Oldenburg (Hail to thee, O Oldenburg) | |||||||||||
Map of the County of Oldenburg in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle | |||||||||||
| Capital | Oldenburg | ||||||||||
| Government | Feudal monarchy | ||||||||||
| Count of Oldenburg | |||||||||||
• 1101–08 | Elimar I (first count) | ||||||||||
• 1773–74 | Frederick August I (last count) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Created on breakup of Saxony | 1108 | ||||||||||
| 1448–54 | |||||||||||
• Part of Denmark | 1667–1773 | ||||||||||
• Raised to duchy | 1774 | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | Germany | ||||||||||
In 1448 Christian I of Denmark (of the House of Oldenburg), Count of Oldenburg became King of Denmark, and later King of Norway and King of Sweden. One of his grandsons, Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp was the first Duke of Holstein-Gottorp.
When the main lineage of the House of Oldenburg, i.e. Anthony Günther, Count of Oldenburg died in 1667, it fell to the Danish Royal Family. Charles Frederick of the line of the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp married Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, daughter of Peter the Great. His first cousin, Frederick August I became Duke of Oldenburg in 1774. One of his brothers, Adolf Frederick became King of Sweden. Another brother, Prince Georg Ludwig of Holstein-Gottorp, was the father of Peter I, who became Grand Duke of Oldenburg in 1823. Subsequent Rulers of Oldenburg were all his descendants.