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Oldenburg 1180 – 1918 → Flag Coat of arms Anthem Heil dir, o Oldenburg Oldenburg within the German Empire Capital Oldenburg Government Monarchy History  - Established 1180  - Part of Denmark 1667-1773  - Raised to Duchy 1774  - Raised to Grand Duchy 1829  - German Revolution 1918

Oldenburg (Low German: Ollnborg) is a historical state in today's Germany named for its capital, Oldenburg. Oldenburg existed from 1180 until 1918 as a county, Duchy and Grand Duchy. It was located near the mouth of the River Weser. Its ruling family was the House of Oldenburg, which also acquired Denmark and Russia.

The first known count of Oldenburg is Elimar of Oldenburg (d. 1108). Elimar's descendants appear as vassals, although sometimes rebellious ones, of the dukes of Saxony; but they attained the dignity of princes of the empire when the emperor Frederick I dismembered the Saxon duchy in 1180. At this time the county of Delmenhorst formed part of the dominions of the counts of Oldenburg, but afterwards it was on several occasions separated from them to form an apanage for younger branches of the family. This was the case between 1262 and 1447, between 1463 and 1547, and between 1577 and 1617.

During the early part of the 13th century the counts carried on a series of wars with independent, or semi-independent, Frisian princes, who were usually heathens, to the north and west of the county, which resulted in a gradual expansion of the Oldenburgian territory. The free city of Bremen and the bishop of Münster were also frequently at war with the counts of Oldenburg.

In 1448, the successor of Count Dietrich (d. 1440), called Fortunatus, was his son Christian, who became king of Denmark as Christian I. Although far away from the Danish borders, Oldenburg was now a Danish exclave. The control over the town was left to the king's brothers, who established a short reign of tyranny.

In 1450 Christian became king of Norway and in 1457 king of Sweden; in 1460 he inherited the Duchy of Schleswig and the County of Holstein, an event of high importance for the future history of Oldenburg. In 1454 he handed over Oldenburg to his brother Gerhard (about 1430-1499), a wild prince, who was constantly at war with the bishop of Bremen and other neighbors. In 1483 Gerhard was compelled to abdicate in favor of his sons, and he died whilst on a pilgrimage in Spain.

Early in the 16th century Oldenburg was again enlarged at the expense of the Frisians. Protestantism was introduced into the county by Count Anton I (1505-1573), who also suppressed the monasteries; however, he remained loyal to Charles V during the war of the League of Schmalkalden, and was able thus to increase his territories, obtaining Delmenhorst in 1547. One of Anton's brothers, Count Christopher of Oldenburg (about 1506-1560), won some reputation as a soldier.

Anton's grandson, Anton Günther (1583-1667), who succeeded in 1603, considered himself the wisest prince who had yet ruled Oldenburg. Jever had been acquired before he became count, but in 1624 he added Knipphausen and Varel to his lands, with which in 1647 Delmenhorst was finally united. By his neutrality during the Thirty Years' War and by donating valuable horses to warlord Count of Tilly, Anton Günther secured for his dominions an immunity from the terrible devastations to which nearly all the other states of Germany were exposed. He also obtained from the emperor the right to levy tolls on vessels passing along the Weser, a lucrative grant which soon formed a material addition to his resources. In 1607 he erected a Renaissance castle.

After the death of Anton Günther, Oldenburg fell again under Danish authority. In 1773, Danish rule ended and, in 1777, the County of Oldenburg was raised to a duchy. By the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, Oldenburg acquired the Oldenburger Münsterland. Between 1810 and 1814, Oldenburg was occupied by Napoleonic France and in 1829 became a grand duchy.

In 1871, Oldenburg joined the German Empire, and in 1918, it became a free state within the Weimar Republic.

• Rulers of Oldenburg

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

• Map of Lower Saxony in 1789

v • d • e Holy Roman Empire — Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle (1500–1806)
Ecclesiastical princes	Cambrai | Corvey** | Liège | Minden* | Münster | Stavelot–Malmedy** | Osnabrück | Paderborn | Utrecht (until 1548) | Verden (until 1648)
Imperial prelates	Corvey* | Essen | Herford | Kornelimünster | Stavelot–Malmedy* | Thorn | Werden
Secular princes	Cleves with Mark | East Frisia** | Jülich–Berg | Guelders (until 1548) | Minden** | Moers** | Nassau-Dillenburg** | Verden**
Counts and Lords	Bentheim | Bronkhorst (until 1719) | Diepholz | East Frisia (until 1667) | Horne† (until 1614) | Hoya | Lingen† | Lippe | Manderscheid (until 1546) | Moers (until 1541) | Nassau-Dillenburg (until 1664) | Oldenburg (until 1777) | Pyrmont | Ravensberg† | Reichenstein | Rietberg | Salm-Reifferscheid | Sayn | Schaumburg | Tecklenburg | Virneburg | Wied | Winneburg and Beilstein | Zimerauff
Counts and Lords (from 1792)	Anholt | Blankenheim and Gerolstein | Gemen | Gimborn | Gronsfeld | Hallermund | Holzapfel | Kerpen-Lommersum | Myllendonk | Reckheim | Schleiden | Wickrath | Wittem
Counts and Lords, status uncertain	Delmenhorst | Fagnolle | Nassau: Diez, Hadamar | Schaumburg: Hesse, Lippe | Spiegelberg | Steinfurt
Free Imperial Cities	Aachen | Cologne | Dortmund | Duisburg? | Herford? | Verden (from 1648) | Warburg?
* until 1792     ** from 1792     † without a seat in the Reichstag     ? status uncertain

v • d • e States of the Confederation of the Rhine (1806–13)
Rank elevated by Napoleon	Kingdoms: Bavaria | Saxony | Württemberg Grand Duchies: Baden | Hesse
States created	Kingdoms: Westphalia Grand Duchies: Berg | Frankfurt‡ | Würzburg Principalities: Aschaffenburg† | Leyen | Regensburg†
Pre-existing states	Duchies: Anhalt: Bernburg, Dessau, Köthen | Arenberg | Mecklenburg: Schwerin, Strelitz | Nassau | Oldenburg | Saxony: Coburg-Saalfeld, Gotha-Altenburg, Hildburghausen, Meiningen, Weimar*, Eisenach*, Weimar-Eisenach** Principalities: Hohenzollern: Hechingen, Sigmaringen | Isenburg-Birstein | Liechtenstein | Lippe-Detmold | Reuß: Ebersdorf, Greiz, Lobenstein, Schleiz | Salm: Kyrburg, Salm | Schaumburg-Lippe | Schwarzburg: Rudolstadt, Sondershausen | Waldeck
* until 1809     ** from 1809       † until 1810     ‡ from 1810

v • d • e States of the German Confederation (1815–66)
Empires	Austria
Kingdoms	Prussia | Bavaria | Saxony | Hanover | Württemberg
Electorates	Hesse
Grand Duchies	Baden | Hesse | Luxembourg | Mecklenburg-Schwerin | Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Oldenburg | Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Duchies	Anhalt: Bernburg¹, Dessau¹, Köthen² | Brunswick | Holstein | Limburg | Nassau | Saxony: Altenburg³, Coburg-Saalfeld4, Coburg-Gotha³, Gotha-Altenburg4, Hildburghausen4, Lauenburg, Meiningen
Principalities	Hesse-Homburg | Hohenzollern: Hechingen5, Sigmaringen5 | Liechtenstein | Lippe | Reuß: Elder, Junior | Schaumburg-Lippe | Schwarzburg: Rudolstadt, Sondershausen | Waldeck and Pyrmont
City-states	Bremen | Frankfurt | Hamburg | Lübeck
1: Merged to Anhalt from 1863;     2: until 1847;     3: from 1826;     4: until 1826;     5: until 1850

v • d • e States of the North German Confederation (1866–71)
Kingdoms	Prussia | Saxony
Grand Duchies	Hesse | Mecklenburg: Schwerin, Strelitz | Oldenburg | Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Duchies	Anhalt | Brunswick | Saxony: Altenburg, Coburg and Gotha, Meiningen
Principalities	Schaumburg-Lippe | Schwarzburg: Rudolstadt, Sondershausen | Lippe | Reuss: Elder, Junior | Waldeck-Pyrmont
City-states	Bremen | Hamburg | Lübeck

v • d • e States of the German Empire (1871–1918)
Kingdoms	Prussia | Bavaria | Saxony | Württemberg
Grand Duchies	Baden | Hesse | Mecklenburg: Schwerin, Strelitz | Oldenburg | Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Duchies	Anhalt | Brunswick | Saxony: Altenburg, Coburg and Gotha, Meiningen
Principalities	Schaumburg-Lippe | Schwarzburg: Rudolstadt, Sondershausen | Lippe | Reuss: Elder, Junior | Waldeck-Pyrmont
City-states	Bremen | Hamburg | Lübeck
Other	Alsace-Lorraine | Colonial possessions