Final feud
The last feud of 1559 was a campaign in which the peasant republic of Dithmarschen lost its independence to Duke Adolf I of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf , King Friedrich II of Denmark-Norway and Duke Hans of Schleswig-Holstein-Hadersleben .
prehistory
Duke Adolf I von Gottorf and his brothers were enfeoffed by Emperor Karl V with Holstein (including Dithmarschens) in 1548 . Since a protective alliance between Dithmarschen and Lübeck expired in 1558 , the time seemed right for the princes: Duke Adolf wanted to conquer Dithmarschen alone and turned to the successful general Johann Rantzau on Breitenburg, who should help him with this. But the plan was passed on to King Christian III by Rantzau's son Heinrich, who was the royal governor of the duchies . betray. Therefore, Duke Adolf now had to start the campaign with his brothers after Christian III. Performing death with his nephew King Frederick II of Denmark.
The campaign
The approximately 18,000 strong army of the three princes under Johann and Daniel Rantzau and Hans von Ahlefeldt defeated approximately 12,000 armed Dithmarsch farmers; it was one of several attempts, such as the battle of Hemmingstedt , to conquer the then fertile and rich land. The campaign was - in the words of the Flensburg historian Robert Bohn - "short and cruel as usual". The conquerors marched in via Albersdorf , conquered Meldorf and finally the main town of Heide .
Effects
Dithmarschen was divided among the winners into a royal-Danish southern part, a ducal-Haderslebian central part and a ducal-Gottorfian northern part. The central part was divided between north and south in 1581. The social structure remained largely the same, the farmers and the parishes also retained most of their rights. Only the council of the forty-eight , which was the highest decision-making body in Republican times, was replaced by bailiffs .
Remarks
- ^ Christian Degn : Schleswig-Holstein. A national history. Historical atlas. Wachholtz, Neumünster 1994, ISBN 3-529-05215-9 .
- ^ Robert Bohn: History of Schleswig-Holstein (= Beck'sche series 2615 CH Beck knowledge ). CH Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-406-50891-X , p. 57.