 | This articleis largely based on an article in the out-of-copyrightEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, which was produced in 1911. It should be brought up to date to reflect subsequent history or scholarship (including the references, if any). When you have completed the review, replace this notice with a simple note on this article's talk page.(September 2018) |
 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in German. (August 2012)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Grand Duchy of Oldenburg Großherzogtum Oldenburg (German) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1815–1918 | |||||||||||
.svg) Flag | |||||||||||
| Anthem: Heil dir, o Oldenburg | |||||||||||
.svg) The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg within theGerman Empire | |||||||||||
| Status | State of theGerman Confederation, theNorth German Confederation, and theGerman Empire | ||||||||||
| Capital | Oldenburg 53°8′38″N8°12′50″E / 53.14389°N 8.21389°E /53.14389; 8.21389 | ||||||||||
| Religion | Evangelical Lutheran Church of Oldenburg | ||||||||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||||||||
| Grand Duke | |||||||||||
• 1815–1823 | William I | ||||||||||
• 1823–1829 | Peter I | ||||||||||
• 1829–1853 | Augustus | ||||||||||
• 1853–1900 | Peter II | ||||||||||
• 1900–1918 | Frederick Augustus II | ||||||||||
| Staatsminister | |||||||||||
• 1814–1842 | Karl von Brandenstein(first) | ||||||||||
• 1916–1918 | Franz Friedrich Ruhstrat(last) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| 1815 | |||||||||||
| January 18, 1871 | |||||||||||
| November 9, 1918 | |||||||||||
| Currency |
| ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | Germany | ||||||||||
TheGrand Duchy of Oldenburg (German:Großherzogtum Oldenburg, also known asHolstein-Oldenburg) was agrand duchy within theGerman Confederation,North German Confederation andGerman Empire, that consisted of three widely separated territories:Oldenburg,Eutin andBirkenfeld. It ranked tenth among theGerman states, had one vote in theBundesrat, and three members in theReichstag.[1] Its ruling family, theHouse of Oldenburg, also came to rule inDenmark,Norway,Sweden,Greece,Russia andUnited Kingdom.[2]
The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg came into existence in 1815 combining the territory of the old Duchy of Oldenburg with thePrincipality of Birkenfeld. Whilst Oldenburg was elevated to a grand duchy at theCongress of Vienna, the first two grand dukes continued to style themselves as merely dukes and it was not until 1829 that the newly accededAugustus used the title of grand duke. Although paternalist, the early grand dukes did not grant a constitution until events overtook them in 1848.
Oldenburg did not entirely escape from theRevolutions of 1848 that swept acrossEurope, but no serious disturbances took place therein. In 1849 Augustus granted a constitution of a very liberal character to his subjects. Hitherto his country had been ruled in the spirit ofenlightened despotism which had been strengthened by the absence of a privileged class of nobles, the comparative independence of the peasantry, and the importance of the towns; thus a certain amount of friction was inevitable. In 1852 some modifications were introduced into the constitution, yet it remained one of the most progressive in theGerman Confederation. Important alterations were made in the administrative system in 1855 and again in 1868, and government oversight on church affairs was ordered by a law of 1863. In 1863,Peter II, who had ruled since the death of his father Augustus in 1853, seemed inclined to press a claim to the vacantDuchy of Schleswig andDuchy of Holstein, but ultimately in 1867 he abandoned this in favor of theKingdom of Prussia and received some slight compensation. In 1866 he had sided with Prussia against theAustrian Empire during theSeven Weeks War and joined theNorth German Confederation. In 1871 the grand duchy became a state of theGerman Empire.[2]
Oldenburg remained a monarchy until theGerman Revolution of 1918-1919, when the last grand duke,Frederick Augustus II, abdicated and Oldenburg became a constituent state of theWeimar Republic as theFree State of Oldenburg.
.JPG)
.svg)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Oldenburg".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 71–72.States of the German Confederation (1815–1866) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empires |  | ||||||||
| Kingdoms | |||||||||
| Electorates | |||||||||
| Grand duchies | |||||||||
| Duchies |
| ||||||||
| Principalities |
| ||||||||
| Free cities | |||||||||
| |||||||||
States of the North German Confederation (1866–1871) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kingdoms |  | |
| Grand Duchies | ||
| Duchies | ||
| Principalities | ||
| City-states | ||
States of the German Empire (1871–1918) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kingdoms |
| -en.png) |
| Grand Duchies | ||
| Duchies | ||
| Principalities | ||
| City-states | ||
| Imperial Territories | ||
| Other | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
