Discussions about the Imperial Family and European Royalty > The Danish Royal Family
The Ducal Families of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
kmerov:
No, I don't think that there were any major confrontations between them, but they could argue over inheritance issues with each other and with the Danish Kings.
Politically all the Sonderburg lines were insignificant, and they were subordinates to the King of Denmark and the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp.
Marc:
So,was their treatment special because of that?Were something in between sovereign and mediatized?
kmerov:
Responding by recollection to your question; No it's more complex than that. The five Duchies status were "lands providing income to the Dukes", like mayor noble estates. The Dukes however had some rights in their Duchies which made them "Principalities". But they were not (shared) sovereign Dukes of Schleswig and Holstein like the King of Denmark and the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, so the Dukes were subjects to them and their decisions on a variety of matters. In the legal sence there was ONE Duchy of Schleswig and ONE Duchy of Holstein, the first a Danish land and the latter a German land.
Marc:
Seems very complicated for them...being "the" Duke in the land that someone else rules...in terms of marriage status it seems all branches(more or less) were treated "equally"...Rethwisch line made just marriages to Merode countesses...that is interesting!
kmerov:
The line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön-Rethwisch served the Holy German Emperor and later under the Spanish King in Belgium. They became Catholics as mentioned and the first Duke, joachim Ernst became a "Grande" and got the order of the "Golden Fleece." He and his son married Belgian noble women from the Merode family, which were a famous and prominent family.
As catholics however, they were barred from inheriting the Duchy of Plön when the main line died out.
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