Danish Period
1667-1773 		1815-1871









The Duchy of Oldenburg, 1773-1815



The County of Oldenburg belonged to Denmark between 1667 and 1773. In 1773, Denmark sold Oldenburg with Delmenhorst to the younger line of the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp. Oldenburg (with Delmenhorst) was elevated into the DUCHY OF OLDENBURG (1777). The dukes ruled absolute.
In 1786, the world's first SAVINGS BANK was established in the city of Oldenburg. In 1789 the city walls were torn down. In 1792 the OLDENBURG STATE LIBRARY was founded by Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig. In 1803 Oldenburg agreed to the abolition of the WESER TOLL at Elsfleth. The Duchy was compensated by territorial acquisitions : the districts of VECHTA and CLOPPENBURG (Catholic, hitherto Princebishopric of Muenster), WILDESHAUSEN (since 1719 to Hannover). In 1806 the small territory of VAREL AND KNYPHAUSEN was annexed. Oldenburg joined the RHEINBUND. In 1809, troops of the BLACK DUKE of BRAUNSCHWEIG, hostile to France, embarked at Elsfleth/Oldenburg for England. In 1810 the land is annexed by France; the duke went into exile to Russia. The Duchy, in 1810, had a population of 159,550. In 1813/15 the Duchy was restored.



Dukes of Oldenburg
Friedrich August (1773-1785)
Wilhelm (1785-1823)
Peter Friedrich Ludwig (1785-1829)



EXTERNAL
FILES 		Article Oldenburg, from Catholic Encyclopedia
Chronologie der Stadt Oldenburg, from oldenburg.de, in German
Biographie Peter Friedrich Ludwig, from oldenburg.de
Die Oldenburger im Napoleonischen Russlandfeldzug, by Andreas Kopp
DOCUMENTS List of Grand Dukes, from World Statesmen by Ben Cahoon
Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, Historical Flags, from FOTW
Map featuring Oldenburg and adjacent territories in 1789, posted by Thomas Hoeckmann
Rheinbund Statistics of 1810, from Napoleon Online
Oldenburg Infantry, from warflag.com
REFERENCE Territorien-Ploetz : Geschichte der Deutschen Länder, Vol.1, Würzburg 1964, pp.378-379
Coins of Oldenburg, 1701-1800, in : Krause, Mishler Standard Catalog of World Coins : Eighteenth Century 1701-1800, 2nd ed., 1887, pp.431-432; pp.387-388 coins of Jever



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2000, last revised on November 12th 2004

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