Adolf IV (before 1205 – 8 July 1261), was a
Count of Schauenburg (1225–1238) and of
Holstein (1227–1238), of the
House of Schaumburg. Adolf was the eldest son of
Adolf III of Schauenburg and Holstein by his second wife, Adelheid of Querfurt.
Life
Adolf IV won several victories against the
Danes
Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural.
Danes generally regard t ...
. In 1225 he won the
Battle of Mölln
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
against
Albert II, Count of Weimar-Orlamünde. On 22 July 1227 with his coalition army Adolf was victorious in the
Battle of Bornhöved against King
Valdemar II of Denmark with his Danish army and German allies (the Welfs), and thus regained Holstein. In 1235 he founded
Kiel and in 1238
Itzehoe. In 1238 he took part in a crusade in
Livonia.
In fulfilment of an oath taken during the heat of the Battle of Bornhöved, Adolf withdrew in 1238 to a
Franciscan friary and in 1244 was ordained a priest in Rome (his two under-age sons passed into the guardianship of his son-in-law
Duke Abel of Schleswig). Also in 1244 he founded
Neustadt in Holstein. He died in 1261 in the Franciscan friary in Kiel, which he himself had founded, whereupon Holstein was divided between his sons John (of Holstein-Kiel) and Gerhard (of Holstein-Itzehoe).
Marriage and issue
He married
Heilwig of Lippe
Heilwig of Lippe, also known as ''Heilwig of Schaumburg'' ( – ) was a German noblewoman.
Life
She was a daughter of Lord Herman II of Lippe and his wife, Oda of Tecklenburg.
On 14 February 1246, she founded the Cistercian monastery in H ...
, daughter of
Herman II, Lord of Lippe and by her had the following children:
*
Mechthild (1225–1288): she married firstly in 1237
Abel of Denmark,
Duke of Schleswig and later
King of Denmark
The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe ...
(this marriage provided the basis for later claims by the Schauenburgers on the Duchy of Schleswig); and secondly
Birger Jarl, Regent of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
*
John I, Count of Holstein-Kiel (1229–1263)
*
Gerhard I, Count of Holstein-Itzehoe (1232–1290)
* Ludolf, d. in childhood
Sources
Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 1875, vol 1, p 108 (digital version de.wikisource): Adolf IV. (Graf von Holstein)
External links
*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20071001000257/http://www.genealogie-mittelalter.de/schauenburger_holstein_grafen_von/adolf_4_graf_von_holstein_wagrien_%2B_1261.html genealogie-mittelalter.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adolf 04 Of Holstein
1261 deaths
House of Schauenburg
Counts of Holstein
Year of birth uncertain
People from Itzehoe