Adolf IV (before 1205 – 8 July 1261), was a

Count of Schauenburg The Counts of Schauenburg and Holstein were titles of the Frankish Empire. The dynastic family came from the County of Schauenburg near Rinteln (district Schaumburg) on the Weser in Germany. Together with its ancestral possessions in Bückeburg a ...

(1225–1238) and of

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

(1227–1238), of the

House of Schaumburg The House of Schaumburg was a dynasty of German rulers. Until c. 1485, it was also known as the House of Schauenburg. Together with its ancestral possession, the County of Schaumburg, the family also ruled the County of Holstein and its partitions ...

. 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 Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

. On 22 July 1227 with his coalition army Adolf was victorious in the Battle of Bornhöved against King

Valdemar II of Denmark Valdemar (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious (), was the King of Denmark (being Valdemar II) from 1202 until his death in 1241. Background He was the second son of King Valdemar I of Denmark and Sophi ...

with his Danish army and German allies (the Welfs), and thus regained Holstein. In 1235 he founded

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

and in 1238

Itzehoe Itzehoe (; nds, Itzhoe) is a town in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As the capital of the district Steinburg, Itzehoe is located on the Stör, a navigable tributary of the Elbe, 51 km (31.7 mi) northwest of Hamburg and 24 ...

. In 1238 he took part in a crusade in

Livonia Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Ли ...

. In fulfilment of an oath taken during the heat of the Battle of Bornhöved, Adolf withdrew in 1238 to a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

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 Neustadt in Holstein (; Holsatian: ''Niestadt in Holsteen'') is a town in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, on the Bay of Lübeck 30 km northeast of Lübeck, and 50 km southeast of Kiel. History In World War I ...

. 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 Herman II, Lord of Lippe (1175 – 25 December 1229) was a ruling Lord of Lippe. Life Herman II was born in Lippe (now called Lippstadt), the eldest son of Lord Bernhard II and his wife, Heilwig, a daughter of Count Otto I Heilwig of Are-Ho ...

and by her had the following children: * Mechthild (1225–1288): she married firstly in 1237

Abel of Denmark Abel Valdemarsen (1218 – 29 June 1252) was Duke of Schleswig from 1232 to 1252 and King of Denmark from 1250 until his death in 1252. He was the son of Valdemar II by his second wife, Berengaria of Portugal, and brother to kings Eric IV and ...

Duke of Schleswig The following is a list of earl, jarls and dukes, who ruled over Schleswig respectively Southern Jutland (Sønderjylland). First jarls/dukes Houses of House of Estridsen, Estridsen and House of Schauenburg, Schauenburg (1080–1460) House of ...

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 Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, whi ...

, 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 John I, Count of Holstein-Kiel ( – 20 April 1263) was a member of the House of Schauenburg. He was Count of Holstein-Kiel from 1261 until his death. Life John was the eldest son of Count Adolf IV of Schauenburg and Holstein and his wife ...

(1229–1263) *

Gerhard I, Count of Holstein-Itzehoe Gerhard I, Count of Holstein-Itzehoe (1232 – 21 December 1290) was the only count of Holstein-Itzehoe. Life He was the second son of Count Adolf IV of Holstein and Heilwig of Lippe. When his father retired to a monastery in 1238, he rul ...

(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