Anton-Günther, Duke of Oldenburg (''Anton-Günther Friedrich August Wilhelm Josias von Holstein-Gottorp, Erbgroßherzog von Oldenburg, Prinz von Lübeck''; 16 January 1923 – 20 September 2014) was the head of the

Grand Ducal Family The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg constitutes the House of Luxembourg-Nassau, headed by the sovereign Grand Duke, and in which the throne of the grand duchy is hereditary. It consists of heirs and descendants of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, w ...

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

Life

He was born in

Lensahn Lensahn is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately 9 km south of Oldenburg in Holstein, and 40 km northeast of Lübeck. Lensahn is the seat of the ''Amt (subnational en ...

the son of Hereditary Grand Duke Nikolaus of Oldenburg (1897–1970) and his first wife

Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont (later Duchess of Albany; 17 February 1861 – 1 September 1922) was a member of the British royal family by marriage. She was the fifth daughter and child of George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, ...

(1899–1948). Duke Anton-Günther was a grandson of Frederick Augustus II, the last Grand Duke of

, and through his mother a grandson of

Friedrich Friedrich may refer to: Names * Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' * Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' Other * Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Year ...

, the last Prince of

Waldeck and Pyrmont The County of Waldeck (later the Principality of Waldeck and Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire and its successors from the late 12th century until 1929. In 1349 the county gained Imperial immediacy and in 1 ...

. He studied for a

Diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

Forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

and succeeded as head of the Grand Ducal Family of Oldenburg upon the death of his father, the Hereditary Grand Duke, on 3 April 1970. He died in September 2014 aged 91. The ancestral home of the House of Oldenburg is

Oldenburg castle Schloss Oldenburg (Oldenburg palace) is a schloss, or palace, in the city of Oldenburg in the present-day state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the former residence of the counts (1667–1785), dukes (1785–1815) and grand dukes (1815–1918) ...

, nowadays a museum owned by the state. Private seats of the Duke of Oldenburg are Rastede Palace near Oldenburg and Güldenstein Manor, Harmsdorf, in Schleswig-Holstein.

Eutin Castle Eutin Castle (german: Eutiner Schloss) in Eutin in the north German district of Ostholstein is the cultural centre and nucleus of the town. Taken together, this castle, Gottorf Castle and Glücksburg Castle, form the most important group of cou ...

in Schleswig-Holstein is a museum owned by a family foundation set up by Duke Anton-Günther. According to his obituary issued by the family his ancestral titles (however not all part of his official German surname) were: ''HRH The Duke of Oldenburg, Heir in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, Duke of

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...

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 ...

, Stormarn,

Dithmarschen Dithmarschen (, Northern Low Saxon, Low Saxon: ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; da, Ditmarsken; la, label=Medieval Latin, Tedmarsgo) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of ...

and

, Prince of Lübeck and

Birkenfeld Birkenfeld () is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde''. The town itself has approximately 7,000 inhabitants. Geography ...

, Lord of

Jever Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer, Jever Pilsener, which is produced there. The city is also a popular holiday resort. Jever was granted c ...

and Knyphausen''.

Marriage and children

Duke Anton-Günther was married to

Princess Ameli of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg , house = Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg , father =Udo, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg , mother =Countess Margarete of Castell-Castell , birth_date = , birth_place =Frankfurt am Main, Weimar Republic , ...

(1923-2016) at

Kreuzwertheim Kreuzwertheim () is a market town in the Main-Spessart district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany and the seat of the ''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' (municipal association) of Kreuzwertheim. It ha ...

on 7 August 1951. They have two children: *Duchess ''Helene'' Elisabeth Bathildis Margarete of Oldenburg (born 3 August 1953 in

Rastede Rastede (Low German: ''Raastäe/Raas'') is a municipality in the Ammerland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 12 km north of Oldenburg. It is the site of the Schloss Rastede. The Rastede railway station is loc ...

), unmarried * Duke ''Christian'' Nikolaus Udo Peter of Oldenburg (born 1 February 1955 in

), married to Countess Caroline zu Rantzau and has issue The Duke and the Duchess lived at Güldenstein Manor, Harmsdorf, Schleswig Holstein. The Duke also owned

and

Rastede Castle Rastede Palace (German: ''Schloss Rastede'') is a country estate at Rastede near Oldenburg, Germany. The town of Rastede is about 12km (7,4 miles) north of Oldenburg. In the Middle Ages Rastede was the house monastery of the House of Oldenburg. ...

. File:Gueldenstein Hof-2.JPG, Güldenstein Manor, Harmsdorf File:Eutin Schloss 1.jpg,

File:Schloss Rastede.jpg,

Ancestry

References

* 1923 births 2014 deaths People from Ostholstein Dukes of Oldenburg Pretenders Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Burials at the Ducal Mausoleum, Gertrudenfriedhof (Oldenburg) {{Germany-royal-stub

Life

Marriage and children

Ancestry

See also

References