Henry III, Count of Schauenburg-Holstein (d. February 1421 in
Bordesholm
Bordesholm is a municipality in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany in the district Rendsburg-Eckernförde. ''Bordesholm'' is also the name of a former historical district of the Kingdom of Prussia and Weimar Republic for which it was the district capital ...
) was
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
of
Osnabrück
Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...
as Henry I from 1402 to 1410, and also
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
of
Holstein-Rendsburg
Holstein-Rendsburg is the name of a county that existed from 1290 to 1459, ruled by a line of the Schauenburg family.
Rise and fall of the county
The Schauenburgs had ruled in Holstein since 1110/1111. In 1290, when Count Gerhard I of Holstei ...
from 1404 until his death.
He was the youngest son of Henry II and his second wife Ingeborg of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Life
As a youngest son he was destined for a church career and became a
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...
in Osnabrück. After the death of Bishop Dietrich in 1403, Henry was appointed as his successor. But then, both of his older brothers died young: Albert II fell off his horse in a battle against
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 ...
in 1403 and Gerhard VI fell in the Battle on the Hamme. This left Henry III as his father's only surviving son, so he declared himself the heir, not only of Holstein-Rendsburg, but also of the
Duchy 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 ( ...
, which had been given as a hereditary
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...
to Gerhard VI in 1386. Queen
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I ( da, Margrete Valdemarsdatter; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was ruler of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian k ...
and her successor, King
Eric I of Denmark
Eric I ( – 10 July 1103), also known as Eric the Good ( da, Erik Ejegod), was King of Denmark following his brother Olaf I of Denmark, Olaf I Hunger in 1095. He was a son of Sweyn II of Denmark, Sweyn II. His mother's identity is unknown. He ...
objected. They saw this as an opportunity to bind Schleswig more strongly to Denmark.
Eric I invited Henry III and other nobility to
Kolding
Kolding () is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companies, ...
. Henry was then lured to Hindsgavl on
Fyn
Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...
island, where he was arrested. For his release, he had to pay and he had to pledge
Flensburg
Flensburg (; Danish, Low Saxon: ''Flensborg''; North Frisian: ''Flansborj''; South Jutlandic: ''Flensborre'') is an independent town (''kreisfreie Stadt'') in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the ...
to Denmark for a year. Eric accepted the transfer of Flensburg, but not Henry's money. This led to a war between Holstein-Rendsburg and Denmark. On 13 July 1409, Eric made an alliance with Ditmarsh. On 12 August 1410, armies from Holstein-Rendsburg and Denmark fought a battle in moorland near
Sollerup
Sollerup is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...
in the district of Eggebek. Holstein-Rendsburg won, and the Danish army leader Mogens Munk fell in battle. On 26 March 1411, a compromise was negotiated in Kolding.
Margaret I died in October 1412 and the nobility from Holstein refused to return the territories they'd occupied in 1410, as had been agreed in the compromise of 1411. Eric I took the case to a feudal court in
Nyborg
Nyborg is a city in central Denmark, located in Nyborg Municipality on the island of Funen and with a population of 17,525 (2022). It is the easternmost settlement on Funen. By road, it is located 34 km east of Odense, 35 km north of ...
, which ruled on 29 July 1413 that Henry III had forfeited his duchy. Danish troops then occupied Schleswig. Henry made an alliance with the city of
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, which did not want a powerful neighbour.
In 1419, Danish troops conquered
Fehmarn
Fehmarn (, da, Femern; from Old Wagrian Slavic "''Fe More''", meaning "''In the Sea''") is an island in the Baltic Sea, off the eastern coast of Germany's northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is Germany's third-largest island, after Rüg ...
and looted it. Holstein-Rendsburg counterattacked and was victorious in the battle of Immerwad, near