Schaumburg-Lippe, also Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807, a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, located in the present day state of
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
, with its capital at
Bückeburg
Bückeburg (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Population: 21,0 ...
and an area of 340 km² (131 sq. mi.) and over 40,000 inhabitants.
History
Schaumburg-Lippe was formed as a county in 1647 through the division of the
County of Schaumburg by treaties between the
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
, the
Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...
and the Count of
Lippe
Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe.
The d ...
. The division occurred because Count Otto V of Holstein-Schaumburg had died in 1640 leaving no male heir. Initially Schaumburg-Lippe's position was somewhat precarious: it had to share a wide variety of institutions and facilities with the County of Schaumburg (which belonged to Hesse-Kassel), including the representative assembly and the highly productive
Bückeberg
The Bückeberg (; also the Bückeberge) is a small hill range, up to high, in the Calenberg Uplands between the Harrl and the Deister in central Germany, and is often considered part of the Weser Uplands. It lies in the district of Schaumbur ...
mines, and the
Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...
retained some feudal rights over it. It was further threatened by the headstrong policies of ruling
Count Friedrich Christian. To counter these threats, Friedrich's grandson
Count Wilhelm (who reigned 1748–1777) retained a standing army of up to 1000 troops – quite a lot for such a small territory.
With Wilhelm's death in 1777, the junior
Schaumburg-Lippe-Alverdissen inherited the County, thereby reuniting Schaumburg-Lippe with Lippe-Alverdissen.
![Kleinstaaterei 1834](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Kleinstaaterei_1834.jpg)
Schaumburg-Lippe was a county until 1807 when it became a principality; from 1871 it was a state within the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
. In 1913, it was the smallest state in the German Empire in terms of population. The capital was
Bückeburg
Bückeburg (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Population: 21,0 ...
, and
Stadthagen
Stadthagen () is the capital of the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km east of Minden and 40 km west of Hanover. The city consists of the districts Brandenburg, Enzen-Hobbensen, Hörkamp-L ...
was the only other town. Under the constitution of 1868, there was a legislative diet of 15 members, 10 elected by the towns and rural districts and 1 each by the nobility, clergy and educated classes, the remaining 2 nominated by the prince. Schaumburg-Lippe sent one member to the
Bundesrat (federal council) and one deputy to the
Reichstag.
It lasted until
the end of the German monarchies in 1918, when it became a
free state as the
Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe
The Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe (german: link=no, Freistaat Schaumburg-Lippe) was created following the abdication of Prince Adolf II of Schaumburg-Lippe on 15 November 1918. It was a state in Germany during the Weimar Republic, headed by a ...
. In November 1918, Prince Adolf was the second last reigning German monarch to abdicate.
His brother,
Wolrad, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
Ernst Wolrad, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (19 April 1887 – 15 June 1962) was a head of the Princely House of Schaumburg-Lippe.
Biography
He was born at Stadthagen, the fourth son of Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and his wife, Princess Marie ...
, became the Head of the Princely House in 1936 and he is the grandfather of the current Head,
Alexander, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
Alexander, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (Ernst August Alexander Christian Viktor Hubert; born 25 December 1958) is the head of the House of Schaumburg-Lippe, which ruled the sovereign principality of the same name within the German Empire until 1918 ...
(b.1958).
Rulers of Schaumburg-Lippe
See also
*
List of consorts of Lippe
Countess of Lippe
House of Lippe, 1528–1613
Countess of Lippe-Detmold
House of Lippe, 1613–1789
Countess of Lippe-Alverdissen
House of Lippe, 1613–1640 and 1681–1777
Countess of Lippe-Brake
House of Lippe, 161 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schaumburg-Lippe, Principality of
States and territories disestablished in 1918
States and territories established in 1643
States of the Confederation of the Rhine
States of the German Confederation
States of the North German Confederation
States of the German Empire
Former states and territories of Lower Saxony
1643 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
Principalities of the Holy Roman Empire