The Imperial County of Rantzau (german: Reichsgrafschaft Rantzau) was an immediate state of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. Its territory is more or less congruent with the present ''Amt'' Rantzau. In 1649,

Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Frederick III of Holstein-Gottorp (22 December 1597 – 10 August 1659) was a Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. He was the elder son of Duke Johann Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp and Princess Augusta of Denmark. His mother was a daughter of King Fred ...

, sold his part of the Lordship of Pinneberg, which had formerly belonged to the County of Schauenburg, to Count Christian zu Rantzau (1614–1663), royal Danish governor 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 ...

. In 1650 or 1651, Rantzau became an immediate county and state of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1726, it was annexed by the Danish rulers, after Wilhelm Adolf, Count of Rantzau (1688-1734), had murdered his brothers and was imprisoned. Wilhelm Adolf died in 1734 and Rantzau was inherited by the

Duchy of Holstein The Duchy of Holstein (german: Herzogtum Holstein, da, Hertugdømmet Holsten) was the northernmost state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the present German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It originated when King Christian I of Denmark had hi ...

, which was reigned by the Danish kings and its secundogenitures.

Origin in the House of Holstein

References

External links

Map of the County of Rantzau in 1730
1650 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Counties of the Holy Roman Empire {{Germany-hist-stub