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 ruled the

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

jointly with his elder brother

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

, initially under the guardianship of their brother-in-law the Duke

Abel Abel ( ''Hébel'', in pausa ''Hā́ḇel''; ''Hábel''; , ''Hābēl'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within the Abrahamic religions. Born as the second son of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created by God in Judaism, God, he ...

of Schleswig. When they came of age, the brothers took up government and continue their joint rule. In 1255, they concluded a trade agreement with

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

. When their father died in 1261, John and Gerhard divided Holstein. Gerhard took Holstein-Itzehoe, consisting of the districts of Stormarn,

Plön Plön (; ) is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 8,700 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, ...

and Schaumburg, with his residence in

Itzehoe Itzehoe (; ) is a town in Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. 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 km (14.9&nb ...

. John received

Holstein-Kiel The imperial county of Holstein-Kiel was a line of the counts of Schauenburg and Holstein, House of Schauenburg and Holstein from 1261 to 1390. History The County of Holstein was ruled until 1238 by Adolphus IV of Schauenburg and Holstein. When ...

, consisting of the districts

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

Wagria WagriaArnold, Benjamin (1991). ''Princes and territories in medieval Germany'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, p. 156. . (, ''Waierland'' or ''Wagerland'') is the northeastern part of Holstein in the German state of Schleswig- ...

and East Holstein, with his seat in

. John later won

Rendsburg Rendsburg (, also ''Rensborg'', , also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the Eider (river), River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Eckernfoerde, Rends ...

back from

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and traded it with Gerhard for

Segeberg Segeberg (; ) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the southwest and clockwise) the districts of Pinneberg, Steinburg and Rendsburg-Eckernförde, the city of Neumünster, the districts of Plön, Ostholstein and St ...

. Gerhard founded several villages, in order to develop Holstein and control the area. He also developed the County's administration. He fought ward with the

Archdiocese of Bremen The Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen () was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality (787–1566/1648) of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Church that after its definitive secularization in 1648 became the hereditary Bremen-Verden, Duchy of ...

, the City of

and the landed gentry in his county. In 1262, he won the Battle of the Loh Moor. In 1263, John died and Gerhard became regent of Kiel and Segeberg for John's sons. Gerhard I died in 1290. After his death, his sons subdivided Holstein-itzehoe into Holstein-Plön, Holstein-Pinneberg and Holstein-Rendsburg.

Seal

The inscription on his seal reads: S(IGILLUM)* GERARDI*COMITIS*HOLTSATIE*ET*DE*SCOWENB(O)RCH ("Seal of Count Gerhard of Holstein and Schauenburg").

Marriages and issue

He married around 1250 with Elizabeth (d. ), a daughter of

of Mecklenburg and had the following children with her: * Liutgard, ( – Aft. 1289), married: *# Duke

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

of Brunswick-Lüneburg *# Prince Albert I of Anhalt-Zerbst * John (1253 – ), Canon in Hamburg * Gerhard II (1254–1312), Count of Holstein-Plön * Adolph VI (1256–1315), Count of Holstein-Pinneberg and Schauenburg * Henry I (1258–1304), Count of Holstein-Rendsburg * Elisabeth (d. before 1284), married to Count Burchard of Wolpe * Albrert (1272–1281) * Bruno * Otto * Matilda, married to Count John of Wunstorf * Hedwig (before 1264 – ), married to King

Magnus III of Sweden Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

Around 1280, he married Adelaide (Alessia; – 1285), the widow of

Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Albert the Tall (, ; 1236 – 15 August 1279), a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg from 1252 and the first ruler of the newly created Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel from 1269 until his death. Life Albert was ...

, and a daughter of Marquess

Boniface II Pope Boniface II (; died 17 October 532) was the first Germanic Bishop of Rome. He ruled the Holy See from 22 September 530 until his death on 17 October 532. Boniface died of natural causes, likely an illness or old age. Early life Boniface ...

of Monferrat ( – 1253). This marriage remained childless.

Ancestors

References

* *

External links

*
Entry at genealogie-mittelalter.de
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerhard 01 Holstein Itzehoe People from Steinburg Counts of Holstein House of Schauenburg 1232 births 1290 deaths