Henry III, Count of Schauenburg-Holstein (d. February 1421 in Bordesholm) was
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of
Osnabrück
Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. 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 of 168 ...
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 from 1404 until his death.
He was the youngest son of
Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
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 denominations, such as the Cathol ...
in Osnabrück. After the death of Bishop
Dietrich
Dietrich () is an ancient German name meaning "ruler of the people", but also "keeper of the keys" or "lockpick" (either the tool or the profession).
Given name
* Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg (c. 1398–1440)
* Thierry of Alsace (; 1099–1168), ...
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 (, ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; ; ) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, and Steinburg, by the ...
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 (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been div ...
, which had been given as a hereditary
fief
A fief (; ) 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 overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
to Gerhard VI in 1386. Queen
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I (; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was Queen regnant 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 kingdoms together for ...
and her successor, King
Eric I of Denmark
Eric I ( – 10 July 1103), also known as Eric the Good or Eric Evergood (), was King of Denmark following his brother Olaf I Hunger in 1095. He was a son of Sweyn II. His mother's identity remains unknown. He married Boedil Thurgotsdatter.
...
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 Denmark, Danish seaport city 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 industria ...
. Henry was then lured to Hindsgavl on
Fyn
Proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Fyn (p59-FYN, Slk, Syn, MGC45350, Gene ID 2534) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''FYN'' gene.
Fyn is a 59-kDa member of the Src family of kinases typically associated with T-cell and neurona ...
island, where he was arrested. For his release, he had to pay and he had to pledge
Flensburg
Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein.
Flensburg's ...
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 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 17,990 (2025). 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
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
, which did not want a powerful neighbour.
In 1419, Danish troops conquered
Fehmarn
Fehmarn (; ; from Old Wagrian Slavic languages, 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, afte ...
and looted it. Holstein-Rendsburg counterattacked and was victorious in the battle of Immerwad, near