Schleswig-Holstein /The northernmost of the sixteen states of
Germany
A liberal constitution for
Holstein was not seriously considered in
Copenhagen, since it was a well-known fact that the political élite of Holstein had been far more conservative than Copenhagen's. This proved to be true, as the politicians of Holstein demanded that the
Constitution of Denmark be scrapped — not only in
Schleswig but also in
Denmark. They also demanded that Schleswig immediately follow Holstein and become a member of the
German Confederation, and eventually a part of the new united Germany. These demands were rejected and in
1848 the
Germans of Holstein and
Southern Schleswig rebelled. This was the beginning of the
First War of Schleswig (184851) which ended in a
Danish victory at Idstedt.
Elements of this period were fictionalized in
Royal Flash, the second of
George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman novels.
In 1863 conflict broke out again as
King Frederick VII of Denmark died leaving no heir. According to the line of succession of Denmark and Schleswig, the crowns of both Denmark and Schleswig would now pass to
Duke Christian of Glücksburg (the future
King Christian IX); the crown of Holstein was considered to be more problematic. This decision was challenged by a rival pro-German branch of the
Danish royal family, the
House of Augustenburg (Danish: Augustenborg) who demanded, as in 1848, the crowns of both Schleswig and Holstein. The passing of a common constitution for Denmark and Schleswig in November 1863 then gave
Otto von Bismarck a chance to intervene and
Prussia and
Austria declared war on Denmark. This was the
Second War of Schleswig which ended in a Danish defeat.
British attempts to mediate failed, and Denmark lost Schleswig (
Northern and Southern Schleswig), Holstein, and
Lauenburg to Prussia and Austria.
Following the
Austro-Prussian War of 1866, section five of the
Peace of Prague stated that the people in northern Schleswig should be granted the right to a referendum on whether they would remain under Prussian rule or return to Danish rule. This promise was never fulfilled by Prussia.
Following the defeat of
Germany in World War I, the
Allied powers arranged a referendum in northern and central Schleswig. In northern Schleswig (
10 February 1920) 75% voted for reunification with Denmark and 25% voted for Germany. In central Schleswig (14
March 1920) the results were reversed; 80% voted for Germany and just 20% for Denmark, primarily in
Flensburg. No vote ever took place in the southern third of Schleswig, although it was planned. For the referendum under authority of an international commission (
CIS,
Commission Internationale de
Surveillance du Plébiscite Slesvig) two (primarily three) election-zones were created. Primarily three zones were planned,
Zone III should involve the rest of Southern Schleswig.
On 15 June 1920, northern Schleswig officially returned to Danish rule. The Danish/
German border was the only one of the borders imposed on Germany by the
Treaty of Versailles after
World War I which was never challenged by
Adolf Hitler.
In
1937 the Nazis passed the so-called
Greater Hamburg Act (Groß-Hamburg-Gesetz), where the nearby
Free and
Hanseatic City of
Hamburg was expanded, to encompass towns that had formally belonged to the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein. To compensate Prussia for these losses (and partly because
Hitler had a personal dislike for
Lübeck), the 711-year-long independence of the
Hansestadt Lübeck came to an end, and almost all its territory was incorporated into Schleswig-Holstein.After the
Second World War, the Prussian province Schleswig-Holstein came under
British occupation. On August 23, 1946, the
Military Government abolished the province and reconstituted it as a separate
Land.
Symbols/The coat of arms shows the symbols of the two duchies united in Schleswig-Holstein, i.e., the two lions for Schleswig and the leaf of a nettle for Holstein. Supposedly, Otto von Bismarck decreed that the two lions were to face the nettle because of the discomfort to their bottoms which would have resulted if the lions faced away from it.The motto of Schleswig-Holstein is "Up ewich ungedeelt" (
Middle Low German: "
Forever undivided", modern
High German: "Auf ewig ungeteilt"). It goes back to the Vertrag von
Ripen or Handfeste von Ripen (Danish:
Ribe Håndfæstning) or
Treaty of Ribe in 1460. Ripen (Ribe) is a historical small town at the
North Sea coast in
Northern Schleswig. See
History of Schleswig-Holstein.The anthem is usually referred to with its first line "Schleswig-Holstein meerumschlungen" (i.e., "Schleswig-Holstein embraced by the seas") from
1844.
- published: 08 May 2010
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