DEUTSCHE VERSION     

From history:

  • 811: Treaty of peace between emperor Karl the Great and the Danish realm; the Eider river is determined as German-Danish border.
    The country north the Elbe river divides into "Gau Dithmarschen", "Gau Holstein" and Gau Stormarn, these countries now belong to the Frankish realm.
    Dithmarschen was first under the rule of the Count of Stade, then developed to a farmer republic.
    Gau Holstein and Gau Stormarn melt into County Holstein.

  • 936: Duke Hermann of Saxonia-Billung is assigned by emperor Otto I.   to save the border against Slawes. Duke Bernhard II and Duke Ordulf establish "Court castles" in main town Hamburg. Later they install counts as vasalles.

  • 1106: Duke Magnus of Saxonia-Billung dies. Lothar of Saxonia-Supplinburg becomes successor.

  • 1110: Gottfried of Hamburg, Count over Stormarn, is killed within an assault.

  • 1111: Duke Lothar of Saxonia-Supplinburg (1106 Duke, 1125 King, 1133-1137 German emperor) gives Count Adolf I von Schauenburg the county Holstein with Stormarn as a lend. At that time border of Stormarn was at the Stoer river.
    According to an old map the border is south the places Itzehoe, Kellinghusen, Sarlhusen and Neumuenster.
  • 1138: After decease of emperor Lothar the new emperor Konrad III. lends duchy Saxonia to "Albrecht the Bear." Adolf II., son of Adolf I, a followship man of the Welfen, loses County Holstein and at first in year 1142, after reconciliation of emperor Konrad with "Heinrich the Lion" he becomes a ruler again.
    In 1143 he additional becomes ruler over the landscape Wagrien, which was conquered in the meantime. He is rebuilding town Luebeck, which was burned down. During the battle against the Abodriten 1164 he died in Verchem in the near of Demmin.

  • 1188 - 1201: Son Adolf III. is rebuilding town Hamburg ca. 1188, about 1190 he went with emperor Barbarossa on crusade, turns victoriously home and then loses in 1201 a battle against the Danish at Soltau . The rule over Holstein turns to the Danish king.
    Adolf III returns home to County Schauenburg.

  • 1227: Son Adolf IV. wins back Holstein in the battle of Bornhoeved, he participates in the crusade to Livland and founds about 1235 Kiel and in 1238 Itzehoe.
    1238 Adolf IV. is a monk and in 1244 he becomes a priest. Guardian of his two sons under age becomes his son-in-law duke Abel of Schleswig. After Adolfs death in 1261, Holstein is divided between his sons Johann I (part Holstein-Kiel) and Gerhard (part Holstein-Itzehoe).

  • 1239: Gerhard I. of Schauenburg follows the resigned father under regency together with his brother Johann I, in 1261 he takes his part, County Holstein-Itzehoe with Stormarn, Ploen and homeland Schauenburg. In a well-planned manner he develops Poggenhagen, Altenhagen, Rolfshagen and other places. In 1255 he concludes a trade agreement with Luebeck and gives Rendsburg to get Segeberg. In 1262 he wins the battle "On the Lohheide", in 1263 he becomes ruler of Kiel and Segeberg.

  • 1290: Gerhard I. dies, his sons Gerhard II, Adolf VI and Heinrich I divides the County Holstein-Itzehoe into three counties Holstein-Ploen, Holstein-Pinneberg/Schauenburg and Holstein-Rendsburg.

  • 1322: Treaty of peace at Oldesloe. The Alster river becomes western border of County Stormarn.

  • 1326: Johann III. of Holstein-Ploen exchanges castle and Vogtei Arnesvelde for land in area Trittau and creates the administration of "Vogtei Trittau", which becomes base of later Amt Trittau .

  • 1460: When the Schauenburg count family died out (Pinneberg line with Adolf VIII. + 1370, Rendsburg line with Adolf XI. + 4.12.1459)
    in Riepen King Christian I. of Denmark becomes new ruler over Stormarn.
    In the Riepen liberty letter he commits himself and his inheriting that Schleswig and Holstein shall remain undivided eternally .

  • 1474 Emperor Friedrich III. raises County Holstein to Duchy Holstein and gives Christian I Gau Dithmarschen as a lend.

  • 1475: The property Tremsbuettel is sold by the Squire of Heest to the Duke of Saxonia-Lauenburg. For care and administration is a "Vogt" installed.
    From this developed the Amt Tremsbuettel with an "Amtmann" (office man) at the top.

  • 1490: Christian I. died in 1461 and after his son Friedrich is grown up, the country is divided among the sons Johann (also called "Hans") and Friedrich. This concerns only the income, the land is governed by both in common.
    Johann is King of Denmark and Duke of Holstein. His part is called "Royal Part", including castles and offices of Segeberg, Rendsburg, Flensburg, Apenrade, and the islands Alsen, Arroe and Fehmarn.
    Duke Friedrich gets the "Dukes Part", including places and offices Gottorf, Eiderstedt, Eckernförde, Stapelholm, Hadersleben und Tondern, Kiel, Ploen, Neumuenster, Oldenburg and Neustadt, Trittau, Steinburg and Itzehoe.

  • 1520: Christian II. king of Denmark, son of Johann, arranges a horrible blood bath in Stockholm, killing 80 aristocrats.
    Duke Friedrich in 1523 starts with an army to north to chase him away. In 1524 he is crowned for King of Denmark. So the division of the duchies has an end.

  • 1524: As thanks for the support the new king gives huge privileges to the knights and nobles of Schleswig-Holstein.
    They receive full jurisdiction over their inhabitants, freedom from taxes and a new "noble regional court".
    These privileges have extensive consequences for the farmers. The aristocrats may increase their yard fields to expense their own court. Farms and whole villages are "layed down", to establish dairy-farms etc. on their property. The farmers become more and more bondmen, can be punished any time and become hunted when escaping. Since 1614 the towns are in duty to give them back.

  • 1544: His son, Christian III of Denmark, again implements a division of Schleswig-Holstein, for himself and his both stepbrothers.
    There is a Gottorf Part for Adolf, for Johann the Older a Hadersleben Part and for Christian the Sonderburg ("Royal") Part.
    In use are 2 central administrations, for the Dukes possessions in Gottorf, for the Royal ones in Copenhagen ("German Kanzlei").
    1529 the dissolved monastery Reinbek falls by heritage to the duke. So Amt Reinbek develops.
    This is similar to the monastery in Reinfeld, which is dissolved in 1582. Here Amt Reinfeld develops.


  • 1564: King Friedrich II. of Denmark divides his part with his brother Johann the Younger. The knights don't see him as a ruler, he is only a "parted gentleman".

  • 1581: Johann the Older died, his part gets dissolved. Since then there are only 2 "governing gentlemen".

  • 1622: Johann the Younger died, his part gets divided among his 5 sons.

  • 1625: No one can say it is still a common government. The Danish king decides against the will of the Duke of Gettorf to intervene in the 30-year war. After his defeat and his retreat first imperial troops, then Swedish troops invade Stormarn.

  • 1671: To the former manor Rethwisch the villages Benstaben, Meddewade, Klein-Schenkenberg und Klein-Wesenberg are added. The area gets called Amt Rethwisch.

  • 1761: The king of Denmark gets possession of the Duchy of Ploen by a hereditary contract. The administrations Amt Reinfeld and Amt Rethwisch fall to Denmark.

  • 1773: After an exchange contract the Gottorf Part with Amt Trittau, Amt Reinbek and Amt Tremsbuettel fall to Denmark.
    Denmark leaves the counties Oldenburg and Delmenhorst to the younger Gottorf line. The Counties are raised to a Duchy in 1777.
    The division of Holstein is mostly eliminated now, both Duchies are under the same ruler, the King of Denmark.

  • 1805: The very last bondmen become free farmers.

  • 1823: The comprehensive agrar reform ("Verkoppelung"), which is accomplished since 1768, is now final.

  • 1830 - 1864: Revolts and wars shake the country. 1852 the Danish king in the "London Contract" comes to arrangements with Prussia and Austria, but he does not observe them.

  • 1864: After combatless occupation of the duchies Holstein and Schleswig by Prussian and Austrian troops and the fight of the "Dueppeler Schanzen", the Danish king renounces in the "Peace of Vienna" both duchies in favor to Austria and Prussia.

  • 1866: In the "Prague peace contract" the emperor of Austria gives his rights over the duchies Schleswig and Holstein to the king of Prussia.

  • 1867: After connection of Schleswig-Holstein to Prussia the offices Tremsbuettel, Trittau, Reinbek, Reinfeld and Rethwisch become
    Stormarn County.

  • 1873: Wandsbek becomes main town of Stormarn.

  • 1927: By the "law of Unterelbegebiet" the villages Jenfeld, Tonndorf and Tonndorf-Lohe fall to Wandsbek. (see 1937)
    Greater-Rahlstedt is formed of Old-Rahlstedt, New-Rahlstedt, Oldenfelde and Meiendorf. (see 1937)

  • 1928: Manors are dissolved by law.

  • 1937: By the law of Greater-Hamburg Stormarn loses about 50% of inhabitants in 12 communities in Hamburg surrounding.
    Now belongs to Hamburg:
    Bergstedt, Bramfeld, Duvenstedt, Lemsahl-Mellingstedt, Poppenbuettel, Sasel, Wellingsbuettel (church Bergstedt),
    Hummelsbuettel, Steilshoop (church Hamburg-Eppendorf), Rahlstedt (church Rahlstedt),
    Billstedt and Lohbruegge (church Steinbek). The former hamburgian communities Groß-Hansdorf and Schmalenbek fall to Stormarn.
    Also the city of Wandsbek (church Wandsbek) fall to Hamburg.

  • 1943: The district administration in Wandsbek is completely destroyed by bombs.

  • 1949: Main Town of Stormarn is now Bad Oldesloe.

  • 1970: The Stormarn communities Glashuette and Harksheide as well as the Pinneberg communities Garstedt and Friedrichsgabe are united to town Norderstedt and falls to Segeberg County.

  • 1972: Queen Margarethe of Denmark officially gives up the title to rule County Stormarn.
Sources:
Stammtafeln, Europäische Herrscher- und Fürstenhäuser, Hermann Grote, 1877 (Reprint), S.42
Auszug aus der Geschichte, Dr. Karl Ploetz, 1960
Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Alexander Scharff, 1966
Das Stormarn Lexikon, Hrsg. Barbara Günther, 2003
www.genealogie-mittelalter.de
www.familienforschung-rehder.de
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holstein
www.kreis-stormarn.de
www.sh-lotse.de
www.genealogy-sh.de
and others.

Area: 766.31 km²
Inhabitants: 1864: 59954,    1875: 67099,    1880: 70194,    2002: 220410


Census from Dec. 1, 1875 :
Town Wandsbek : 13531
Town Oldesloe : 4303
Small-town Reinfeld : 1028
Land communities total : 43891
Manors total 4346
Stormarn County: 67099 persons


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