John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev
| John II | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev | |
| Reign | 1544–1580 |
| Born |
21 June 1521 Haderslev |
| Died | 1 October 1580 (aged 59) Hansborg Castle, Haderslev |
| Burial | February 1581 Schleswig Cathedral |
| House | Oldenburg |
| Father | Frederick I of Denmark |
| Mother | Sophie of Pomerania |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
John the Elder (German: Johann der Ältere or Hans der Ältere; Danish: Hans den Ældre; born: 29 June 1521 in Haderslev; died: 1 October 1580 at Hansborg Castle, Haderslev) was the only Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev. The predicate the Elder is sometimes used to distinguish him from his nephew John the Younger, who held Sønderborg from 1564 as a partitioned-off duke. As a co-ruler in the duchies of Holstein and of Schleswig John the Elder is numbered Duke John II, continuing counting John of Denmark as Duke John I of Holstein and of Schleswig.
John was the son of King Frederick I of Denmark and his second wife Sophie of Pomerania. As a possible heir to the throne, he enjoyed a careful education and spent several years at the court of his brother-in-law Albert in Königsberg. This was in Lutheran Ducal Prussia, a Polish fief, modernized into a secular state from the Teutonic State of Prussia since 1525. This successful policy would be seminal for John's understanding of politics and the state, as he also never became a fully sovereign prince.
From 1544, he ruled the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein jointly with his brother Adolf and his half-brother King Christian III of Denmark. He ruled from Haderslev Castle and later built Hansborg Castle in his hometown, a magnificent Renaissance castle, situated east of the city.
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