County of Rantzau

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Imperial County of Rantzau Reichsgrafschaft Rantzau
1650–1864
Coat of arms
Status	Imperial county
Capital	Barmstedt
History
• Established	1650
• Acquired by Denmark-Norway	9 April 1726
• Mediatised to Prussia	1864
Preceded by Succeeded by Holstein-Gottorp Kingdom of Prussia

The Imperial County of Rantzau (German: Reichsgrafschaft Rantzau) was an immediate state of the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from 1650 to 1864. Its territory is more or less congruent with the present Amt Rantzau.

In 1649, Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, sold his part of the Lordship of Pinneberg, which had formerly belonged to the County of Schauenburg, to Count Christian zu Rantzau [de] (1614–1663), royal Danish governor of Holstein. In 1650 or 1651, Rantzau became an immediate county and state of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1726, it was annexed by the Danish rulers, after Wilhelm Adolf, Count of Rantzau [de] (1688-1734), had murdered his brothers and was imprisoned. Wilhelm Adolf died in 1734 and Rantzau was inherited by the Duchy of Holstein, which was reigned by the Danish kings and its secundogenitures.

• Köbler, G. (2007). Historisches Lexikon der deutschen Länder (7th ed.). C.H.Beck. p. 549. ISBN 978-3-406-54986-1.

• Map of the County of Rantzau in 1730

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