Date
5-22-2024
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Chair
Nathan Martin
Keywords
Germany, Denmark, Holy Roman Empire, Schleswig, Holstein, Nationalism, Pre-modern, Modern, Ancient, Europe, Bible, Martin Luther, Protestant Reformation, Christianity, Religion, Language, Germanic, Plattdeutsch, Conflicts, 19th Century, 18th Century, 17th Century, 16th Century, 15th Century, Dithmarschen, Frisian, Anglian, Jute, Saxon, Pagan, National Consciousness, National Sentiment, National Thought, Ideology, National Consciousness, Schleswig-Holstein Question, Treaty of Ribe, Bornhöved, Hemmingstedt, Gallehus, Vimose, Folklore, Beowulf, die Merseburger Zaubersprüche, Edda, Folktales, Grimm
Disciplines
History | Political Science
Recommended Citation
Ahlers, Christian Anthony, "The Perpetual Progression in the Schleswig-Holstein Duchy: History, Politics, and Religion, 1460-1864" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5598.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5598
Abstract
German nationalism in the Schleswig and Holstein duchies that predates the German Unification Wars of the Nineteenth Century continuously transformed in response to Danish encroachment, civic disputes regarding treaty legitimacy, and war. The Germans in the duchies fought to retain their ancestral homelands and, in doing so, embraced a pan-Germanic consciousness that is the foundation for early modern nationalism. This consciousness dates back hundreds of years. This case study examines the Germans of Schleswig and Holstein and their experiences with the consistent and pressing Danish encroachment. Despite the encroachment, the Germans remained connected with their culture, traditions, religion, and their respective national consciousness. This long-term struggle to maintain their identity and autonomy led to increased unity with themselves and other German states. Later, the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, modern nationalism spread, causing the “Denmark to the Eider” movement, igniting the nationalist sentiments from the Germans in the duchies and starting the 1848 Schleswig-Holstein Conflict. This dissertation draws from the nationalist approach to identify and define German nationalist sentiment in the duchies from cultural, religious, and political perspectives.
