Editing Christian III of Denmark (section)

=== Partition of Holstein and Schleswig ===
Until this peace, Christian III also ruled the entire Duchies of Holstein and of Schleswig in the name of his then still minor half-brothers [[John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev|John ''the Elder'']] (''Hans den Ældre'') and [[Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp|Adolf]]. They determined their youngest brother [[Frederick of Denmark (bishop)|Frederick]] for a career as [[Diocesan administrator#Administrators of prince-bishoprics|Diocesan  administrator]] of an ecclesiastical state within the [[Holy Roman Empire]].<ref>In 1551 Frederick became administrator of the [[Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim]], comprising ecclesiastical and secular power, however lacking secular power Bishop of Schleswig with the pertaining revenues from episcopal estates.</ref>

In 1544 the elder three brothers partitioned Holstein (a fief of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]) and Schleswig (a Danish fief). Following negotiations between the brothers and the [[Estates of the Realm]] of the duchies, the revenues of the duchies were divided into three equal shares by assigning the revenues of particular areas and [[estate (land)|landed estates]] to each of the three brothers, while other general revenues, such as taxes from towns and customs dues, were levied together but then shared among the brothers. The estates, whose revenues were assigned to the parties, made Holstein and Schleswig look like patchworks, technically inhibiting the emergence of separate new duchies.<ref>Cf. Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen, "Die dänischen Könige als Herzöge von Schleswig und Holstein", Frauke Witte and Marion Hartwig (trls.), in: ''Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg'' [De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 73-109, here pp. 87seq. {{ISBN|978-3-529-02606-5}}</ref>