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Schaumburg-Lippe 1815-1935 (Germany)

Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe 1815-1918, Fürstentum Schaumburg-Lippe

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by Zeljko Heimer and Marcus Schmöger

Introduction
Civil and State Flag c.1880-1935 (Landesflagge)
Civil and State Flag until c.1880 (Landesflagge)
Princely Standards until 1918 (Fürstenstandarten)

See also:

Principality of Lippe 1815-1918 (Fürstentum Lippe)
Current Use of Former States Flags (Lower Saxony / Niedersachsen, Germany)
Historical Flags (Lower Saxony / Niedersachsen, Germany)
Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen, Germany)
Germany

Other sites:

Questions and Answers about Schaumburg-Lippe (German text only) at the Universität Hannover Historisches Seminar
Map of the Partition of the County of Schaumburg 1647 (between Schaumburg-Lippe, Hesse and Brunswick) at the same website

Introduction

From this Genealogy.net webpage:

Schaumburg-Lippe is a historical German state that lay between the Weser and Leine rivers (without touching either), and was bounded on the south by the Weser mountains and crossed in the north by the Rehburger mountains (...), with an area of 340 square kilometers. Its population in 1933 was ca. 50,000.
Schaumburg-Lippe was one of the smallest German states until the end of World War II. It was formed after the 30 Years War, when Graf [Count] Otto V of Schaumburg died without issue. The older and larger Grafschaft Schaumburg went to his mother, Gräfin [Countess] Elisabeth as the only legal heir, who in 1643 transferred her rights to her brother, Graf Philipp zur Lippe-Alverdissen, with whom she ruled as coregent until her death in 1646. (...) Finally in 1647, after many territorial demands made by neighboring states, the Landgraf von Hessen and Graf Phillip zur Lippe-Alverdissen decided to divide the Grafschaft Schaumburg. (...) The remaining area (...) formed the new Grafschaft Schaumburg-Lippe. (...) This division was codified in the Peace of Münster.
The rulers of Schaumburg-Lippe had their seat and the family still has their residence at the Schloß Bückeburg. They also have or had manors or properties at [several palaces, among them] the Palais Schaumburg in Bonn (from 1891-1939; it was later the official residence and office of the German chancellor from 1949 to 1976).
Schaumburg-Lippe was originally a county (Grafschaft), but to protect its independence it joined the Confederation of the Rhine (Rheinbund) on 18 April 1807 and thereupon became a principality (Fürstentum). (...) It joined the German Confederation (Deutscher Bund) in 1815 (...). In November 1837, Schaumburg-Lippe joined the fiscal union of the northeastern German states (Steuerverein). In 1845, Schaumburg-Lippe joined Prussia, Hannover, and the Electorate of Hessen in building a rail line from Hannover to Minden. In 1854, Schaumburg-Lippe joined the German-Austrian Postal Union (Postverein) and the Prussian Customs Union (Zollverein). In 1866, Schaumburg-Lippe joined Prussia in a military treaty, and in 1867 in military union, whereafter the Schaumburgers served in the Prussian military. In 1867, Schaumburg-Lippe became a member of the North German Confederation (Norddeutscher Bund). In 1871, Schaumburg-Lippe participated in the unification of Germany.
After World War I, the constitution of the Weimar Republic required that the rule of the prince give way, so he renounced the throne on 15 November 1918. A temporary constitution was drawn in 1919, and a final, republican and democratic one in 1922. Schaumburg-Lippe became a republic (Freistaat), headed by a state president since 1933. This democratic government was later suppressed during Nazi rule. After World War II, the British military occupation government order number 55 of 1 November 1946 decreed the union of Schaumburg-Lippe, Hannover, Braunschweig [Brunswick], and Oldenburg to form the new state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen). The former principality of Schaumburg-Lippe then constituted the Kreis Schaumburg-Lippe, until the Kreisreform of 1 August 1977, when it joined with the Kreis Grafschaft Schaumburg to form the current Landkreis Schaumburg.

Santiago Dotor, 7 June 2002

Civil and State Flag c.1880-1935

Landesflagge

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by Zeljko Heimer and Marcus Schmöger

A horizontal tricolor white-red-blue. In use until 1935.

Norman Martin, April 1998

The national flag (Landesflagge) was white-red-blue without emblems from c.1880 — before white-green, yellow and red, red and yellow and blue-red-white flags were used. The flag was never officially adopted until 1922.

Mario Fabretto, 27 August 1998

The flag is still used and official in Lower Saxony.

Pascal Vagnat, 22 April 1998

Civil and State Flag until c.1880

Landesflagge

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by Santiago Dotor

Siebmacher 1878 shows for Schaumburg-Lippe a yellow over red Landesflagge. (...) Neither Ströhl 1897 nor Siebmacher 1878 give any information about dates. Ströhl 1897 says that the red and yellow come from the colours of the Lippian rose — which was used in the arms of both principalities, Lippe-Detmold and Schaumburg-Lippe, parted in 1613. According to Neubecker 1939a the Schaumburg-Lippe military used a white-red-blue flag in 1814.

Theo van der Zalm, 22-25 June 2001