Gerhard II of the Schauenburger dynasty, count of Holstein and Holland, Roman king, later also king of Denmark and the Netherlands, count of Flanders and Holy Roman Emperor, was the son of Gerhard I and his wife. In 1406, his father was murdered by a Danish nobleman, who hated the all-powerful Germans. This didn't diminish their dynasty's influence in Denmark, however. Thanks to the fact that he had inherited the rich Holland, he was easily elected new Roman king, and also managed to hold his fief Jutland.
After the death of famous king Harald IV in 1417, his brother governed Denmark until his nephew Erik VIII would come of age. Now however, Gerhard conspired with the regent's younger brother, eventually taking power in Denmark for himself.
In 1418, he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. One year later, he also managed to make the pope creating the new kingdom of the Netherlands (which included Holland, Zeeland, Hennegau/Hainaut and Utrecht at that time).
He participated on the side of Richard III in the Second Aquitainian War; however, in 1421, France made a separate peace with him, giving him Flanders, which was incorporated into the Netherlands.
He fathered two surviving sons, Gerhard and Heinrich; the former would succeed him after his death in 1430 as Dutch king and Roman king, the latter in Denmark and Holstein. This division would lead to some trouble in Atlantis. The Hanseatic League also saw more internal competition since then: The cities in Holstein competed with the Dutch and Flemish cities, and the cities in the Baltic (and also those in OTL Hanover) stood aside a bit.
| Predecessor: | Gerhard II Schauenburg (Chaos) | Successor: |
|---|---|---|
| Gerhard I | Gerhard II Roman king of the HRE |
Gerhard III |
| " |
Count of Holstein |
Heinrich III |
| Erik VIII | Gert I |
Henrik III |
| (County of Holland elevated to Dutch kingdom) | Geeraard I King of the Netherlands |
Geeraard II |
| Karel |
Count of Flanders |
" |