Perfect liberty of conscience was guaranteed by the constitution of 1849.. The Lutheran is the predominant church, upwards of :100,000 of the population belonging to that denomination; while about 70,000 persons profess the Roman Catholic religion.
There are two gymnasia, one higher provincial college, several secondary, and 500 elementary schools; but in consequence of the scarcity of villages in the duchy, and the isolated position of many of the housei of the pedantry, schools are not common in the country districts, and the standard of education of the lower classes is, from these causes, scarcely equal to that existing in other parts of northern Germany. The military forces of Oldenburg—above 2,000 men on the peace footing—form a portion of the Prussian army. The merchant navy in 1875 consisted of 361 vessels of 53,167 tons. Oldenburg is represented in the bundesrath or federal council of the German empire by one member, and in the reichstag or diet by 3 members.
Fistary.—The territory now included in the a-rand-duchy- of Oldenburg, was in ancient times occupied by the Teutonic race of the Chauci, who were subsequently merged with the more generally known Frisii. or Frisians; and the land, under the names of Ammer gait and Lerigan, was for a long period included among the dominions of the dukes of Saxony. In 1180, the counts of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst succeeded in establishing independent states from the territories of Henry the Lion, which fell into a condition of disorganization after his downfall.
This family has continued to rule Oldenburg to time present day, giving, moreover, new dynasties to the kingdom of Denmark, time empire of Russia, and the kingdom of Sweden. See OLDENBURG, Housn OF. On the death, in 1667, of count Anthony Gun• they, the wisest and best of the Oldenburg rulers, his dominions, in default of nearer heirs, fell to the Danish reigning family, and continued for a century to be ruled by viceroys nominated by the kings of Denmark. This union was, however, severed in 1773, when. by a family compact, Christian VII. made over his Oldenburg territories to the ,,e-rand-duke Paul of Russia. who represented the Holstein-Gottorp branch of the family. Paul having renounced the joint courtships of Delmenhorst and Oldenburg in
favor of his cousin, Frederick Augustus. of the younger or Kiel line, of the House of Oldenburg...who was prince-bishop of Litheek, the emperor raised the tooted Oldenburg territories to the rank of £1 duchy. The present reigning family is deseended•from duke Peter Friedrick Ludwig. cousin to the.prince-bishop, Frederick Augustus. For fl time the duke was.a member of Napoleon's Rhenish confederation; but French troops having, in spite of this bond of alliance, taken forcible possession of the duchy in 1811. and incorporated it with the French empire, the ejected prince joined the ranks of time allies. In recognition the • congress of Vienna transferred certain portions of territory, with 5,000 Hanoverians and 20,000 inhabitants of the quondam French district of the Saar, to the Oldenburg allegiance. From these new acquisitions were organized the district Amine, and the principality of Birkenfeld; while Oldenburg was raised to the dignity of a grand-duchy. The revolutionary movement of 1848 was quite as pro iluctive of violent and compulsory political changes in this as in other German states; and in 1849, after having existed for centuries without,even a show of constitutional or legislative freedom, it entered suddenly into possession of the most extreme of liberal constitutions. The reaction in favor of absolutism, which the license and want of pur pose of the popular party naturally induced all over Germany. led in 1852 to a revision and modification of the constitution, which, however, in its present form, contains the essential principals of popular liberty and security, though it must he confessed this is more verbal than real. In the German-Italian war, Oldenburg sided with Prussia, and afterward joined the North German confederation. The duchy concluded, in 1866, a treaty with Prussia, by which the grand-duke renounced his claims to the Holstein succession, for the cession to him of a small portion of Holstein territory, and an indem nity of 1,000,000 thalers. Oldenburg is now included in the German empire.