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Saxe-Lauenburg |
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The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (German: Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg), also known as the Duchy of Lauenburg, was a Reichsfrei duchy that existed from 1296–1803 and 1814–1876 in the extreme southeast region of Schleswig-Holstein. Its territorial center was in the modern district of Herzogtum Lauenburg and its capital was Lauenburg/Elbe.
In addition to the core territories around the town of Lauenburg/Elbe, at times other territories belonged to the duchy, such as the Land Hadeln in the area of the delta of the River Elbe and the Amt Neuhaus in the district of Lüneburg.
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The duchy was established by partitioning of the Duchy of Saxony into the duchies of Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg. The residences of its dukes were located in the towns of Ratzeburg and Lauenburg/Elbe. The dukes of Lauenburg and Wittenberg each claimed the electoral dignity of the Duchy of Saxony; the Golden Bull of 1356 conclusively named the dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg as electors.
With the extinction of the Ascanian dukes in 1689, Saxe-Lauenburg passed to the House of Welf and the House of Hanover. The duchy was occupied by French troops from 1803–05, after which it passed to the Kingdom of Prussia. With the defeat of Prussia in the Fourth Coalition, Lauenburg was integrated into the Kingdom of Westphalia, a French client state. In 1810 the former duchy was annexed into the First French Empire. The Congress of Vienna reestablished Saxe-Lauenburg as a duchy ruled by the Danish House of Oldenburg and a member state of the German Confederation. Prussia ruled the duchy through a personal union in 1864 after the Second Schleswig War. In 1876 the duchy was dissolved and its territory was integrated into the Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein as the district Herzogtum Lauenburg.
John was succeeded by his three sons, who at first ruled jointly from 1296–1305:
In 1305, the brothers divided their inheritance between them, creating the Bergedorf-Mölln and Ratzeburg-Lauenburg lines.
In 1401, the elder branch became extinct and Lauenburg rejoined the Ratzeburg-Lauenburg line.
In 1401, the younger branch inherited Lauenburg and other possessions of the extinct elder Bergedorf-Mölln line.
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Hanover..svg){kind=small}
King of Great Britain from 1714.
First French Republic, 1803–04. First French Empire, 1804–05..gif){kind=small}
Kingdom of Prussia, 1805–07.
Kingdom of Westphalia, 1807–10. First French Empire, 1810–14.For fifty years, from 1814, Saxe-Lauenburg was in personal union with the 
Kingdom of Denmark, within the 
German Confederation:
Schleswig-Holstein; previously King of 
Norway (1808–14) and Regent of 
Denmark-Norway from 1784.
Prussia from 1864–1945.
North German Confederation (1867–71) and German Emperor (1871–88).
Schleswig-Holstein since 1876, as Kreis Herzogtum Lauenburg.
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