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73-407: In addition to the core territories in the modern district of Lauenburg, other territories, mostly south of the river Elbe , occasionally belonged to the duchy: In 1203, King Valdemar II of Denmark conquered the area later comprising Saxe-Lauenburg, but it reverted to Albert I, Duke of Saxony in 1227. In 1260, Albert I's sons Albert II and John I succeeded their father. In 1269, 1272 and 1282,

146-404: A component state of united Germany (German Empire) . Circles est. 1500: Bavarian , Swabian , Upper Rhenish , Lower Rhenish–Westphalian , Franconian , (Lower) Saxon Elbe The Elbe ( German: [ˈɛlbə] ; Czech : Labe [ˈlabɛ] ; Low German : Ilv or Elv ; Upper and Lower Sorbian : Łobjo , pronounced [ˈwɔbʲɔ] )

219-601: A conflict between Magnus and his father and brothers Francis (II) and Maurice as well as the estates of the duchy , further escalating due to Magnus' violent temperament. In 1573, Francis I deposed Magnus and reascended to the throne while Magnus fled to Sweden . The following year, Magnus hired troops in order to retake Saxe-Lauenburg via force. Francis II, an experienced military commander in imperial service, and Duke Adolphus of Schleswig and Holstein at Gottorp , then Lower Saxon Circle Colonel ( Kreisobrist ), helped Francis I to defeat Magnus. In return Saxe-Lauenburg ceded

292-592: A constitution (Niedersächsische Kirchenordnung ; Lower Saxon Church Order), authored by Lübeck's Superintendent Andreas Pouchenius the Elder, for the Lutheran church of Saxe-Lauenburg. It constituted the Lutheran state church of Saxe-Lauenburg, with a general superintendent (as of 1592) and consistory seated in the city of Lauenburg, which merged into that of Schleswig-Holstein in 1877. Francis II's attempts in 1585 and 1586 to merge Hadeln's Lutheran church body with that in

365-553: A larger drainage basin . Nonetheless, for historical reasons the river retains the name Elbe, also because at the confluence point it is the Elbe that flows through the main, wider valley while the Vltava flows into the valley to meet the Elbe at almost a right angle, and thus appears to be the tributary river. Some distance lower down, at Litoměřice , the waters of the Elbe are tinted by the reddish Ohře . Thus augmented, and swollen into

438-588: A second front and conquered Bergedorf, Riepenburg castle and the Esslingen river toll station (today's Zollenspieker Ferry ). This forced Eric V to agree with Hamburg's burgomaster Hein Hoyer and Burgomaster Jordan Pleskow of Lübeck to the Treaty of Perleberg on 23 August 1420, which stipulated that all the pawned areas, which Eric IV, Eric V and John IV had violently taken in 1401, were to be irrevocably ceded to

511-411: A southerly course, emerging from the mountain glens at Jaroměř , where it receives Úpa and Metuje . Here the Elbe enters the vast vale named Polabí (meaning "land along the Elbe"), and continues on southwards through Hradec Králové (where Orlice flows in) and then to Pardubice , where it turns sharply to the west. At Kolín some 43 kilometres (27 mi) further on, it bends gradually towards

584-546: A stream 140 metres (460 ft) wide, the Elbe carves a path through the basaltic mass of the České Středohoří , churning its way through a picturesque, deep, narrow and curved rocky gorge. Shortly after crossing the Czech-German frontier, and passing through the sandstone defiles of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains , the stream assumes a north-westerly direction, which on the whole it preserves right to

657-762: A type of cable ferry that uses the current flow of the river to provide propulsion. Humans first lived in the northern Elbe region before about 200,000 years ago, during the Middle Paleolithic . Ptolemy recorded the Elbe as Albis ( Germanic for "river") in Germania Magna, with its source in the Asciburgis mountains ( Giant Mountains ), where the Germanic Vandalii then lived. The Elbe has long served as an important delineator of European geography. The Romans knew

730-616: A writ issued in St. James' Palace on 21 January 1765. In 1794, George III donated annual rewards for the best teachers in Saxe-Lauenburg. The duchy was occupied by French troops from 1803 to 1805, after which the French occupational troops left in a campaign against Austria . British, Swedish and Russian Coalition forces would capture Saxe-Lauenburg in autumn 1805 at the beginning of the War of

803-694: Is inhabited by 24.4 million people; its biggest cities are Berlin , Hamburg , Prague , Dresden and Leipzig . First attested in Latin as Albis , the name Elbe means "river" or "river-bed" and is nothing more than the High German version of a word ( *albī ) found elsewhere in Germanic; cf. Old Norse river name Elfr , Swedish älv "river", Norwegian elv "river", Old English river name elf , and Middle Low German elve "river-bed". The Elbe (Labe) rises on

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876-693: Is one of the major rivers of Central Europe . It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven , 110 kilometres (68 miles) northwest of Hamburg . Its total length is 1,094 km (680 mi). The Elbe's major tributaries include the rivers Vltava , Saale , Havel , Mulde , Schwarze Elster , and Ohře . The Elbe river basin, comprising

949-775: The Electorate of the Palatinate , and Duke Rudolph I of Saxe-Wittenberg, claiming the Saxon prince-electoral power. However, only Louis the Bavarian finally asserted himself as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire . The Golden Bull of 1356 , however, conclusively named the dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg as electors. In 1370, John II's fourth successor Eric III of Saxe-Bergedorf-Mölln pawned the Herrschaft of Bergedorf ,

1022-559: The House of Welf and its cadet branch House of Hanover , while the legal heirs, Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg and Sibylle Auguste of Saxe-Lauenburg, never waiving their claim, were dispossessed and the former exiled to Bohemian Ploskovice . Emperor Leopold I rejected Celle's succession and thus retained Hadeln, which was out of Celle's reach, in his custody. His son, Emperor Charles VI , enfeoffed Saxe-Lauenberg to George I's son and successor George II Augustus , thus legitimizing

1095-754: The North German Confederation . However, its vote in the Bundesrat was counted along with those of Prussia. In 1871, Saxe-Lauenburg was one of the component constituent states founding united Germany . However, in 1876, the ducal government and the Ritter-und-Landschaft decided to dissolve the Duchy with effect on 1 July 1876. Its territory was then integrated into the Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein as

1168-600: The Superintendent Franciscus Baringius as the first spiritual leader of the church in the duchy, not including Hadeln. Francis I conducted a thrifty reign and resigned in favour of his eldest son Magnus II once having exploited all his means in 1571. Magnus II promised to redeem the pawned ducal demesnes with funds he gained as a Swedish military commander and by his marriage to Princess Sophia of Sweden . However, Magnus did not redeem pawns but further alienated ducal possessions, which ignited

1241-467: The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), Augustus always remained neutral, however, billeting and alimenting foreign troops marching through posed a heavy burden onto the ducal subjects. Augustus was succeeded by his elder half-brother Julius Henry in 1656. He had converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism in expectation of becoming appointed Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück in 1615, but guaranteed to leave

1314-591: The U.S. Army . In 1945, as World War II drew to a close, Germany came under attack from the armies of the western Allies advancing from the west and those of the Soviet Union advancing from the east. On 25 April 1945 these two forces linked up near Torgau , on the Elbe. The victorious countries marked the event unofficially as Elbe Day . From 1949 to 1990 the Elbe formed part of the Inner German border between East Germany and West Germany . During

1387-746: The United Kingdom , was signed on 14 February 1929, ending in 2028. Since 1993 the Czech Republic holds the former Czechoslovak legal position. Before Germany was reunited, waterway transport in Western Germany was hindered by the fact that inland navigation to Hamburg had to pass through the German Democratic Republic. The Elbe-Seitenkanal (Elbe Lateral Canal) was built between the West German section of

1460-532: The Vierlande , half the Saxon Wood , and Geesthacht to Lübeck in return for a credit of 16,262.5 Lübeck marks . This acquisition included much of the trade route between Hamburg and Lübeck, thus providing a safe passage for freight between the cities. Eric III only retained a life tenancy. The city of Lübeck and Eric III had stipulated that, upon his death, Lübeck would be entitled to take possession of

1533-466: The Wendish Crusade of 1147. The Elbe delineated the western parts of Germany from the eastern so-called East Elbia , where soccage and serfdom were more strict and prevailed longer than westwards of the river, and where feudal lords held bigger estates than in the west. Thus incumbents of huge land-holdings became characterised as East Elbian Junkers . The Northern German area north of

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1606-516: The Elbe and its tributaries, has a catchment area of 148,268 square kilometres (57,247 sq mi), the twelfth largest in Europe. The basin spans four countries; however, it lies almost entirely just in two of them, Germany (65.5%) and the Czech Republic (33.7%, covering about two thirds of the nation's territory). On its southeastern edges, the Elbe river basin also comprises small parts of Austria (0.6%) and Poland (0.2%). The Elbe catchment area

1679-517: The Elbe is subject to the tides , the tidal Elbe section is called the Unterelbe (Low Elbe). Soon the Elbe reaches Hamburg. Within the city-state the Unterelbe has a number of branch streams, such as Dove Elbe , Gose Elbe , Köhlbrand , Norderelbe (Northern Elbe), Reiherstieg , Süderelbe (Southern Elbe). Some of which have been disconnected for vessels from the main stream by dikes. In 1390

1752-719: The German Twelfth Army located to the west of Berlin to guard against the advancing American and British forces. But, as the Western Front moved eastwards and the Eastern Front moved westwards, the German armies making up both fronts backed towards each other. As a result, the area of control of Wenck's army to his rear and east of the Elbe River had become a vast refugee camp for Germans fleeing from

1825-572: The Gose Elbe (literally in English: shallow Elbe ) was separated from the main stream by a dike connecting the two then-islands of Kirchwerder and Neuengamme . The Dove Elbe (literally in English: deaf Elbe ) was diked off in 1437/38 at Gammer Ort. These hydraulic engineering works were carried out to protect marshlands from inundation, and to improve the water supply of the Port of Hamburg . After

1898-835: The Low Elbe's two main anabranches Northern Elbe and the Köhlbrand reunite south of Altona -Altstadt, a locality of Hamburg. Right after both anabranches reunite, the Low Elbe is passed under by the New Elbe Tunnel (Neuer Elbtunnel) , the last structural road link crossing the river before the North Sea. At the bay Mühlenberger Loch in Hamburg at kilometre 634, the Northern Elbe and the Southern Elbe (here now

1971-636: The Lower Elbe used to be called North Albingia in the Middle Ages. When the four Lutheran church bodies there united in 1977 they chose the name North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church . Other, administrative units were named after the river Elbe, such as the Westphalian Elbe département (1807–1813) and Lower Elbe département (1810), and the French département Bouches-de-l'Elbe (1811–1814). On 10 April 1945, General Wenck of

2044-570: The Lutheran state church and the Lower Saxon Church Order untouched. He confirmed the existing privileges of the nobility and the Ritter-und-Landschaft. In 1658, he forbade his vassals to pledge or else alienate fiefs , thus fighting the integration of manor estates in Saxe-Lauenburg into the monetary economies of the neighbouring economically powerful Hanseatic cities of Hamburg and Lübeck. He entered with both city-states into frontier disputes on manor estates which were in

2117-665: The Lutheran superintendency was moved from Lauenburg to Ratzeburg and combined with the pastorate of St. Peter's Church. When he died on 28 August the same year, Saxe-Lauenburg passed to his nephew, George I Louis, elector of Hanover, afterwards king of Great Britain as George I . The Lower Saxon Lutheran Church maintained its Church Order with the consistory and General Superintendent Severin Walter Slüter (1646–1697) in Lauenburg, succeeded by incumbents titled again superintendent only. Saxe-Lauenburg (except for Hadeln) passed to

2190-655: The Mittellandkanal and the Lower Elbe to restore this connection. When the two nations were reunited, works were begun to improve and restore the original links: the Magdeburg Water Bridge now allows large barges to cross the Elbe without having to enter the river. The often low water levels of the Elbe no longer hinder navigation to Berlin. The Elbe is crossed by many ferries, both passenger and car carrying. In downstream order, these include: Many of these ferries are traditional reaction ferries ,

2263-516: The North Sea. The Elbe has always been navigable by commercial vessels, and provides important trade links as far inland as Prague . The river is linked by canals ( Elbe Lateral Canal , Elbe-Havel Canal , Mittellandkanal ) to the industrial areas of Germany and to Berlin . The Elbe-Lübeck Canal links the Elbe to the Baltic Sea , as does the Kiel Canal , whose western entrance is near

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2336-606: The North Sea. The river rolls through Dresden and finally, beyond Meissen , enters on its long journey across the North German Plain passing along the former western border of East Germany , touching Torgau , Wittenberg , Dessau , Magdeburg , Wittenberge , and Hamburg on the way, and taking on the waters of the Mulde and Saale from the west, and those of the Schwarze Elster , Havel and Elde from

2409-806: The Third Coalition against France (1805–06). In December, the First French Empire (France's new form of government since 1804) ceded Saxe-Lauenburg, which it no longer held, to the Kingdom of Prussia , which captured it early in 1806. When Prussia (after it had turned against France as part of the Fourth Coalition ) was defeated in the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt (November 11, 1806), France recaptured Saxe-Lauenburg. It remained under French occupation until 1 March 1810, when most of it

2482-545: The ablest, his sole successor, violating the rules of primogeniture . This severed the already difficult relations with the estates of the duchy, which fought the ducal practice of growing indebtedness. The general church visitation of 1581, prompted by Francis II, showed poor results as to the knowledge, practice and behaviour of many pastors. Baringius was held responsible for these grievances and replaced by Gerhard Sagittarius in 1582. Finally in 1585, after consultations with his brother Prince-Archbishop Henry, Francis II decreed

2555-616: The approaching Soviet Army. Wenck took great pains to provide food and lodging for these refugees. At one stage, the Twelfth Army was estimated to be feeding more than a quarter of a million people every day. During the night of 28 April, Wenck reported to the German Supreme Army Command in Fuerstenberg that his Twelfth Army had been forced back along the entire front. According to Wenck, no attack on Berlin

2628-490: The bailiwick of Steinhorst to Gottorp in 1575. Francis II again helped his father to inhibit Magnus' second military attempt to overthrow his father in 1578. Francis I then made Francis II his vicegerent actually governing the duchy. Shortly before his death in 1581 (and after consultations with his son Prince-Archbishop Henry of Bremen and Emperor Rudolph II , but unconcerted with his other sons Magnus and Maurice), Francis I made his third son, Francis II, whom he considered

2701-454: The brothers gradually divided their governing competences within the three territorially unconnected Saxon areas along the Elbe river (one called Land of Hadeln , another around Lauenburg upon Elbe and the third around Wittenberg upon Elbe), thus preparing a partition. After John I's resignation, Albert II ruled with his minor nephews Albert III , Eric I and John II , who by 1296 definitely partitioned Saxony , providing Saxe-Lauenburg for

2774-507: The brothers, and Saxe-Wittenberg for their uncle Albert II. The last document mentioning the brothers and their uncle Albert II as Saxon fellow dukes dates back to 1295. A deed of 20 September 1296, mentions the Vierlande, Sadelbande (Land of Lauenburg), the Land of Ratzeburg, the Land of Darzing (later Amt Neuhaus), and the Land of Hadeln as the separate territory of the brothers. By 1303,

2847-677: The circle comprising Saxe-Lauenburg and all its neighbours became designated as Saxon Circle , while the Wettin -ruled Saxon electorate and duchies at that time formed the Upper Saxon Circle . The naming of Lower Saxony became more colloquial and the Saxon Circle was later renamed the Lower Saxon Circle . In 1659, Duke Julius Henry decreed in his general disposition (guidelines for his government) "to also esteem

2920-596: The cities of Hamburg and Lübeck, becoming their bi-urban condominium of Bergedorf (Beiderstädtischer Besitz). From the 14th century, Saxe-Lauenburg termed itself as Lower Saxony ( German : Niedersachsen ). However, Saxony as a naming for the area comprising the older Duchy of Saxony in its borders before 1180 still prevailed. So, when the Holy Roman Empire established the Imperial Circles in 1500 as tax levying and army recruitment districts,

2993-538: The cities of Lauenburg upon Elbe and Ratzeburg, then altogether constituted as the estates of the duchy (Ritter-und-Landschaft), led by the Land Marshall, a hereditary office held by the family von Bülow . Francis II accepted their establishment as a permanent institution with a crucial say in government matters. In return, Ritter-und-Landschaft accepted Francis II as legitimate, and rendered him homage as duke in 1586. The relations between Ritter-und-Landschaft and

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3066-532: The cut-off meander Old Southern Elbe) used to reunite, which is why the bay is seen as the starting point of the Niederelbe (Lower Elbe). Leaving the city-state the Lower Elbe then passes between Holstein and the Elbe-Weser Triangle with Stade until it flows into the North Sea at Cuxhaven . Near its mouth, it passes the entrance to the Kiel Canal at Brunsbüttel before it debouches into

3139-512: The de facto takeover by George William in 1689 and 1693. On 27 August 1729, he confirmed Saxe-Lauenburg's existing constitution, laws and the Ritter-und-Landschaft. On 5 April 1757, the Niedersächsische Landschulordnung decreed the compulsory school attendance for all children in Saxe-Lauenburg. George III ascended in 1760 and endorsed all the laws, the constitution and the Ritter-und-Landschaft of Saxe-Lauenburg by

3212-459: The district Herzogtum Lauenburg , meaning the Duchy of Lauenburg. For the further history see Herzogtum Lauenburg . For the Duchesses consort see List of Saxon consorts , partially also presenting portraits. For portraits of the dukes, starting with Julius Henry, see List of Saxon rulers . The counting of the dukes includes the preceding Ascanian dukes Bernard I , his son Albert I , and

3285-605: The duchy to Prussia and Austria. After receiving a £300,000 financial compensation, Austria waived its claim to Saxe-Lauenburg by the Gastein Convention in August 1865. The Ritter-und-Landschaft then offered the ducal throne to William I of Prussia . In September of the same year, he accepted and ruled the duchy in a personal union . William appointed the then Minister President of Prussia , Otto von Bismarck , as minister for Saxe-Lauenburg. In 1866, Saxe-Lauenburg joined

3358-482: The duchy. During the First Schleswig War (1848–1851), the Ritter-und-Landschaft prevented a Prussian conquest by requesting Hanoverian troops as peace-keeping occupational forces on behalf of the German Confederation . In 1851, King Frederick VII of Denmark was restored as Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg. Prussian and Austrian forces invaded the duchy during the Second Schleswig War . By the Treaty of Vienna (1864) , King Christian IX of Denmark abdicated as duke and ceded

3431-403: The duke improved since Francis II redeemed ducal pawns with money he had earned as imperial commander. After the residential castle in Lauenburg upon Elbe (started in 1180–1182 by Duke Bernard I ) had burnt down in 1616, Francis II moved the capital to Neuhaus upon Elbe . In 1619, Duke Augustus moved Saxe-Lauenburg's capital from Neuhaus upon Elbe to Ratzeburg, where it remained since. During

3504-436: The east. In its northern section both banks of the Elbe are characterised by flat, very fertile marshlands ( Elbe Marshes ), former flood plains of the Elbe now diked. At Magdeburg there is a viaduct, the Magdeburg Water Bridge , that carries a canal and its shipping traffic over the Elbe and its banks, allowing shipping traffic to pass under it unhindered. From the sluice of Geesthacht (at kilometre 586) on downstream

3577-419: The elder branch became extinct and Lauenburg rejoined the Ratzeburg-Lauenburg line. First named Saxe-Bergedorf-Lauenburg, however, renamed following a territorial redeployment after inheriting Albert III's share. In 1401, the younger branch inherited Lauenburg and other possessions of the extinct elder Bergedorf-Mölln line. For 113 years, the duchy was ruled by members of the Welf dynasty. However, their rule

3650-425: The eldest brother, wielded the electoral privilege for the Lauenburg Ascanians, but was rivalled by their cousin Rudolph I of Saxe-Wittenberg . In 1314, the dispute escalated into the election of two hostile German kings , the Habsburg Frederick III, the Fair , and his Wittelsbach cousin Louis IV, the Bavarian . Louis received five of the seven votes, to wit John II, Archbishop-Elector Baldwin of Trier ,

3723-534: The five Ascanian-ruled Principalities of Anhalt , the Electorate of Saxony , which had succeeded the Saxe-Wittenbergian Ascanians in 1422, Sweden , and Brandenburg . Celle and Danish Holstein were militarily engaged, which agreed on 9 October 1693 (Hamburger Vergleich), that Celle—already de facto holding most of Saxe-Lauenburg—would retain the duchy, while the fortress in Ratzeburg, fortified under Celle rule and directed against Holstein, would be razed. In return, Danish Holstein, which had invaded Ratzeburg and ruined

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3796-488: The fortress, would withdraw its troops. George William compensated John George III, Elector of Saxony , for his claim with a substantial sum of money, since the ancestors of both these princes had made treaties of mutual succession with former dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg. The Ritter-und-Landschaft then rendered homage to George William as their duke. On 15 September 1702 George William confirmed the existing constitution, laws and legislative bodies of Saxe-Lauenburg. On 17 May 1705,

3869-492: The heavy inundation by the North Sea flood of 1962 the western section of the Southern Elbe was separated, becoming the Old Southern Elbe, while the waters of the eastern Southern Elbe now merge into the Köhlbrand, which is bridged by the Köhlbrandbrücke , the last bridge over the Elbe before the North Sea. The Northern Elbe passes the Elbe Philharmonic Hall and is then crossed under by the old Elbe Tunnel (Alter Elbtunnel) , both in Hamburg's city centre. A bit more downstream,

3942-461: The latter's jointly ruling sons John I and Albert II , all of which ruled the Saxon dukedom before its partition into Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg. In 1303 the brothers split their inheritance between them, however, only two brothers had heirs creating the Bergedorf-Mölln and the Ratzeburg-Lauenburg lines. First named Saxe-Mölln, however, renamed following a territorial redeployment including parts of Albert III's share in 1321. In 1401,

4015-465: The legitimate King-Elector John of Bohemia , Duke John II of Saxe-Lauenburg using his claim as the Saxon prince-elector, Archbishop-Elector Peter of Mainz , and Prince-Elector Waldemar of Brandenburg . Frederick the Fair received four of the seven votes in the same election, with the deposed King-Elector Henry of Bohemia illegitimately assuming electoral power, Archbishop-Elector Henry II of Cologne , Louis's brother Prince-Elector Rudolph I of

4088-447: The loss of Norway. Denmark gained the territory north of the Elbe, now ruled in personal union by the Danish House of Oldenburg , from Sweden, which thus again compensated Danish claims to Swedish Pomerania. On 6 December 1815 Frederick VI of Denmark issued his Asseveration Act (Versicherungsacte) affirming the given laws, the constitution and the Ritter-und-Landschaft of Saxe-Lauenburg. In 1816, his administration took possession of

4161-507: The mouth of the Elbe. The Elbe-Weser Shipping Channel connects the Elbe with the Weser . By the Treaty of Versailles the navigation on the Elbe became subject to the International Commission of the Elbe, seated in Dresden. The statute of the commission was signed in Dresden on 22 February 1922. Following articles 363 and 364 of the Treaty of Versailles, Czechoslovakia was entitled to lease its own harbour basin, Moldauhafen in Hamburg. The contract of lease with Germany, and supervised by

4234-417: The north-west. At the village of Káraný , a little above Brandýs nad Labem , the Jizera enters in. At Mělník its stream is more than doubled in volume by the Vltava , a major river which winds northwards through Bohemia . Upstream from the confluence the Vltava is in fact much longer (434 kilometres (270 mi) against 294 kilometres (183 mi) of the Elbe so far), and has a greater discharge and

4307-409: The pawned areas until his successors repaid the credit and simultaneously exercised the repurchase of Mölln (contracted in 1359), altogether amounting to the then enormous sum of 26,000 Lübeck Marks. In 1401, Eric III died without issue. The Lauenburg Elder Line was thus extinct in the male line and Eric III was succeeded by his second cousin Eric IV of Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg of the Younger Line. In

4380-450: The process of evading Saxe-Lauenburgian overlordship into the competence of the city-states. With the death of Duke Julius Francis , a son of Julius Henry, the Lauenburg line of the House of Ascania became extinct in the male line. However, female succession was possible by the Saxe-Lauenburgian laws. So, the two surviving daughters of Julius Francis— Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg and Sibylle Auguste of Saxe-Lauenburg —fought for

4453-486: The rest of the duchy were unanimously rejected by Hadeln's clergy and estates. The violation of the primogeniture, however, gave grounds for the estates to perceive the upcoming duke Francis II as illegitimate. This forced him into negotiations, which ended on 16 December 1585 with the constitutional act of the "Eternal Union" (German: Ewige Union ) of the representatives of Saxe-Lauenburg's nobility (Ritterschaft, i.e. knighthood) and other subjects (Landschaft), mostly from

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4526-450: The river as the Albis ; however, they made only one serious attempt to move the border of their empire forward from the Rhine to the Elbe, and this attempt failed with the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, after which they never seriously tried again. In the Middle Ages the Elbe formed the eastern limit of the Empire of Charlemagne (King of the Franks from 769 to 814). The river's navigable sections were essential to

4599-400: The same year, Eric IV, supported by his sons Eric (later ruling as Eric V) and John , forcefully captured the pawned areas without making any repayment, before Lübeck could take possession of them. Lübeck acquiesced for the time being. In 1420, Eric V attacked Prince-Elector Frederick I of Brandenburg and Lübeck allied with Hamburg in support of Brandenburg . Armies of both cities opened

4672-403: The slopes of Mt. Violík at an elevation of 1,386 metres (4,547 ft) in the Giant Mountains on the northwest borders of the Czech Republic. Of the numerous small streams whose waters compose the infant river. After plunging down the 30 metres (98 ft) of the Elbe Falls , the latter stream unites with the steeply torrential Bílé Labe , and thereafter the united stream of the Elbe pursues

4745-495: The southerly adjacent Principality of Lunenburg (Lutheran since 1529), held the first Lutheran preaches; at the northern entrance of St. Mary Magdalene Church in Lauenburg upon Elbe, one is recalled for Saint John's Eve in 1531. Tacitly, the congregations appointed Lutheran preachers so that the visitations of 1564 and 1566, ordered by Duke Francis I , Magnus I's son, on the instigation of the Ritter-und-Landschaft, saw Lutheran preachers in many parishes. In 1566, Francis I appointed

4818-443: The success of the Hanseatic League in the Late Middle Ages , and much trade was carried on its waters. From the early 6th century Slavic tribes (known as the Polabian Slavs ) settled in the areas east of the rivers Elbe and Saale (which had been depopulated since the 4th century). In the 10th century the Ottonian Dynasty (dominant from 919 to 1024) began conquering these lands; a slow process of Germanization ensued, including

4891-472: The succession. Their weak position was abused by Duke George William of the neighbouring Brunswick and Lunenburgian Principality of Lüneburg , who invaded Saxe-Lauenburg with his troops, thus inhibiting the ascension of the legal heiress to the throne, Duchess Anna Maria. There were at least eight monarchies claiming the succession, resulting in a conflict involving further the neighbouring duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and of Danish Holstein , as well as

4964-423: The three jointly ruling brothers had partitioned Saxe-Lauenburg into three shares; however, Albert III died already in 1308, so that the surviving brothers established, after a territorial realignment in 1321, the Lauenburg Elder Line, with John II ruling Saxe- Bergedorf - Mölln , seated in Bergedorf and the Lauenburg Younger Line, with Eric I ruling Saxe- Ratzeburg -Lauenburg, seated in Lauenburg upon Elbe. John II,

5037-455: The woodlands as heart and dwell [of revenues] of the Principality of Lower Saxony." The people of Hadeln, represented by their estates of the realm, adopted the Lutheran Reformation in 1525 and Duke Magnus I confirmed Hadeln's Lutheran Church Order in 1526, establishing Hadeln's separate ecclesiastical body existing until 1885. Magnus did not promote the spreading of Lutheranism in the rest of his duchy. Lutheran preachers, most likely from

5110-412: Was annexed to the Kingdom of Westphalia , a French client state. A small area with 15,000 inhabitants remained reserved for Napoléon's purposes. On 1 January 1811, most of the former duchy (except for the Amt Neuhaus and the Marschvogtei, which remained with Westphalia) was annexed to the First French Empire becoming part of the Bouches-de-l'Elbe department. After the Napoleonic Wars , Saxe-Lauenburg

5183-412: Was not legitimised until 1728, when Emperor Charles VI enfeoffed George II Augustus with Saxe-Lauenburg. For almost fifty years, from 1815, Saxe-Lauenburg was within the German Confederation , and in personal union with the Kingdom of Denmark : For twelve years Saxe-Lauenburg was ruled in personal union with Prussia, within the North German Confederation (1867–71). In 1871 Saxe-Lauenburg became

5256-709: Was possible as support from Busse's Ninth Army could no longer be expected. Instead, starting April 24, Wenck moved his army towards the Forest of Halbe , broke into the Halbe pocket and linked up with the remnants of the Ninth Army , Hellmuth Reymann 's "Army Group Spree", and the Potsdam garrison. Wenck brought his army, remnants of the Ninth Army, and many civilian refugees across the Elbe and into territory occupied by

5329-548: Was restored as a Hanoverian dominium in 1813. The Congress of Vienna established Saxe-Lauenburg as a member state of the German Confederation . In 1814 the Kingdom of Hanover bartered Saxe-Lauenburg against Prussian East Frisia . On 7 June 1815, after 14 months under its rule, Prussia granted Saxe-Lauenburg to Sweden , receiving the former Swedish Pomerania in return, however, additionally paying 2.6 million Thaler to Denmark, in order to compensate Denmark for

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