Eric III of Saxe-Bergedorf (mid 1330s – 1401) was the youngest son of Duke

Albert IV of Saxe-Lauenburg Albert IV of Saxe-Lauenburg (1315 – 1343) was the eldest son of John II of Saxe-Lauenburg and Elisabeth of Holstein-Rendsburg (*ca. 1300–before 1340*), sister of Gerard III ''the Great''. In 1321 Albert IV succeeded his father as Duke of Sax ...

and Beata of Schwerin (*?–before 1341*), daughter of Gunzelin VI, Count of Schwerin. Eric was determined for and started a career as

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

. However, after his two elder brothers John III and

Albert V Albert V may refer to: *Albert V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (ca. mid-1330s–1370) *Albert V, Duke of Mecklenburg (1397–1423) *Albert II of Germany (1397–1439), Albert V as Duke of Austria *Albert V, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (died c. 1469) *Albert ...

had died without heirs, Eric III quit the clergy.

Life

Eric consented, when on 14 April 1359 Albert V, short in money, sold the

Herrschaft The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...

of Mölln to the city of Lübeck in return for 9737.50 Lübeck

marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...

. The parties agreed upon a repurchase, however, only by the duke or his heirs for themselves, but not as a middleperson for someone else. In 1370 Eric III succeeded Albert V as Duke of Saxe-Bergedorf-Mölln, a highly indebted branch duchy of

Saxe-Lauenburg The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (german: Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg, called ''Niedersachsen'' (Lower Saxony) between the 14th and 17th centuries), was a ''reichsfrei'' duchy that existed from 1296–1803 and again from 1814–1876 in the extreme sou ...

. So he pawned – in return for 16,262.5 Lübeck marks – all the remaining unencumbered parts of his branch duchy, to wit the

Bergedorf Bergedorf () is the largest of the seven boroughs of Hamburg, Germany, named after Bergedorf quarter within this borough. In 2020 the population of the borough was 130,994. History The city of Bergedorf received town privileges in 1275, then ...

, the Vierlande, his half of the Saxon Wood and

Geesthacht Geesthacht () is the largest city in the District of the Duchy of Lauenburg (Herzogtum Lauenburg) in Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany, south-east of Hamburg on the right bank of the River Elbe. History A church was built in what is today ...

, to Lübeck. Eric III only refrained a life tenancy. Lübeck and Eric III further stipulated, that once he would have died, Lübeck will be entitled to take possession of the pawns until his heirs would repay the credit and simultaneously exercise the repurchase of Mölln, altogether amounting to the then enormous sum of 26,000 Lübeck Marks.Elisabeth Raiser, ''Städtische Territorialpolitik im Mittelalter: eine vergleichende Untersuchung ihrer verschiedenen Formen am Beispiel Lübecks und Zürichs'', Lübeck and Hamburg: Matthiesen, 1969, (Historische Studien; 406), pp. 90seq., simultaneously: Hamburg, Univ., Diss., 1969. In 1386 Otto VI, Count of Tecklenburg-Schwerin gave permission to his cousin Eric III to claim in Otto's name the latter's inheritance of their late aunt Richardis' of Schwerin dower from the Danish King

Valdemar Atterdag Valdemar IV Atterdag (the epithet meaning "Return of the Day"), or Waldemar (132024 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance ...

, protector of her

dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law. ...

since 1373. Eric III died without an heir and was succeeded by his cousin of second degree Eric IV of Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg. Under Eric IV the two branch duchies merged again into a reunited Saxe-Lauenburg.

Ancestry

Notes

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Eric 03 of Saxe-Lauenburg 1401 deaths Eric 03 Eric 03 Year of birth unknown