Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg
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Maurice of Saxe-Lauenburg (1551 – 2 November 1612,
Buxtehude Buxtehude (), officially the Hanseatic City of Buxtehude (german: Hansestadt Buxtehude, nds, Hansestadt Buxthu ()), is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany, belonging to the district of Stade in Lower Saxony. It is part of the Hamburg ...
) was the fourth son of
Francis I of Saxe-Lauenburg Francis I of Saxe-Lauenburg (1510 – 19 March 1581, Buxtehude) was the eldest child and only son of Duke Magnus I of Saxe-Lauenburg and Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1488 – 29 July 1563, Neuhaus), daughter of Duke Henry IV ' ...
and Sybille of Saxe-Freiberg (
Freiberg Freiberg is a university and former mining town in Saxony, Germany. It is a so-called ''Große Kreisstadt'' (large county town) and the administrative centre of Mittelsachsen district. Its historic town centre has been placed under heritage c ...
, *2 May 1515 – 18 July 1592*,
Buxtehude Buxtehude (), officially the Hanseatic City of Buxtehude (german: Hansestadt Buxtehude, nds, Hansestadt Buxthu ()), is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany, belonging to the district of Stade in Lower Saxony. It is part of the Hamburg ...
), daughter of Duke Henry IV ''the Pious'' of Saxony. Maurice ruled
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 so ...
as duke between 1581 and 1612, together with his elder brothers Magnus II (until 1588) and Francis II, who survived him.


Life

When in 1571 their father Francis I resigned in favour of his then major sons Magnus II and Francis II, Magnus violently tried to repress his younger brother Francis II, however, failing in the end in 1574. Francis I then reascended the throne. After their father's death in 1581 the then major Maurice and his elder brothers Magnus II and Francis II jointly ruled as dukes in Saxe-Lauenburg. However, in 1588 Francis II and Maurice imprisoned Magnus II in
Ratzeburg Ratzeburg (; Low German: ''Ratzborg'') is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the district Herzogtum Lau ...
's castle for his repeated atrocities and continued their joint rule without him. In 1585 (or 1586) Maurice moved to
Buxtehude Buxtehude (), officially the Hanseatic City of Buxtehude (german: Hansestadt Buxtehude, nds, Hansestadt Buxthu ()), is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany, belonging to the district of Stade in Lower Saxony. It is part of the Hamburg ...
, then a city in the
Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen The Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen (german: Fürsterzbistum Bremen) — not to be confused with the modern Archdiocese of Hamburg, founded in 1994 — was an ecclesiastical principality (787–1566/1648) of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic ...
ruled by his brother Prince-Archbishop
Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg (german: Heinrich von Sachsen-Lauenburg; 1 November 1550 – 22 April 1585, Vörde) was a Prince-Archbishop of Bremen (as ''Henry III''), then Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück (as ''Henry II''), then Prince-Bishop of Pad ...
, and resided in Buxtehude in the ''Abtshaus'' (Abbot's house) of the nunnery of (now a component of Buxtehude). In 1588 his mother played a prominent role in his affair with Gisela von Tschammer, against whom she initiated a trial
witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
. As duke Maurice remained passive and lived in the abbot's house until his death. The abbot's house now serves as a gallery and café. His mother Sibylle died in Buxtehude in 1592.


Marriage and issue

In 1581 Maurice married Katharina von Spörck; however, they got a divorce already in the next year. They had no children. With his
mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...
Gisela of Saxony (married with Adam von Tschammer) Duke Maurice had two illegitimate sons: * Moritz Rautenstein (*? – 1617/39*) * Julius Ernst Rautenstein (*ca. 1590 – ca. 1660*)


Ancestry


Succession box

, - 1551 births 1612 deaths
Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...
Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...
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