Augustus of Saxe-Lauenburg (

Ratzeburg Ratzeburg (; Low German: ''Ratzborg'') is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by Ratzeburger See, four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the distri ...

, 17 February 1577 – 18 January 1656, Lauenburg upon Elbe) was Duke of

Saxe-Lauenburg The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (, ), was a ''reichsfrei'' duchy that existed from 1296 to 1803 and again from 1814 to 1876 in the extreme southeast region of what is now Schleswig-Holstein. Its territorial centre was in the modern district of Herz ...

between 1619 and 1656. He was a son of Duke

Francis II Francis II may refer to: * Francis II, Duke of Brittany (1433–1488) * Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua (1466–1519), ruler of the Italian city of Mantua * Francis II of France (1544–1560), king of France * Francis II, Duke of Lorraine ...

and his first wife Margaret of Pomerania-Wolgast, daughter of

Philip I, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast Philip I of Pomerania (14 May 1515, in Stettin – 14 February 1560, in Wolgast) was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast. Life Philip was the only surviving son of Duke George, from his first marriage to Amalie of the Palatinate. After his mother died, ...

. Since Augustus survived all his sons he was succeeded by his half-brother Julius Henry. On his ascension Augustus moved Saxe-Lauenburg's capital from Neuhaus, whereto Francis II had moved it after the residential castle in Lauenburg upon Elbe (started in 1180–1182 by

Bernhard, Count of Anhalt Bernhard ( 1140– 2 February 1212), a member of the House of Ascania, was Count of Anhalt and Ballenstedt, and Lord of Bernburg through his paternal inheritance. From 1180 he was also Duke of Saxony (as Bernhard III or Bernhard I). Life Early ...

) had burnt down in 1616, towards Ratzeburg, where it remained since. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

Augustus always remained neutral, however,

billeting In European militaries, a billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. In American usage, it refers to a specific personnel position, assignment, or duty station to which a soldier can be assigned. Historically, a billet w ...

and alimenting foreign troops marching through posed a heavy burden onto the ducal subjects.Cordula Bornefeld, "Die Herzöge von Sachsen-Lauenburg", in: ''Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg'' e slevigske hertuger; German Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 373-389, here p. 382.

Marriages and issue

Augustus married twice. On 5 March 1621 he married in

Husum Husum (, ) is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The town was the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Storm, who coined the epithet "the grey town by the sea". It is also the home of the annual i ...

Elisabeth Sofie of Holstein-Gottorp (12 December 1599 – 25 November 1627), daughter of

John Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Johann Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp (27 February 1575 – 31 March 1616) was a Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. Life He was a third son of Duke Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp and his wife Christine of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). He became the first Luth ...

. On 4 June 1633 he married, as his second wife, Catherine of Oldenburg (20 September 1582 – 29 February 1644), daughter of

John VII, Count of Oldenburg Count John VII of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst (nicknamed "the Dike Builder"; 9 September 1540 in Oldenburg – 12 November 1603 in Oldenburg) was a member of the House of Oldenburg and was the ruling Count of County of Oldenburg from 1573 until his ...

. This marriage remained without children. His children with Elisabeth Sophia of Holstein-Gottorp were the following: * Sophia Margaretha (Ratzeburg, 6 August 1622 – 6 March 1637) * Francis Augustus (4 July 1623 – 19 April 1625) * Anna Elisabeth (23 August 1624 – 27 May 1688, Philippseck Castle in today's

Butzbach Butzbach () is a town in the Wetteraukreis district in Hessen, Germany. It is located approximately 16 km south of Gießen and 35 km north of Frankfurt am Main. In 2007, the town hosted the 47th Hessentag state festival from 1 to 10 Jun ...

), married on 2 April 1665 in

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

, divorced in 1672,

William Christoph, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg William Christoph of Hesse-Homburg (13 November 1625, Ober-Rosbach – 27 August 1681, then in Bingenheim, now in Echzell) was the second Landgraf of Hesse-Homburg (then known as "Landgraf of Bingenheim") during 1648–1669. He was the third ...

* Sibylle Hedwig (30 July 1625 – 1 August 1703, Ratzeburg), married in 1654 her half-cousin

Francis Erdmann, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg Francis Erdmann of Saxe-Lauenburg ( Theusing, 25 February 1629 – 30 July 1666, Schwarzenbek), was duke of Saxe-Lauenburg between 1665 and 1666. He was the eldest son of Duke Julius Henry and his second wife Elisabeth Sophia of Brandenburg, da ...

* John Adolphus (22 October 1626 – 23 April 1646, Ratzeburg) * Philip Frederick (11 November 1627 – 16 November 1627)

Notes

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Augustus, Duke Of Saxe-Lauenburg 1577 births 1656 deaths People from Ratzeburg Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg House of Ascania