Saxe-Lauenburg

Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg (German)
1296–1803 1814–1876
Flag of the 19th century Coat of arms (1507–1671)
Attributed arms of the Saxe-Lauenburg The Saxon Steed[Note 1]
The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg in 1848 (map in Dutch)
Status	State of the Holy Roman Empire State of the German Confederation State of the North German Confederation State of the German Empire
Capital	Lauenburg/Elbe Ratzeburg (from 1619)
Religion	Earlier: Roman Catholic Later: Lutheran
Government	Duchy
Duke
• 1296–1303	Eric I (first)
• 1865–1876	William (last)
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Partitioned from Duchy of Saxony	1296
• Partitioned into Saxe-Mölln-Bergedorf and Saxe-Ratzeburg	1303–1401
• Personal union with Lüneburg-Celle	1689–1705
• Personal union with Hanover	1705–1803
• Dissolved during Napoleonic Wars	1803–1814
• Personal union with Denmark	1814–1864
• Personal union with Prussia	1865–1876
• Merged into Prussia	1876
Preceded by Succeeded by Duchy of Saxony Province of Schleswig-Holstein
Today part of	Germany

The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (German: Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg, called Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) between the 14th and 17th centuries; Danish: Hertugdømmet Sachsen-Lauenborg), 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 center was in the modern district of Herzogtum Lauenburg and originally its eponymous capital was Lauenburg upon Elbe, though the capital moved to Ratzeburg in 1619.
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