Albert III, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg

Albert III Albrecht III. von Sachsen, Engern und Westfalen (de)
officially: Duke of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia colloquially: Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg or Duke of Saxe-Ratzeburg
Duchy of Saxony (Joint rule with his uncle Albert II, at first fostering his nephews, and his brothers Eric I and John II)
Joint Reign	1282–1296
Predecessors	John I and Albert II
Successors	Albert III, Eric I and John II (jointly ruling in partitioned Saxe-Lauenburg)
Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (Joint rule with his brothers Eric I and John II)
Joint Reign	1296–1303
Joint predecessors	Albert II, Albert III, Eric I and John II
Successor	Albert III (ruling alone in partitioned Saxe-Ratzeburg)
Duchy of Saxe-Ratzeburg (partitioned as branch duchy from Saxe-Lauenburg)
Reign	1303–1308
Joint predecessors	Albert III, Eric I and John II (joint rule)
Successor	Eric I (ruling alone in redeployed Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg)
Born	1281
Died	1308
Consort	Margaret of Brandenburg
Issue Detail	Albrecht Eric
House of	Ascania (by birth)
Father	John I, Duke of Saxony
Mother	Ingeborg Birgersdotter of Småland
Religion	Roman Catholic

Albert III of Saxe-Lauenburg (1281–1308) was a son of John I, Duke of Saxony and Ingeborg Birgersdotter of Småland (c. 1253–30 June 1302, in Mölln), a daughter or granddaughter of Birger Jarl. He ruled Saxony jointly with his uncle, Albert II, and his brothers Eric I and John II (and under the regency of Albert II) until their coming of age. In 1296 Albert III, his brothers and their uncle divided Saxony into Saxe-Wittenberg, ruled by Albert II, and Saxe-Lauenburg, jointly ruled by the brothers between 1296 and 1303 and thereafter partitioned among them. Albert III then ruled the branch duchy of Saxe-Ratzeburg until his death.

Life

Albert III's father, John I, resigned as duke in 1282 in favour of his three sons Albert III, Eric I, and John II. As they were all minors, their uncle, Albert II, acted as their regent. When Albert III and his brothers came of age they shared the government of the duchy. The last document, mentioning the brothers and their uncle Albert II as Saxon fellow dukes dates back to 1295.^[1]

The definite partitioning of Saxony into Saxe-Lauenburg, jointly ruled by Albert III and his brothers and Saxe-Wittenberg, ruled by their uncle Albert II, took place by 20 September 1296, at which time the Vierlande, Sadelbande (Land of Lauenburg), the Land of Ratzeburg, the Land of Darzing (later Amt Neuhaus), and the Land of Hadeln are mentioned as the separate territories of the brothers.^[2] Albert II received Saxe-Wittenberg around the eponymous city and Belzig.

Albert III and his brothers at first jointly ruled Saxe-Lauenburg, before they partitioned it into three parts, while the exclave Land of Hadeln remained a jointly ruled territory. Albert III then held Saxe-Ratzeburg until his death in 1308. His brother Eric I inherited part of Albert's lands, while Albert's widow, Margaret of Brandenburg-Salzwedel, retained the remainder. After her death, Eric I gained these lands as well.^[3]

However, his other brother. John II, then claimed a part for himself. So in 1321 Eric passed Bergedorf (including Vierlande) on to John II, whose lands became known as Saxe-Bergedorf-Mölln while Eric's became known as Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg.

Marriage and issue

In 1302 Albert III married Margaret of Brandenburg, and they had two children:

• Albert (Albrecht) (?–1344), who later married Sophia of Ziegenhain; and
• Eric (?–1338)

Notes

1. Cordula Bornefeld, "Die Herzöge von Sachsen-Lauenburg", in: Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg [De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 373-389, here p. 375. ISBN 978-3-529-02606-5
2. Cordula Bornefeld, "Die Herzöge von Sachsen-Lauenburg", in: Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg [De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 373-389, here p. 375. ISBN 978-3-529-02606-5
3. Cordula Bornefeld, "Die Herzöge von Sachsen-Lauenburg", in: Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg [De slevigske hertuger; German], Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 373-389, here p. 377. ISBN 978-3-529-02606-5