Bernard II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg

Bernard II
Bernard's coat of arms, formerly Ratzeburg Cathedral, now District Museum, Ratzeburg
Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (joint rule with his brother Eric V until 1435)
Reign	1426–63
Predecessor	Eric V
Successor	John V
Born	ca. 1385/1392
Died	16 July 1463
Consort	Adelheid of Pomerania-Stolp
Issue more...	Sophia, Duchess of Jülich-Berg John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg
House	Ascania
Father	Eric IV of Saxe-Lauenburg
Mother	Sophia of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Religion	Roman Catholic

Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg (German: Bernhard II.; ca. 1385/1392–16 July 1463) was a member of the House of Ascania and Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg from 1426 to 1463. His full title was Duke of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia, however only ruling the branch duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg between 1426 and 1463.

Life

He was a son of Eric IV, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and Sophia of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Since long Bernard urged his ruling brother Eric V to share his reign. Failed in his fight for the Saxon electorate Eric finally agreed and made Bernard the co-duke of Saxe-Lauenburg in 1426.^[1] When Eric V died in 1435 Bernard continued the reign alone.

Bernard II reinforced Saxe-Lauenburg's claim to inherit Electoral Saxe-Wittenberg with the latter and Saxe-Lauenburg having been partitioned from the younger Duchy of Saxony in the 13th century. Following his great-great-great-great grandfather Bernard I, the first Ascanian duke of younger Saxony, Bernard II is counted as second.

In order to strengthen his claim Bernard adopted the Saxe-Wittenbergian coat-of-arms for Saxe-Lauenburg. The coat of arms shows in the upper left quarter the Ascanian barry of ten, in Or and sable, covered by a crancelin of rhombs bendwise in vert.^[2] The crancelin symbolises the Saxon ducal crown. The second quarter shows in azure an eagle crowned in Or, representing the imperial Pfalzgraviate of Saxony. The third quarter displays in argent three water-lily leaves in gules, standing for the County of Brehna. The lower right fourth quarter shows in sable and argent the electoral swords (German: Kurschwerter) in gules, indicating the Saxon office as Imperial Arch-Marshal (German: Erzmarschall, Latin: Archimarescallus), pertaining to the Saxon privilege as Prince-elector, besides the right to elect a new emperor after the decease of the former.

The different quarters of the coat of arms, from then on representing the Duchy of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (Lauenburg), were later often misinterpreted as symbolising Angria (Brehna's water-lily leaves) and Westphalia (the comital palatine Saxon eagle).^[3]

Marriage and issue

In 1428 Bernard married Adelheid of Pomerania-Stolp (1410 – after 1445), daughter of Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania. They had the following children:

• Sophia (1428 – 9 September 1473), married Gerhard VII, Duke of Jülich-Berg
• John V (1439–1507).

Ancestry

Ancestors of Bernard II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg

16. John I, Duke of Saxony               8. Eric I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg                       17. Ingeborg Birgersdotter of Småland               4. Eric II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg                             18. Bogislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania               9. Elisabeth of Pomerania                       19. Matilda of Brandenburg               2. Eric IV, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg                                   20. Gerard II, Count of Holstein-Plön               10. John III, Count of Holstein-Plön                       21. Agnes of Brandenburg               5. Agnes of Holstein                             22. Henry III, Duke of Silesia-Glogau               11. Catherine of Silesia-Glogau                       23. Matilda of Brunswick-Lüneburg               1. Bernard II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg                                         24. Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg               12. Magnus the Pious, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg                       25. Rixa of Werle               6. Magnus II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg                             26. Henry I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal               13. Sophia of Brandenburg-Stendal                       27. Agnes of Bavaria               3. Sophia of Brunswick-Lüneburg                                   28. Bernard II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg               14. Bernhard III, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg                       29. Helen of Rugia               7. Catherine of Anhalt-Bernburg                             30. Rudolph I, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg               15. Agnes of Saxe-Wittenberg                       31. Brigdet (Jutta) of Brandenburg

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. 377. ISBN 978-3-529-02606-5
2. The House of Wettin also adopted the barry of ten with the crancelin as its coat-of-arm, when it gained Saxe-Wittenberg, which is why the barry reappears in the arms of many (formerly) Wettin-ruled states.
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. 378. ISBN 978-3-529-02606-5