Eric I of Saxe-Lauenburg (c. 1280 – 1360, Nienburg upon Weser) was a son of John I, Duke of Saxony

John I, Duke of Saxony

Duke John I of Saxony was the elder son of Duke Albert I of Saxony and his third wife Helen of Brunswick and Lunenburg, a daughter of Otto the Child...

 and Ingeborg Birgersdotter of Småland (*ca. 1253–30 June 1302*, Mölln

Molln

Molln is a municipality in the district of Kirchdorf an der Krems in Upper Austria, Austria.-References:...

), a daughter or grandchild of Birger jarl

Birger jarl

, or Birger Magnusson, was a Swedish statesman, Jarl of Sweden and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, which established Swedish rule in Finland. Additionally, he is traditionally attributed to have...

. He ruled Saxony

Duchy of Saxony

The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...

 jointly with his uncle Albert II

Albert II, Duke of Saxony

Albert II of Saxony was a son of Duke Albert I of Saxony and his third wife Helen of Brunswick and Lunenburg, a daughter of Otto the Child. He supported Rudolph I of Germany at his election as Roman king and became his son-in-law...

 and his brothers Albert III and John II, first fostered by Albert II, until coming of age. In 1296 Eric, his brothers and their uncle divided Saxony into Saxe-Wittenberg

Saxe-Wittenberg

The Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg was a medieval duchy of the Holy Roman Empire centered at Wittenberg, which emerged after the dissolution of the stem duchy of Saxony. As the precursor of the Saxon Electorate, the Ascanian Wittenberg dukes prevailed in obtaining the Saxon electoral dignity.-Ascanian...

, ruled by Albert II, and Saxe-Lauenburg, jointly ruled by the brothers between 1296 and 1303 and thereafter partitioned among them. Eric then ruled the branch duchy of Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg until 1338.

Life

Eric's father John I resigned from dukedom in 1282 in favour of his three minor sons Albert III, Eric I, and John II. However, their uncle Albert II fostered them. Eric and his brothers came to age and joint the government. The last document, mentioning the brothers and their uncle Albert II as Saxon fellow dukes dates back to 1295.

The definite partitioning of Saxony into Saxe-Lauenburg, jointly ruled by Eric I and his brothers and Saxe-Wittenberg, ruled by their uncle Albert II, took place before 20 September 1296, when the Vierlande, Sadelbande (Land of Lauenburg), the Land of Ratzeburg, the Land of Darzing (later Amt Neuhaus

Amt Neuhaus

Amt Neuhaus is a municipality in the District of Lunenburg , in Lower Saxony, Germany.- History :In the course of the eastern colonisation the area of today's Amt Neuhaus became a part of the Duchy of Saxony...

), and the Land of Hadeln are mentioned as the separate territory of the brothers. Albert II received Saxe-Wittenberg around the eponymous city and Belzig

Belzig

Bad Belzig, also known as Belzig, is a historic town in Brandenburg, Germany located about southwest of Berlin. It is the capital of the Potsdam-Mittelmark district.-Geography:...

.

Eric I and his brothers at first jointly ruled Saxe-Lauenburg, before they partitioned it into three parts, while the exclave Land of Hadeln remained a trilateral condominium. Eric then held Bergedorf (Vierlande) and Lauenburg and inherited the share of his childless brother Albert III, Saxe-Ratzeburg, after he already deceased in 1308 and a retained section from Albert's widow Margaret of Brandenburg-Salzwedel

Margaret of Brandenburg

Margaret of Brandenburg-Salzwedel was a Polish queen consort as the spouse of king Przemysł II of Poland and later a Saxon duchess consort as spouse of Albert III of Saxe-Ratzeburg...

 on her death. However, his other brother then claimed a part for him, so in 1321 Eric passed Bergedorf (Vierlande) on to John II, whose share thus became known since as Saxe-Bergedorf-Mölln and Eric's as Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg.

In 1338 Eric I resigned in favour of his son Eric II. In the course of a feud between Eric II and the neighbouring Duke William of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Celle) the latter's troops expelled Eric I from his castle Riepenburg in Kirchwerder (today's Borough of Bergedorf

Bergedorf

Bergedorf is the largest of the seven boroughs of Hamburg, Germany and a quarter within this borough. In 2006 the population of the borough was 118,942.-History:...

, Hamburg) and he perished in exile at his granddaughter Jutta in Hoya's capital Nienburg upon Weser.

Marriage and issue

In 1316 or 1318 Eric married Elisabeth of Pomerania (*1291–after 16 October 1349*), daughter of Bogislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania

Bogislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania

Bogislaw IV , of the Griffins dynasty, was Duke of Pomerania for thirty years.Bogislaw was the eldest son of Duke Barnim I by his first wife, sometimes said to be a daughter of King Eric X of Sweden. He was an adult at his father's death in 1278, having been co-ruler since 1276...

, making her one of the Saxon consorts. They had the following four children:

• Eric II of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (*1318/1320-1368*).
• John I of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (*?–1372*), Prince-Bishop of Cammin 1344–1372
• Helene of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (*?–after 1354*), married John II, Count of Hoya-Bruchhausen (*?–1377*)
• Jutta of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (*?–after 1354*), married Gerard III of Hoya-Nienburg (*?–1383*)