Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg
Encyclopedia
Francis I of Saxe-Lauenburg (1510 – 19 March 1581, Buxtehude
) was the eldest child and only son of Duke Magnus I of Saxe-Lauenburg and Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
(1488 – 29 July 1563, Neuhaus
), daughter of Duke Henry IV the Evil of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel)
. Francis I succeeded his father in 1543 as duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, but resigned in favour of his major son Magnus II in 1571. Two years later he reascended and was succeeded by Francis II in 1581.
s to his creditors. In 1550 Francis I wielded his influence to make the chapter
of the neighbouring Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg elect his 7-year-old son Magnus as coming prince-bishop
, however, the capitular canons refused.
Heavily indebted and with no further need for good relations with the prince-bishopric Francis I looted Ratzeburg Cathedral in 1552. In 1558 he conquered the prince-episcopal Bridgettine
Monastery of Marienwohlde near Mölln
, looted and demolished the cloister, forced its vassal
farmers to swear him loyalty and pay him dues, and started overfelling in the monasterial woods, selling the timber abroad.
In 1571 – highly indebted – Francis I resigned in favour of his eldest son Magnus II, who had promised to redeem the pawned ducal demesnes with funds he gained as Swedish military commander and by his marriage to a Swedish princess. However, Magnus did not redeem pawns but further alienated ducal possessions, which ignited a conflict between Magnus and his father and brothers Francis (II) and Maurice as well as the estates of the duchy
, further escalating due to Magnus' violent temperament.
In 1573 Francis I deposed Magnus and reascended to the throne while Magnus fled to Sweden
, the homeland of his wife Sophia Vasa of Sweden
. The following year Magnus hired troops in order to take Saxe-Lauenburg with violence. Francis II, an experienced military commander in imperial service, and Duke Adolphus of Holstein-Gottorp
, then Lower Saxon
circular chief , helped Francis I to defeat Magnus. In return Saxe-Lauenburg had to cede the bailiwick of Steinhorst
to Adolphus' Holstein-Gottorp in 1575. Francis II again helped his father to inhibit Magnus' second military attempt to overthrow his father in 1578. Francis I then made Francis II his vicegerent actually governing the duchy.
In 1581 - shortly before he died and after consultations with his son Prince-Archbishop Henry
of Bremen and Emperor Rudolph II
, but unconcerted with his other sons Magnus and Maurice - Francis I made his third son Francis II, whom he considered the ablest, his sole successor, violating the rules of primogeniture
. This severed the anyway difficult relations with the estates of the duchy, which fought the ducal practice of growing indebtedness.
On 8 February 1540 Francis I married in Dresden
Sibylle of Saxony (Freiberg
, *2 May 1515 – 18 July 1592*, Buxtehude
), daughter of Duke Henry IV the Pious of Saxony
. When in 1543 Francis I ascended to the throne, Sybille became the Saxon consort. They had the following children:
Illegitimate children with Else Rautenstein were:
Buxtehude
Buxtehude is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany in the district of Stade and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . Buxtehude is a steadily growing medium-sized town and the second largest in the district of Stade. It lies on the southern borders of the Altes Land within easy reach of...
) was the eldest child and only son of Duke Magnus I of Saxe-Lauenburg and Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg
Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a member of the house of Welf and a Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg.- Life :...
(1488 – 29 July 1563, 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...
), daughter of Duke Henry IV the Evil of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel)
Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Henry , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, called Henry the Elder or Henry the Evil, was prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1491 until his death.-Life:...
. Francis I succeeded his father in 1543 as duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, but resigned in favour of his major son Magnus II in 1571. Two years later he reascended and was succeeded by Francis II in 1581.
Life
With his thriftiness Francis I deeply plunged Saxe-Lauenburg into debts, to this end he pawned most of the ducal demesneDemesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
s to his creditors. In 1550 Francis I wielded his influence to make the chapter
Cathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
of the neighbouring Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg elect his 7-year-old son Magnus as coming prince-bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
, however, the capitular canons refused.
Heavily indebted and with no further need for good relations with the prince-bishopric Francis I looted Ratzeburg Cathedral in 1552. In 1558 he conquered the prince-episcopal Bridgettine
Bridgettines
The Bridgettine or Birgittine Order is a monastic religious order of Augustinian nuns, Religious Sisters and monks founded by Saint Birgitta of Sweden in approximately 1350, and approved by Pope Urban V in 1370...
Monastery of Marienwohlde near Mölln
Molln
Molln is a municipality in the district of Kirchdorf an der Krems in Upper Austria, Austria.-References:...
, looted and demolished the cloister, forced its vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
farmers to swear him loyalty and pay him dues, and started overfelling in the monasterial woods, selling the timber abroad.
In 1571 – highly indebted – Francis I resigned in favour of his eldest son Magnus II, who had promised to redeem the pawned ducal demesnes with funds he gained as Swedish military commander and by his marriage to a Swedish princess. However, Magnus did not redeem pawns but further alienated ducal possessions, which ignited a conflict between Magnus and his father and brothers Francis (II) and Maurice as well as the estates of the duchy
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
, further escalating due to Magnus' violent temperament.
In 1573 Francis I deposed Magnus and reascended to the throne while Magnus fled to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the homeland of his wife Sophia Vasa of Sweden
Princess Sophia of Sweden
Princess Sophia of Sweden also Sofia Gustavsdotter Vasa , was a Swedish princess, daughter of King Gustav Vasa of Sweden and Margareta Leijonhufvud, a Swedish noble...
. The following year Magnus hired troops in order to take Saxe-Lauenburg with violence. Francis II, an experienced military commander in imperial service, and Duke Adolphus of Holstein-Gottorp
Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp was the first Duke of Holstein-Gottorp from the line of Holstein-Gottorp of the House of Oldenburg....
, then Lower Saxon
Lower Saxon Circle
The Lower Saxon Circle was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. Covering much of the territory of the mediæval Duchy of Saxony , firstly the circle used to be called the Saxon Circle , only to be later better differentiated from the Upper Saxon Circle the more specific name prevailed.An...
circular chief , helped Francis I to defeat Magnus. In return Saxe-Lauenburg had to cede the bailiwick of Steinhorst
Steinhorst
Steinhorst may refer to the following places in Germany:*Steinhorst, Schleswig-Holstein, a municipality in the district of Lauenburg, Schleswig-Holstein*Steinhorst, Lower Saxony, a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, Lower Saxony...
to Adolphus' Holstein-Gottorp in 1575. Francis II again helped his father to inhibit Magnus' second military attempt to overthrow his father in 1578. Francis I then made Francis II his vicegerent actually governing the duchy.
In 1581 - shortly before he died and after consultations with his son Prince-Archbishop Henry
Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg
Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg was a Prince-Archbishop of Bremen , then Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück , then Prince-Bishop of Paderborn . The Roman Catholic Church never confirmed the Lutheran Henry as bishop....
of Bremen and Emperor Rudolph II
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Hungary and Croatia , King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria...
, but unconcerted with his other sons Magnus and Maurice - Francis I made his third son Francis II, whom he considered the ablest, his sole successor, violating the rules of primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
. This severed the anyway difficult relations with the estates of the duchy, which fought the ducal practice of growing indebtedness.
Marriage and issue
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
Sibylle of Saxony (Freiberg
Freiberg, Saxony
Freiberg is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, administrative center of the Mittelsachsen district.-History:The city was founded in 1186, and has been a center of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries...
, *2 May 1515 – 18 July 1592*, Buxtehude
Buxtehude
Buxtehude is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany in the district of Stade and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . Buxtehude is a steadily growing medium-sized town and the second largest in the district of Stade. It lies on the southern borders of the Altes Land within easy reach of...
), daughter of Duke Henry IV the Pious of Saxony
Henry IV, Duke of Saxony
Henry IV the Pious, Duke of Saxony was a Duke of Saxony from the House of Wettin.-Biography:Heinrich was the second son of Albert, Duke of Saxony and his wife Sidonie Podiebrad, princess of Bohemia...
. When in 1543 Francis I ascended to the throne, Sybille became the Saxon consort. They had the following children:
- Albrecht (Albert) of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (*1542 – 1544*)
- Dorothea of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (LunenburgLunenburgLunenburg was the form customary in 18th-century English for Lüneburg, the city and region in Germany. It therefore occurs in several placenames in North America.-Canada:*Lunenburg, Nova Scotia*Lunenburg, Nova Scotia...
, *11 March 1543 – 5 April 1586*, Herzberg am HarzHerzberg am HarzHerzberg am Harz is a town in the Osterode district of Lower Saxony, Germany.- History :Herzberg castle was first mentioned in 1154. The town was part of the state of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, and the castle was for some time used as a residence by the dukes...
), ∞ Duke Wolfgang of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Grubenhagen-Herzberg)Wolfgang, Duke of Brunswick-GrubenhagenDuke Wolfgang of Brunswick-Grubenhagen was the Prince of Grubenhagen from 1567 to 1595.Wolfgang was born on 6 April 1531 in Herzberg, the fifth son of Duke Philip I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen and his second wife, Catherine of Mansfeld. He succeeded his brother, Ernest as Duke in 1567, governing the...
(*1531 – 1595*) - Magnus II of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (Lauenburg) (*1543 – 14 May 1603*, RatzeburgRatzeburgRatzeburg is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the Kreis of Lauenburg.-History:...
) - Ursula of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (*1545 – 22 October 1620*, SchernebeckSchernebeckSchernebeck is a village and a former municipality in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 31 May 2010, it is part of the town Tangerhütte....
), married in 1569 Duke Henry X of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Dannenberg)Henry III, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgHenry was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg from 1559 until 1598 and ruled over the Dannenberg subdivision of the duchy. He was the son of Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.He died in Dannenberg on 19 January 1598.... - Francis II of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (Lauenburg) (*1547 – 1619*)
- Henry of Saxony, Angria and WestphaliaHenry of Saxe-LauenburgHenry of Saxe-Lauenburg was a Prince-Archbishop of Bremen , then Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück , then Prince-Bishop of Paderborn . The Roman Catholic Church never confirmed the Lutheran Henry as bishop....
(*1 November 1550 – 22 April 1585*, VördeBremervördeBremervörde is a town in the north of the district Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the Oste river near the mid of the triangle, which is formed of the rivers Weser and Elbe respectively the cities of Hamburg, Bremen and Cuxhaven....
), as Henry III Prince-Archbishop of Bremen (1567–1585), as well as Prince-Bishop of OsnabrückPrince-Bishopric of OsnabrückThe Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück was a prince-bishopric centred on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück. The diocese was erected in 772 and is the oldest see founded by Charlemagne, in order to Christianize the conquered stem-duchy of Saxony....
(Henry II, 1574–1585) and Paderborn (Henry I, 1577–1585), married Anna von Broich - Maurice of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (Lauenburg) (*1551 – 1612*), married in 1581 Katharina von Spörck, divorced in 1582
- Sidonia Catharina of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia (*?– 1594*), married in 1567 (1) Wenceslaus III Adam, Duke of CieszynWenceslaus III Adam, Duke of CieszynWenceslaus III Adam of Cieszyn was a Duke of Cieszyn since 1528 until his death.He was the second but only surviving son of Wenceslaus II, co-Duke of Cieszyn, by his wife Anna, daughter of Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach...
and in 1586 (2) Emmerich III Forgach, Upper Gespan of the Duchy of Teschen - Frederick of Saxony, Angria and WestphaliaFrederick, Duke of Saxe-LauenburgFrederick of Saxe-Lauenburg , was a cathedral canon at Strasbourg Minster, chorbishop at Cologne Cathedral and cathedral provost , a function including the presidency of the chapter, at Bremen Cathedral.-Life:...
(*1554 – 1586*, CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
), canonCanon (priest)A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
at the CologneCologne CathedralCologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
and Bremen CathedralBremen CathedralBremen Cathedral , dedicated to St. Peter, is a church situated in the market square in the center of Bremen, in northern Germany. The cathedral belongs to the Bremian Evangelical Church, a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation named Evangelical Church in Germany...
s
Illegitimate children with Else Rautenstein were:
- Franz Rautenstein (*? – after 26 December 1618*)
- Katharina Rautenstein (*1565 – 1587*), ∞ in 1579 Johann Grotjan