Denmark gain Saxe-Lauenburg in 1693

[Valdemar II]

With the death of Duke Julius Francis the Lauenburg line of the House of Ascania was extinct in the male line. However, female succession was possible by the Saxe-Lauenburgian laws. So the two surviving out of the three daughters of Julius Francis, Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg and Sibylle Auguste of Saxe-Lauenburg fought for the succession of the former, the elder sister. Their weakness was abused by Duke George William of the neighbouring Brunswick-Lunenburgian Principality of Lunenburg-Celle, who invaded Saxe-Lauenburg with his troops, thus inhibiting the ascension of the legal female heir to the throne Duchess Anna Maria.

Also other monarchies claimed the succession, resulting into a conflict involving further the neighbouring duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and of Danish Holstein, as well as the five Ascanian-ruled Principalities of Anhalt, the Electorate of Saxony, which had succeeded the Saxe-Wittenbergian Ascanians in 1422, Sweden and Brandenburg. Militarily engaged were Celle and Danish Holstein, which agreed on 9 October 1693 (Hamburger Vergleich), that Celle anyway de facto holding most of Saxe-Lauenburg will retain the duchy, while the fortress in Ratzeburg, fortified under Celle rule and directed against Holstein, would be razed. In return Danish Holstein, which had invaded Ratzeburg and ruined the fortress, would withdraw its troops.

What if Denmark had gotten Lauenburg instead of Hanover, would it had weaken the Danish position in the Great Northen War that Denmark had cheaten the Hanovean Kings of England from their "rightful" gains in this conflict or would the offer of Bremen-Verden be so great that they still join the war. What would the effect of gaining Lauenburg have for Denmark? Today it's relative densely populated area for a mostly rural area and the neighbouring part of Holstein had quite fertile soil, which indicate Lauenburg has that in common.

 

[Falastur]

I suspect that by the time that Hanover and the UK had entered personal union a full 22 years later, they would be over it. Besides, Parliament had enough power by this point that they could choose who to declare war upon without needing to take into account any slight against their new Hanoverian King might want revenge for.

 

[Vitruvius]

I suspect that by the time that Hanover and the UK had entered personal union a full 22 years later, they would be over it. Besides, Parliament had enough power by this point that they could choose who to declare war upon without needing to take into account any slight against their new Hanoverian King might want revenge for.

Agreed. Plus IIRC it was George I's wife's father who annexed Lauenburg. So it was a different branch of the family anyways - and there was a lot of tension within that family at that time. I'm guessing that the Emperor would still try to withhold Hadeln. But if Denmark did get Hadeln it would probably help vis a vis Swedish Bremen-Verden.

 

[Vitruvius]

After reviewing the details it just occurred to me that if there was some bad blood over Lauenburg one way to solve it would be to have Sophia of Celle, George William's daughter, marry the King of Denmark. George William was Duke of Luneburg and the one who annexed Lauenburg. Such a marriage was proposed OTL but fell through because of the opposition from the other branch of the family, in Hanover-Calenburg/Brunswick, that wanted Sophia to marry within the family. She did, to the future George I, so if she marries the Danish King instead there will be major butterflies. I'm not sure if the King of Denmark would be able to inherit Luneburg, but then again I don't think he had a real right to Lauenburg either.