Canton of Wittingen

The canton of Wittingen was an administrative unit in the Kingdom of Westphalia. It was formed in 1810 after the incorporation of the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg into the Kingdom of Westphalia and assigned to the newly formed district of Salzwedel in the department of the Lower Elbe. As early as March 1811, the department of the Lower Elbe was dissolved and most of it came to the newly created Hanseatic departments of the French Empire. The district of Salzwedel was annexed to the department of the Elbe. The cantonal capital of the canton of Wittingen was Wittingen in the district of Gifhorn. After the dissolution of the Kingdom of Westphalia in October/November 1813, the cantons were dissolved again and the previous administrative division was restored.

With a decree of 18 August 1807, the French Emperor Napoleon created the Kingdom of Westphalia. It consisted mainly of the Electorate of Hesse and Prussian territories. In 1807, in the Treaty of Tilsit, Prussia had to cede the Altmark and the Duchy of Magdeburg, among other parts of the country, which were added to the new kingdom. However, the first and only King Hieronymus Napoleon, brother of Napoleon, did not receive full sovereignty over his kingdom until December 1, 1807.
Parts of the Altmark and smaller territories ceded by the Kingdom of Saxony formed the Department of the Elbe, which was divided into four districts.

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