Bernard II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Encyclopedia
Bernard II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, (about 1437–1464) was the Bishop
of Hildesheim
(as Bernard III) from 1452 to 1458, as well as Prince of Lüneburg
from 1457 to 1464.
to be his coadjutor and later became his successor when the bishop died. However, the bishop's aspiration that in selecting a Welf the bishopric would strengthen its position vis-a-vis the Welf Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel proved elusive because Bernard felt obliged to support the interests of his family first. At the request of his father, he left the bishopric in 1457 to take over the Principality of Lüneburg
, which he ruled jointly with his brother, Otto the Victorious, until his death in 1464. Bernard died without an heir, his marriage to Mathilda of Schaumburg in 1463 remaining childless.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
(as Bernard III) from 1452 to 1458, as well as Prince of Lüneburg
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
from 1457 to 1464.
Life
Bernard was the son of Frederick the Pious and his wife Magdalene of Brandenburg. In 1452, Bernard was elected at the request of the Bishop of HildesheimBishopric of Hildesheim
The Diocese of Hildesheim is a diocese or ecclesiastical territory of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Germany. Founded in 815 as a missionary diocese by King Louis the Pious, his son Louis the German appointed the famous former archbishop of Rheims, Ebbo, as bishop...
to be his coadjutor and later became his successor when the bishop died. However, the bishop's aspiration that in selecting a Welf the bishopric would strengthen its position vis-a-vis the Welf Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel proved elusive because Bernard felt obliged to support the interests of his family first. At the request of his father, he left the bishopric in 1457 to take over the Principality of Lüneburg
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
, which he ruled jointly with his brother, Otto the Victorious, until his death in 1464. Bernard died without an heir, his marriage to Mathilda of Schaumburg in 1463 remaining childless.
See also
- Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg
- Principality of LüneburgPrincipality of LüneburgThe Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
- Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim
Sources
- Die Diözese Hildesheim. In Vergangenheit und Gegenwart von Thomas Scharf-Wrede ISBN 3-7954-1721-X
- Geckler, Christa Die Celler Herzöge – Leben und Wirken 1371-1705 Georg Ströher Celle 1986,