Frederick Ulrich Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Brunswick-Lüneburg

The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...

, was prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1613 until his death.

Frederick Ulrich was a son of Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Henry Julius was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1589 until his death. In 1576 he had become the first rector of the Protestant University of Helmstedt.- Life :...

. He studied at the universities of Helmstedt

University of Helmstedt

The University of Helmstedt, official Latin name: Academia Julia , was a university in Helmstedt in the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel that existed from 1576 until 1810....

 and Tübingen, and became ruling duke after the death of his father in 1613. In 1615, Frederick Ulrich got involved in a war with the City of Brunswick, which was reluctant to recognize his overlordship.

Between 1616 and 1622, he was de facto deposed by his mother, Elizabeth, with the help of her brother, King Christian IV of Denmark

Christian IV of Denmark

Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...

, because of his alcoholism

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...

; government business was led by Anton von Streithorst, who nearly ruined the state by minting coins from cheap metals and thus causing inflation

Inflation

In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...

. Because of the bad situation of the state, Christian had Frederick Ulrich take control of the government again. With the help of the states' nobility, he managed to regain control; the members of the Streithorst government fled the state.

Because of Frederick Ulrich's indecision and weakness, Brunswick was heavily ransacked during the Thirty Years' War

Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....

 — both by the Catholic forces of Tilly

Johan t'Serclaes, Count of Tilly

Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly , commanded the Imperial forces in the Thirty Years' War. He had a string of important victories against the Protestants but was then defeated by forces led by the King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden...

 and Pappenheim

Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim

Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim was field marshal of the Holy Roman Emperor in the Thirty Years' War.-Biography:...

 and by the Protestant forces of Christian of Denmark and Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden

Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...

. The duke lost most of his territory during this time. He died after an accident in 1634.

Ancestors

Frederick Ulrich's ancestors in three generations

Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg	Father: Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Henry Julius was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1589 until his death. In 1576 he had become the first rector of the Protestant University of Helmstedt.- Life :...	Paternal Grandfather: Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1568 until his death....	Paternal Great-grandfather: Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Henry , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, called the Younger, was Prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1514 until his death...
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Mary of Württemberg
		Paternal Grandmother: Hedwig	Paternal Great-grandfather: Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg Joachim II Hector was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg . A member of the House of Hohenzollern, Joachim II was the son of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg, and his wife Elizabeth of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden...
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Magdalena of Saxony Magdalena of Saxony Magdalena of Saxony was Margravine of Brandenburg, its "Electoral Princess", the Electoral equivalent of a crown princess.She was the daughter of George the Bearded, Duke of Saxony and his wife Barbara...
	Mother: Elizabeth of Denmark	Maternal Grandfather: Frederick II of Denmark Frederick II of Denmark Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...	Maternal Great-grandfather: Christian III of Denmark Christian III of Denmark Christian III reigned as king of Denmark and Norway. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg , consort of Christian III from 1525 and Queen consort of Denmark and Norway. She was daughter of Duke Magnus I of Saxe-Lauenburg and Catherine, daughter of Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
		Maternal Grandmother: Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 1631) Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow was a German noble and Queen of Denmark and Norway. She was the mother of King Christian IV of Denmark...	Maternal Great-grandfather: Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Elizabeth of Denmark

Family

Frederick Ulrich married Anna Sophia (1598-1659), daughter of John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg

John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg

John Sigismund was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from the House of Hohenzollern. He also served as a Duke of Prussia.-Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia:...

, in 1614. They had no children. Frederick Ulrich tried to get a divorce from Anna Sophia, but he died before the divorce was completed. Anna Sophia spent her widowhood in Schöningen

Schöningen

Schöningen is a town of about 13,000 inhabitants in the district of Helmstedt, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located near the border with Saxony-Anhalt, on the southeastern rim of the Elm hill range...

, where she founded a renowned school, the Anna-Sophianeum.