The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. Various dynastic lines of the House of Welf ruled Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806...

 was a principality within the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. Various dynastic lines of the House of Welf ruled Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

 in 1806. As a result of the Vienna Congress, its successor state, the Duchy of Brunswick

Duchy of Brunswick

Brunswick was a historical state in Germany. Originally the territory of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the Holy Roman Empire, it was established as an independent duchy by the Congress of Vienna in 1815...

, was created in 1814. The following is a list of all the reigning princes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Note that, in addition to being titled "Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel", all the princes (not just the reigning ones) also used the title of "Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg".

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Princes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Reign	Name
1267–1279	Albert I (1236–1279) founded the Old House of Brunswick
1279–1291	joint reign of his sons: Henry I the Admirable, Albert II the Fat and William I.
In 1291 there was a further division of the estate as a resolution of the inheritance dispute between the brothers: Henry was given the Principality of Grubenhagen; Albert took over the Principality of Göttingen Principality of Göttingen The Principality of Göttingen was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire with Göttingen as its capital. It was split off from the principality of Brunswick in 1286 in the course of an estate division among members of the House of Welf...  and William was given the territories around Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. When William died in 1292, a disagreement broke out over who should inherit. In the end Henry withdrew to Grubenhagen leaving Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel to Albert.

Reign	Name
1291–1292	William I
1292–1318	Albert the Fat (1268–1318)
1318–1344	After the death of Albert his sons Otto the Mild, Ernest and Magnus divided the princedom. After Otto died without issue in 1344, his two brothers Ernest and Magnus divided the estate between them: Ernest received the Land of Oberwald with Göttingen, whilst Magnus the Pious took over the reins of power in Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
1344–1369	Magnus the Pious (1304–1369)
1369–1373	Magnus Torquatus (the Lüneburg War of Succession Lüneburg War of Succession The Lüneburg War of Succession was a conflict that broke out in 1370 in north Germany and lasted, with interruptions, for 18 years. The war was over the line of succession to the Principality of Lüneburg...  of 1370-88 began under him; it was continued by his sons Frederick and Bernard).
1373–1400	Frederick; following the murder of Frederick near Fritzlar Fritzlar Fritzlar is a small German town in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, north of Frankfurt, with a storied history. It can reasonably be argued that the town is the site where the Christianization of northern Germany began and the birthplace of the German empire as a political entity.The...  in 1400 there was a period of joint rule by Bernard and Henry
1400–1409	Henry the Mild (d 1416); founded the Middle House of Brunswick, which his nephews, William I and Henry, initially divided.
1400–1428	Bernard, inherited Lüneburg and founded the House of Hanover
1416–1482	William I (d 1482)
1482–1491	William II (d 1503)
1491–1514	Henry the Elder (1463–1514), the Friedfertige
1514–1568	Henry the Younger (1489–1568); - under him the medieval fortress (Burg) was rebuilt into a castle (Schloss); he was a passionate opponent of the Lutherans, and driving force behind the Catholic alliance established against the Schmalkaldic League Schmalkaldic League The Schmalkaldic League was a defensive alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although originally started for religious motives soon after the start of the Protestant Reformation, its members eventually intended for the League to replace the Holy... ; the disinheritance of a third son could not be carried out
1568–1589	Julius (1528–1589); - a great builder of the town, who from the fortress created the first systematically laid out Renaissance Renaissance The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...  town; in 1572 he founded the library, whose present name goes back to its most important collect, Duke August the Younger; he also founded the university 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....  in Helmstedt Helmstedt Helmstedt is a city located at the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. Helmstedt has 26,000 inhabitants . In former times the city was also called Helmstädt....  in 1576 and built the castle of Hessen; in the early 16th centurh he reinforced the bastions into a fortress; he purchased Kalenberg, Göttingen Göttingen Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...  and Diepholz Diepholz Diepholz is a town and capital of the district of Diepholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Hunte, approximately 45 km northeast of Osnabrück, and 60 km southwest of Bremen.... ; Julius was a Protestant
1589–1613	Henry Julius (1564–1613) - it was the cultural heyday in Wolfenbüttel; Henry Julius was the Bishop of Halberstadt, the rector of the University 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.... , the president of the manorial court, an alchemist, hunter and author
1613–1634	Frederick Ulrich (1591–1634)
The Wolfenbüttel line of the Middle House of Brunswick died out in 1634. The title was transferred to the old branch of the House of Lüneburg (New House of Brunswick)
1635–1666	Augustus the Younger of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1579–1666) - in 1643 he moved into the Residence at Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick... , was the founder of a barock theatre and the Bibliotheca Augusta
1666–1704	Rudolf Augustus (1627–1704) according to reports dating to 1677, he slashed a way through the Lechlum Forest, the Alten Weg ("Old Way"), later the "Barock Road" between the Lustschloss Lustschloss A Lustschloss is a small palace which served the private pleasure of its owner, usually the ruler of the area. It is located in, and was inhabited for court, ceremonial, and state duties.A Lustschloss is often coupled with a Jagdschloss... of Antoinettenruh via the little barock castle [later the Sternhaus] to the Großes Weghaus at Stöckheim; in 1671 he captured the town and fortress of Brunswick
1685–1714	Anthony Ulrich (1633–1714) - Anton Ulrich was a politician, art lover and poet; founder of the museum named after him in Brunswick; er had Salzdahlum Castle built
1714–1731	Augustus William (1662–1731)
1731–1735	Louis Rudolph (1671–1735)
The Wolfenbüttel line died out. The title was transferred to the collateral line of Brunswick-Bevern
1735	Ferdinand Albert II (1680–1735)
1735–1780	Charles I (1713–1780) - founder of the Collegium Carolinum in Brunswick, the porcelain makers of Fürstenberg, the fire office; in 1753 the Residence was moved to Brunswick
1780–1806	Charles II William Ferdinand (1735–1806) - he was the head of the Prussian Army; died in the Battle of Jena; because his son and heir died young, and two other sons were not eligible, rule passed to his youngest son:
1806–1807	Frederick William (1771–1815); Duke of Oels/Silesia Duchy of Oels The Duchy of Oels or Duchy of Oleśnica was one of the duchies of Silesia, with the capital in Oleśnica, Poland.Initially part of the Piast Duchy of Wrocław, the Oleśnica area became part of the Duchy of Głogów in 1294, following an armed conflict between Duke Henry III and Henry V the Fat, Duke of... , the "Black Duke"; recruited a Freikorps Freikorps Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during... (volunteer corps), the Black Brunswickers Black Brunswickers The Black Brunswickers were a volunteer corps raised by German-born Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel to fight in the Napoleonic Wars. The Duke was a harsh opponent of Napoleon Bonaparte's occupation of his native Germany... , at the outbreak of the War of the Fifth Coalition in Bohemia Bohemia Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...  in 1809, and made his way via Brunswick to the North Sea North Sea In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...  and then on to Great Britain United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it.... .
1807–1813	occupied by the French (Kingdom of Westphalia Kingdom of Westphalia The Kingdom of Westphalia was a new country of 2.6 million Germans that existed from 1807-1813. It included of territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte... )
In 1814 reformed as the: Duchy of Brunswick Duchy of Brunswick Brunswick was a historical state in Germany. Originally the territory of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the Holy Roman Empire, it was established as an independent duchy by the Congress of Vienna in 1815...

Sources

• Wilhelm Havemann: Geschichte der Lande Braunschweig und Lüneburg. 3 Bände. Nachdruck. Hirschheydt, Hanover 1974/75, ISBN 3-7777-0843-7 (Originalausgabe: Verlag der Dietrich'schen Buchhandlung, Göttingen 1853-1857, online near Google Books)
• Hans Patze (Begr.): Geschichte Niedersachsen. 7 Bände. Hahnsche Buchhandlung, Hanover 1977- (Veröffentlichungen der Historischen Kommission für Niedersachsen und Bremen, 36) (Übersicht des Verlags)
• Gudrun Pischke: The Landesteilungen der Welfen im Mittelalter. Lax, Hildesheim 1987, ISBN 3-7848-3654-2