William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Encyclopedia
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...
and Prince of Lüneburg from 1559 until his death. Until 1569 he ruled together with his brother Henry of Dannenberg.
He was the son of Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg , also frequently called Ernest the Confessor, was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and a champion of the protestant cause during the early years of the Protestant Reformation...
. On 12 October 1561 he married Dorothea of Denmark (29 June 1546 Kolding
Kolding
Kolding is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in Region of Southern Denmark . It is the site of the council Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companies, principally geared towards shipbuilding...
–6 January 1617 Winsen
Winsen, Schleswig-Holstein
Winsen is a municipality in the district of Segeberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
), daughter of 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:...
and 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...
.
In 1582, William began suffering from fits of insanity. These fits caused his wife to flee him in 1584 for her own safety.
After his death, his wife became regent for their son George
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ruled as Prince of Calenberg from 1635.He was a son of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Dorothea of Denmark . His mother was daughter to Christian III of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg...
.
Children that reached adulthood
- Sophia (30 October 1563 – 1639), married George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-AnsbachGeorge Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-AnsbachGeorge Frederick of Brandenburg-Ansbach was Margrave of Ansbach and Bayreuth, as well as Regent of Prussia. He was the son of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and a member of the House of Hohenzollern...
- ErnstErnest II, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgErnest II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg , was the Prince of Lüneburg from 1592 to 1611.-Life:Ernest was born on 31 December 1564 as the second of fifteen children and the eldest son of William the Younger and his consort Dorothea of Denmark. After studying at Wittenberg, Leipzig and Straßburg he...
(31 December 1564 – 2 March 1611); Prince of Lüneburg 1592–1611 - Elisabeth (19 October 1565 – 17 July 1621), married Frederick, Count of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
- ChristianChristian, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgChristian the Elder, Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg, was Prince of Lüneburg and Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Minden.- Life :...
(19 November 1566 – 8 November 1633); Prince of Lüneburg 1611–1633 - AugustusAugustus I, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgAugustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the Lutheran Bishop of Ratzeburg from 1610 to 1636 and the Prince of Lüneburg from 1633 to 1636.- Life :...
(18 November 1568 – 1 October 1636); - DorotheaDorothea of Brunswick-LüneburgDorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg was a daughter of Duke William "the younger" of Brunswick-Lüneburg and his wife, Dorothea of Denmark, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg....
(1 January 1570 – 15 August 1649), married Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-BirkenfeldCharles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-BirkenfeldCharles I of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld , Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke in Bavaria, Count to Veldenz and Sponheim was the Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from 1569 until 1600.-Life:... - Clara (16 January 1571 – 18 July 1658), married William, Count of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg
- Anne Ursula (22 March 1572 – 5 February 1601)
- Margaret (6 April 1573 – 7 August 1643), married John Casimir, Duke of Saxe-CoburgJohn Casimir, Duke of Saxe-CoburgJohn Casimir of Saxe-Coburg , was a duke of Saxe-Coburg.He was the third but eldest surviving son of John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony, and Countess Palatine Elisabeth of Simmern-Sponheim....
- FrederickFrederick IV, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgFrederick, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was the Prince of Lüneburg from 1636 to 1648.Frederick was born on 28 August 1574, the tenth child of William the Younger and Dorothea of Denmark....
(28 August 1574 – 10 December 1648); Prince of Lüneburg 1636–1648 - Marie (21 October 1575 – 8 August 1610)
- Magnus (30 August 1577 – 10 February 1632)
- GeorgeGeorge, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgGeorge, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ruled as Prince of Calenberg from 1635.He was a son of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Dorothea of Denmark . His mother was daughter to Christian III of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg...
(17 February 1582 – 12 April 1641); Prince of Calenberg 1635–1641 - John (23 June 1583 – 27 November 1628)
- Sybille (3 June 1584 – 5 August 1652), married Julius Ernest, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg