George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (17 February 1582, in
Celle
Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...
– 12 April 1641, in
Hildesheim), ruled as
Prince of Calenberg from 1635.
George was the sixth son of
William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1535–1592) and
Dorothea of Denmark (1546–1617). His mother was daughter to King
Christian III of Denmark
Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...
and
Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. She acted as a regent during the early years of his reign, keeping power from the Councillors who had mismanaged the estates during his father's fits of insanity.
In the 1635 re-division of the territories of the
House of Welf
The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconia, Franconian family from ...
, after the death of
Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, he received the
Principality of Calenberg, which included the former
Principality of Göttingen, since 1495, while his elder brother,
Augustus the Elder, retained the
Principality of Lüneburg. George was the first duke to move his residence to
Hanover, where he built the
Leineschloss as his residence in 1636, a palace situated by the river
Leine. After his death, he was succeeded by his son,
Christian Louis.
He is a character in the
Eric Flint series of science fiction novels, ''
The Ring of Fire'' as the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, a moderate conservative member of the Crown Loyalist faction, and commander of a division in the Army of the United States of Europe.
Children
George married
Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt, daughter of
Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and
Magdalene of Brandenburg, in 1617. They had the following known children:
*
Christian Louis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1622–1665),
Prince of Calenberg from 1641-1648, and
Prince of Lüneburg from 1648-1665.
*
George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
George William (german: Georg Wilhelm; 26 January 1624 – 28 August 1705) was the first Welf Duke of Lauenburg after its occupation in 1689. From 1648 to 1665, he was the ruler of the Principality of Calenberg as an appanage from his eldest b ...
(1624–1705), Prince of Calenberg from 1648-1665, and Prince of Lüneburg from 1665-1705. He was the father of
Sophia Dorothea of Celle, wife of the future King
George I of Great Britain.
*
John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1625–1679), Prince of Calenberg from 1665-1679.
*
Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1628–1685), who married King
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III ( da, Frederik; 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator (colloquially referred to as prince-bi ...
.
*
Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover (1629–1698), Prince of Calenberg from 1679-1698, and father of King George I of Great Britain.
Ancestors
Descendants
See
List of members of the House of Hanover.
External links
References
*
At the House of Welf site
{{DEFAULTSORT:George of Brunswick-Luneburg, Duke
1582 births
1641 deaths
New House of Lüneburg
Princes of Calenberg
People from Celle
Protestant monarchs
Military personnel of the Holy Roman Empire
People of the Kalmar War
Military personnel from Lower Saxony