The Principality of Grubenhagen was a subdivision of the

Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (german: Herzogtum Braunschweig und Lüneburg), or more properly the Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was a historical duchy that existed from the late Middle Ages to the Late Modern era within the Holy Roma ...

, ruled by the Grubenhagen line 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 Franconian family from the Meus ...

from 1291. It is also known as Brunswick-Grubenhagen. The principality fell to the Brunswick Principality of Lüneburg in 1617; from 1665 the territory was ruled by the

Calenberg The Calenberg is a hill in central Germany in the Leine depression near Pattensen in the municipality of Schulenburg. It lies 13 km west of the city of Hildesheim in south Lower Saxony on the edge of the Central Uplands. It is made from a ...

branch of the Welf dynasty.

Geography

Schloss Herzberg, Herzberg am Harz von Osten 2009

The principality was located on the southwestern edge of the

Harz The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

mountain range in present-day

South Lower Saxony South Lower Saxony (german: Südniedersachsen) refers to the southern part of the German federal state of Lower Saxony. The region so described is neither historically nor geographically clearly defined to the north within Lower Saxony. It cuts acr ...

. It included two separate territories, one around the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

Einbeck Einbeck (; Eastphalian: ''Aimbeck'') is a town in the district Northeim, in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, on the German Timber-Frame Road. History Prehistory The area of the current city of Einbeck is inhabited since prehistoric times. Vari ...

with Grubenhagen Castle, and another domain around the towns of Osterode and

Duderstadt Duderstadt () is a city in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district of Göttingen. It is the center and capital of the northern part of the Eichsfeld ("Untereichsfeld"). In earlier times it was the private wealth of the Roman Cat ...

(ceded to

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

in 1366) with Clausthal, Herzberg, and

Herzberg Castle Herzberg Castle (german: Schloss Herzberg) is a German '' schloss'' in Herzberg am Harz in the district of Göttingen in the state of Lower Saxony. The present-day, quadrangular building has its origins in the 11th century as a medieval ''cas ...

. The dominion also comprised the eastern exclave of Elbingerode, today part of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making i ...

History

Grubenhagen was split off from the Brunswick Principality of Wolfenbüttel in 1291, when the sons of late Duke Albert the Tall (1236–1279) finally divided their heritage. Its first ruler was Duke Henry the Admirable. Henry's sons split the small principality further in 1322 as they themselves had numerous heirs; Otto, son of Duke Henry II, in view of his small share left for Montferrat, married Queen Joan I of Naples in 1376 and became Prince of Taranto in 1383. The ongoing fragmentation weakened the position of the Grubenhagen branch regarding estate distributions involving their Wolfenbüttel, Lüneburg and

cousins. The Principality of Grubenhagen was finally reunited in 1526 under the rule of the Brunswick duke Philip I. However, in 1596 the Grubenhagen branch became extinct upon the death of his son Philip II. The territory was disputed by the different lines of the Welf dynasty: Duke Henry Julius, Prince of Wolfenbüttel, occupied Grubenhagen; his son Frederick Ulrich, however, had to cede it to Duke

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

, Prince of Lüneburg according to a 1617 ruling of the Imperial Chamber Court ''(Reichskammergericht)'' at

Speyer Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer lie ...

. With the Principality of Lüneburg, the Grubenhagen territory was finally inherited by Duke Christian Louis, Prince of Calenberg, in 1648. After his death in 1665 Grubenhagen ceased to exist as an independent principality. Formally, it remained a state of the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806. Wappen der Calenberg-Grubenhagenschen Landschaft

Wappen der Calenberg-Grubenhagenschen Landschaft

A Calenberg-Grubenhagen ''Landschaft'' (administrative division) still exists today.

Princes of Brunswick-Grubenhagen

* Henry I the Admirable (1267–1322) ruled 1291-1322 * Henry II (Henry of Greece) (c. 1289–1351), son, ruled 1322-1351 jointly with his brothers ** Ernest I (c. 1297–1361), co-ruler 1322-1361 **

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

(c. 1298–1360), co-ruler 1322-1360 ** John (cleric) (c. 1300–1367), co-ruler 1322-1325 *

Albert I Albert I may refer to: People Born before 1300 *Albert I, Count of Vermandois (917–987) *Albert I, Count of Namur () * Albert I of Moha *Albert I of Brandenburg (), first margrave of Brandenburg *Albert I, Margrave of Meissen (1158–1195) *Alber ...

(c. 1339–1383), son of Ernest I, ruled 1361-1383, jointly with his brother John II **John II (c. 1340–1401), cleric, co-ruled 1361-1364 *Abbot Ernest (c. 1346–c. 1401), claimed co-regency 1383, alimony 1384 *Frederick (c. 1350–1421), guardian 1383–1398, senior 1402–1421 * Eric (c. 1383–1427), son of Albert I, ruled 1398-1427 * Henry III, son of Eric 1427-1464, jointly with his brothers Albert II and Ernest II ** Albert II 1427-1485 Principality divided in 1479. * Henry IV, son of Henry III 1479-1526 ** Philip I, son of Albert II 1486-1551 Grubenhagen re-united in 1526. * Ernest III, son of Philip I 1551-1567 * Wolfgang, brother 1567-1595 * Philip II, brother 1595-1596

References

External links

Map of Lower Saxony 1789
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grubenhagen, Principality of 1290s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1291 establishments in Europe Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg Principalities of the Holy Roman Empire Harz 1596 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire Former principalities