Eric I, the Elder (; 16 February 1470 – 30 July 1540) was

Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

from 1495 and the first reigning prince of Calenberg-Göttingen.

Life and works

Ancestry

Eric I was born on 16 February 1470 in

Neustadt am Rübenberge Neustadt am Rübenberge (; ) is a town in the Hanover (district), district of Hannover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. At , it is the 9th largest settlement in Germany by area (following Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne), though only about 45,000 inhabita ...

at the castle of Rovenburg. He was the founder of the Calenberg line of the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg. His father, William II, died in 1503, but had already divided his lands in 1495, between his sons,

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

and Eric. Eric was given the Principalities of Calenberg and Göttingen, whilst Henry received the

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. It had an area of 3,828 square kilometres in the mid 17th century. Va ...

. Even as a boy, Eric had travelled as a

pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and toured

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

before he entered the service of

Emperor Maximilian I Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death in 1519. He was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed hi ...

In the service of the emperor

Even in his early years Eric had proved himself as a brave fighter at the side of the emperors and took part in 1497 in the campaign against the Turks. Later he fought in wars against Venice, the Swiss confederation and France. In the Bavarian-Landshut war in 1504 he saved the emperor's life at the Battle of Regensburg the Leben, whereupon he was knighted. Eric I was the second son of Duke William II of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (d 1503) and received in 1491, before his father died, his inheritance of the Principality of Calenberg-Göttingen. His elder brother, Duke Henry the Elder (1463–1514) was given rule over Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. In 1505 the 35-year-old Duke Eric I of Calenberg made Neustadt am Rübenberge his second seat of power. When the first marriage of the duke to the widow of Archduke

Sigismund of Austria Sigismund (26 October 1427 – 4 March 1496), a member of the House of Habsburg, was Duke of Austria from 1439 (elevated to Archduke in 1477) until his death. As a scion of the Habsburg Leopoldian line, he ruled over Further Austria and the ...

, Katharina of Saxony, proved childless, he married after her death on 7 July 1525 the 15-year-old Elisabeth of Brandenburg. From this marriage resulted his long-awaited successor Eric II (1528–1584). When, in 1528, Elisabeth fell ill in bed when she was pregnant, she held the

witchcraft Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...

of her husband's mistress, Anna Rumschottel, responsible. She persuaded her husband to hold a trial. In the process, several women were burned to death, but the duke allowed his mistress to escape. She was however burnt to death in

Hamelin Hameln ( ; ) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hameln-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. History Hameln ...

. During the Hildesheim Diocesan Feud (1519–1523) he captured

Hunnesrück Castle Hunnesrück Castle () was a hilltop castle built in the 13th century. Its ruins are located in the Amtsberge hills near Dassel in the district of Northeim in south Lower Saxony in Germany. The castle was constructed in the 13th century and d ...

in 1521, together with Henry the Younger of Wolfenbüttel. It lay on a hill near the present town district of Hunnesrück in

Dassel Dassel is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district Northeim. It is located near the hills of the Solling mountains. Geography The city covers an area of . Buildings and streets make up about 10% of this area while 26% ...

. He bombarded the castle with heavy cannon from the hill of Hatop. He gave the castle up after a short period however. Between 1527 and 1530, he had the castle of

Erichsburg The Ericsburg in the village of the same name in the borough of Dassel in Lower Saxony, Germany, is a castle that was built in the 16th century within the Principality of Calenberg. It is currently (2007) in a poor state of repair. Location The ...

built in a marshy depression about 3 km further east which was protected by a wide moat and high ramparts. It was named after his heir, born in 1528, later Duke Eric II. Eric I used it from time to time as his seat of office. Whilst it was being built he lived in the old castle at Hunnesrück. After the feud, the '' Amt'' of Kolding and Poppenburg were transferred to Duke Eric I in accordance with the requirements of the Quedlinburg Recess. In 1523 abbey parish of St. Andrew in Derneburg placed itself under the protection of Eric I of Calenberg, because it had been repeatedly plundered by the knights of Duke Henry II of Brunswick-Lüneburg.Geschichte St. Andreas in Sottrum ''http://www.wohldenberg.de/sottrum.htm'' on 25 September 2006 Merian Erichsburg

In 1529 Eric allowed the town of

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

to hold an annual ''

Schützenfest A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on thei ...

'' ("shooting festival"), which today has become the

Hanover Schützenfest The Hanover Marksmen's Festival () in Hanover, Lower Saxony is the largest Schützenfest, marksmen's festival in the world. Founded in , the festival takes place once a year. It is commercially organized and includes a large entertainment prog ...

, the largest of its kind in the world. In 1530 he took

Aerzen Aerzen is a municipality in the Hamelin-Pyrmont district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated southwest of Hamelin, and north of Bad Pyrmont. Economy One of the biggest employers in the region is Aerzener Maschinenfabrik GmbH., a manufact ...

back into the possession of the Welfs (his coat of arms is over the door in the north wing of the castle). In 1539 Eric I united the former ''Ämter'' of Hunnesrück, Lüthorst and Lauenberg into the new ''Amt'' of Erichsburg which remained in that form until 1643. In 1540, just under 23 years after the

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

's posting of his theses, Duke Eric I of Calenberg-Göttingen died. His son, Eric II, was still a child, which is why his mother, the Duchess Elisabeth, took over the reign for five years. Two years earlier she had publicly allowed communion to be taken in both kinds in a church service. From then on she and her husband followed separate confessions: the duke remained Roman Catholic, the duchess became Lutheran. Duke Eric I died on 30 July 1540 at the Reichstag in Haguenau,

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

. He left behind large debts, estimated at 900,000

thaler A thaler or taler ( ; , previously spelled ) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter o ...

s, as well as two important buildings: the Erichsburg near Dassel and the rebuilt

Calenberg Castle Calenberg Castle (, later called and ; ruins known as ) was a medieval lowland castle in central Germany, near Schulenburg in the borough of Pattensen, west of the city of Hildesheim. It was built as a water castle in 1292 by the House of Wel ...

. His funeral took place in 1541 in Hann. Münden's St. Blasius Church, after his body was released in Haguenau one year after his death on payment of his debts. This required every subject in his duchy to pay 16

pfennig The pfennig (; . 'pfennigs' or 'pfennige' ; currency symbol, symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former Germany, German coin or note, which was an official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valua ...

Offspring

Duke Eric had a son and three daughters by his second wife, Elisabeth of Brandenburg: * Elisabeth (8 April 1526 — 19 August 1566) m. (1543) Count George Ernest of Henneberg (1511–1583) * Eric II, Duke of Brunswick-Calenberg (10 August 1528 — 17 November 1584) :m. (1545–1573) Sidonie of Saxony (8 March 1518 — 4 January 1575), daughter of Henry of Saxony and

Catherine of Mecklenburg Catherine of Mecklenburg (1487 – 6 June 1561, Torgau), was a Duchess of Saxony by marriage to Henry IV, Duke of Saxony. She was the daughter of the Duke Magnus II of Mecklenburg and Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin. Life She married on 6 July 15 ...

, m. (1576) Dorothea of Lorraine (24 August 1545 — 2 June 1621), daughter of Francis I of Lorraine and

Christina of Denmark Christina of Denmark (; November 1521 – 10 December 1590) was a Denmark, Danish princess, the younger surviving daughter of Christian II, King Christian II of Denmark and Norway and Isabella of Austria. By her two marriages, she became List ...

* Anna Maria (23 April 1532 — 20 March 1568) m. (1550) Albert the Elder, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Duke of Prussia (1490–1568) * Katharina (1534 — 10 May 1559) m. (1557)

William of Rosenberg William of Rosenberg (; 10 March 1535 – 31 August 1592) was a Bohemian nobleman. He served as High Treasurer and Supreme Burgrave of Bohemia, High Burgrave of Bohemia. Life William of Rosenberg was a member of the influential noble House of ...

, Senior Burgrave (''Oberburggraf'') of Bohemia (1535–1592)

Ancestors

References

Sources

* * * Wolfgang Kunze: ''Herzog Erich I. von Braunschweig-Lüneburg''. In: Wolfgang Kunze (Hg.): ''Leben und Bauten Herzog Erichs II. von Braunschweig-Lüneburg. Catalogue of the historic exhibition at Landestrost Castle, Neustadt am Rübenberge''. Hanover 1993, p. 31–45. * Joachim Lehrmann: ''Hexenverfolgung in Hannover-Calenberg und Calenberg-Göttingen'', Lehrte, 2005.

External links

Picture and short description of the life of Duke Eric with his second wife, Elisabeth
on the official pages of the house of Welf.

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Eric 01, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg) Princes of Calenberg Princes of Göttingen Princes of Wolfenbüttel 1470 births 1540 deaths Middle House of Brunswick Military personnel from Braunschweig 16th-century people from the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Army (Holy Roman Empire) personnel