Ferdinand Albert I (german: Ferdinand Albrecht I.; 22 May 1636 – 23 April 1687), a member of the House of Welf, was a Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. After a 1667 inheritance agreement in the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, he received the

secundogeniture A secundogeniture (from la, secundus "following, second," and "born") was a dependent territory given to a younger son of a princely house and his descendants, creating a cadet branch. This was a special form of inheritance in which the second a ...

of Brunswick-Bevern, which he ruled until his death.

Life

Ferdinand Albert was born in Brunswick, the fourth son of Duke Augustus the Younger, reigning

Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, from his third marriage with

Duchess Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (20 August 1613 – 12 July 1676) was a German poet, composer and impresario. Life She began studying music at the court of her father, Duke John Albert II of Mecklenburg-Güstro ...

. Raised at his father's residence, the young man received a comprehensive education, with

Justus Georg Schottel Justus Georg Schottelius (Latinized ''Justus-Georgius Schottelius''; born 23 June 1612 in Einbeck, died 25 October 1676 in Wolfenbüttel) was a leading figure of the German Baroque, best known for his publications on German grammar, language theor ...

and

Sigmund von Birken Sigmund von Birken (25 April 1626 – 12 June 1681) was a German poet of the Baroque. He was born in Wildstein, near Eger, and died in Nuremberg, aged 55. His pupil, Sibylle Ursula von Braunschweig-Lüneburg Sibylle Ursula von Braunschweig-Lü ...

among his tutors. After the father's death in 1666, the sons quarreled about the heritage. Eventually, Ferdinand Albert received the palace of Bevern near

Holzminden Holzminden (; nds, Holtsminne) is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Holzminden. It is located on the river Weser, which at this point forms the border with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Histor ...

, some feudal rights, and a certain amount of money in exchange for his claims to the government of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, which was to be ruled by his elder half-brothers Rudolph Augustus and Anthony Ulrich. Ferdinand Albert joined the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1665 and was admitted to the

Fruitbearing Society The Fruitbearing Society (German Die Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft, lat. ''societas fructifera'') was a German literary society founded in 1617 in Weimar by German scholars and nobility. Its aim was to standardize vernacular German and promote it a ...

by Duke Augustus of Saxe-Weissenfels in 1673. Over the years, however, he grew more and more eccentric, and at some point his brothers had to send a military force to restore order at his palace. He collected many works of art, which later became part of the

Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum The Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum (HAUM) is an art museum in the German city of Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. History Founded in 1754, the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum is one of the oldest museums in Europe. The museum has its origins in the art and nat ...

in Brunswick. He died in 1687 at Bevern; his son and successor, Ferdinand Albert II, inherited the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel decades later.

Family

Ferdinand Albert married Christine of Hesse-Eschwege (30 October 1648 - 18 March 1702), a daughter of Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Eschwege, in 1667. They had the following children that reached adulthood: * Sophia Eleanora (1674–1711), died childless * Augustus Ferdinand (1677–1704), died childless * Ferdinand Albert II (1680–1735) * Ferdinand Christian (1682–1706), died childless * Ernest Ferdinand (1682–1746) * Henry Ferdinand (1684–1706), died childless

Ancestors

References

At the House of Welf site

Allgemeine Deutsche Bibliographie, vol. 6, p. 679-681
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand Albert, Duke of Brunswick-LuneburgI 1636 births 1687 deaths Nobility from Braunschweig House of Brunswick-Bevern German art collectors New House of Brunswick Burials at Brunswick Cathedral