John Frederick (; 25 April 1625 in Herzberg am Harz – 18 December 1679 in

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

) was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He ruled over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, from 1665 until his death. The third son of George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, John converted to the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, the only member of his family to do so, in 1651, as a result of a visit while in Italy to Saint Joseph of Cupertino. He received Calenberg when his elder brother George William inherited the

Principality of Lüneburg The Principality of Lüneburg (later also referred to as Celle) was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory ...

. In 1666, he had a palace built in Herrenhausen near

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that was inspired by the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

and is famous for its gardens, the

Herrenhausen Gardens The Herrenhausen Gardens (, ) of Herrenhausen Palace are located in Herrenhausen, an urban district of Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. Dating to the era of the King of Hanover, Kings of Hanover, they comprise Great Garden (), Ber ...

. In 1667, he employed as his master builder the Venetian architect Girolamo Sartorio, who designed many buildings in the town, including the Neustädter Kirche, and was instrumental in the expansion of the Herrenhausen Gardens. In 1676, John Frederick employed

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (or Leibnitz; – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat who is credited, alongside Sir Isaac Newton, with the creation of calculus in addition to ...

as Privy Councillor and librarian of the important ducal library. Thus began Leibniz's 40-year association with the House of Hanover, which resulted in three generations of Hanovers being patrons to one of the most eminent philosophers and mathematicians of Europe.

Children

Charotte Felizitas of Braunschweig Lueneburg

John Frederick married Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate (14 March 1652 – 12 August 1730), daughter of Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern and Anna Gonzaga, on 30 November 1668. They had four daughters: *Anna Sophie (10 February 1670 – 24 March 1672), died in childhood; * Charlotte Felicitas (8 March 1671 – 29 September 1710), married Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena * Henriette Maria (9 March 1672 – 4 September 1687), died unmarried; * Wilhelmina Amalia (1673 – 10 April 1742), married Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor

Ancestry

Notes

References

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, vol. 14, p. 177-181

1625 births 1679 deaths People from Herzberg am Harz German Roman Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism from Lutheranism Princes of Calenberg New House of Lüneburg People from Grubenhagen Roman Catholic monarchs Burials at Berggarten Mausoleum, Herrenhausen (Hanover) {{Germany-duke-stub