Magnus I (1304–1369), called the Pious (Latin ''Pius''), was a notable German noble from 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 Meuse-Mo ...

, a powerful dynasty in

medieval Germany The concept of Germany as a distinct region in Central Europe can be traced to Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as ''Germania'', thus distinguishing it from Gaul. The victory of the Cherusci, Germanic tribes ...

. He was the ruler of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, a part of the larger

Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg The Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg (), commonly known as the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg or Brunswick-Lüneburg, was an imperial principality of the Holy Roman Empire in the territory of present day Lower Saxony. In 1235, Otto I, Duke of ...

. Magnus was a key figure in the Welf dynasty’s efforts to consolidate their territorial holdings during a time of political fragmentation in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. The son of Albert the Fat, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Magnus was still a minor when his father died in 1318; he and his brother

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic languages, Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), ...

were put under the guardianship of their elder brother

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants '' Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fr ...

, who continued as sole ruler even after his brothers came of age. After marrying Sophia, a niece of

Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV (; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian (, ), was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 until his death in 1347. 20 October 1314 imperial election, Louis' election a ...

, Magnus was appointed margrave of Landsberg and count palatine of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

by the Emperor in 1333. Magnus took residence at

Sangerhausen Sangerhausen () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany, capital of the district of Mansfeld-Südharz. It is situated southeast of the Harz, approx. east of Nordhausen, and west of Halle (Saale). About 26,000 people live in Sangerhausen ( ...

. When Otto died in 1344, Magnus and Ernest jointly took over government of the state; but already on 17 April 1345, they agreed to divide the territory. Magnus received the Principality of Wolfenbüttel. In 1346, a border war between Wolfenbüttel and the

Archbishop of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Latin Catholic archdiocese (969–1552) and Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Planned since 955 and established in 967, the arch ...

broke out. In exchange for help in this conflict, Magnus sold the Margraviate of Landsberg to Frederick II, Margrave of Meißen. But the Archbishop conquered

Schöningen Schöningen () is a town of about 11,000 inhabitants in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Geography The town is located on the southeastern rim of the Elm hill range, near the border with the state of Saxony-Anhalt. In its cur ...

in 1347, and Magnus had to cede Hötensleben and some other possessions to the Archbishop. Financially ruined by the war, Magnus could not stop the cities in the state from acquiring more and more rights; especially the City of Brunswick was becoming more powerful. In 1348, the Emperor gave Landsberg and the Palatinate of Saxony to Bernard, Prince of Anhalt. The ensuing conflict over these territories between Magnus and Bernard ended amicably with a marriage between Magnus' son

Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

and Catherine, daughter of

Bernhard III, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg Bernhard III, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg (died 20 August 1348) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Bernburg. He was the eldest son of Bernhard II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg, by his wife Helene, daug ...

. Magnus attempted to secure 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 ...

for his son Louis, so that it could be reunited with Wolfenbüttel. The prince of Lüneburg,

William II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg William II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (about 1300 – 1369) was the Prince of Lüneburg from 1330 to 1369. Life Joint rule with Otto III William was born around the year 1300 as the fourth child of Otto the Strict and his wife, Matilda of Bav ...

, a member of the same house to which Magnus belonged, the

, did not have sons; however, he had already promised the principality to a son of his daughter, a relative of the Duke of

, before he agreed to Magnus' plan. Louis then married William's daughter Matilda. A lengthy conflict broke out that culminated in the Lüneburg Succession War, which was resolved only in 1388. In 1367, Magnus joined Dietrich, Archbishop of Magdeburg, Albert, Bishop of Halberstadt, Valdemar, Prince of Anhalt, and others in a campaign against Gerhard of Berg,

Bishop of Hildesheim This list records the incumbents of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim (). Between 1235 and 1803 the bishops simultaneously officiating as rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the Bishopric of Hildesheim, Prince-Bishopric of Hildeshei ...

; they were defeated by Hildesheim in a battle near Farmsen and Dinklar on 3 September.( :de:Schlacht von Dinklar) Magnus was taken prisoner, and had to buy his freedom. He died in summer of 1369.

Family

Around 1327, Magnus married Sophia (died 1356), the daughter of Henry I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal. They had the following children that reached adulthood: *

(died 1373) * Louis (died 1367), married Matilda, daughter of

* Albert, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen (died 1395) * Henry, Provost of

Halberstadt Cathedral The Halberstadt Cathedral or Church of St Stephen and St Sixtus () is a Gothic architecture, Gothic church in Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was the episcopal see of the Bishopric of Halberstadt, established by Emperor Charlemagne in 80 ...

* Ernest * Matilda, married

* Agnes, married in 1360 to Count Henry of Hohnstein * Sophie, married Count Dietrich V of Hohnstein

References

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, vol. 20, pp. 62–64
* ttp://welfen.de/Magnus1.htm at the House of Welf site {{DEFAULTSORT:Magnus, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg Princes of Wolfenbüttel 14th-century births 1369 deaths Old House of Brunswick