The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel () was a subdivision of the
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 ...
, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. It had an area of 3,828 square kilometres in the mid 17th century. Various dynastic lines 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 Meuse-Mo ...
ruled Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel until the dissolution of 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 ...
in 1806. As a result of the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...
, its successor state, the
Duchy of Brunswick
The Duchy of Brunswick () was a historical German state that ceased to exist in 1918. Its capital city, capital was the city of Braunschweig, Brunswick (). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ...
, was created in 1815.
History
Middle Ages
After
Otto the Child, grandchild of
Henry the Lion, had been given the former
allodial seat of his family (located in the area of present-day eastern
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
and northern
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...
) by Emperor
Frederick II on 21 August 1235 as an imperial
enfeoffment
In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of t ...
under the name of the
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 ...
, the duchy was divided in 1267–1269 by his sons.
Albert I (also called Albert the Tall) (1236–1279) was given the regions around
Brunswick-
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District
Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...
,
Einbeck-Grubenhagen and
Göttingen-Oberwald. He thus founded the Old House of Brunswick and laid the basis for what became, later, the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. His brother
John (1242–1277) inherited the land around Lüneburg and founded the Old House of Lüneburg. The town of
Brunswick remained under joint rule.
The area of Brunswick(-Wolfenbüttel) was further subdivided in the succeeding decades. For example, the lines of Grubenhagen and Göttingen were split for a while. In a similar way, in 1432 the estates between the Deister hills and the Leine river, that had been gained in the meantime from the Middle House of Brunswick, split away to form the
Principality of Calenberg
The Principality of Calenberg was a dynastic division of the House of Welf, Welf Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg established in 1432. Calenberg was ruled by the House of Hanover (from the Principality of Lüneburg) from 1635 onwards; the princes re ...
. There were further reunifications and divisions.

In the meanwhile the dukes became weary of the constant disputes with the citizens of the town of Brunswick and, in 1432, moved their ''
Residenz'' to the
water castle of
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District
Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...
, which lay in a marshy depression of the river
Oker about south of Brunswick. The castle built here for the Brunswick-Lüneburg dukes—together with the ducal chancery, the
consistory
Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to:
*A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church
*Consistor ...
, the courts and the archives—became the nerve centre of a giant region, from which the Wolfenbüttel-Brunswick part of the overall duchy was ruled. For a long time, it also governed the
principalities of Calenberg-Göttingen and
Grubenhagen, the Prince-
Bishopric of Halberstadt, large parts of the
Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim, the counties of
Hohnstein and
Regenstein, the baronies of Klettenberg and
Lohra and parts of
Hoya on the Lower Weser. The importance of this court was signified by the number of craftsmen needed. Hundreds of
timber-framed buildings were built for the court, for its citizens and for ducal facilities, initially randomly, later designed to ducal requirements and for fire protection. In the heyday of the town's development its districts were named after various dukes: the ''Auguststadt'' in the west, the ''Juliusstadt'' in the east and the ''Heinrichstadt''.
Following the twelfth division of the duchy in 1495, whereby the Principality of Brunswick-Calenberg-Göttingen was re-divided into its component territories, Duke
Henry the Elder was given the land of Brunswick, to which the name of the new ''
Residenz'' at Wolfenbüttel was added. From then on the name of the principality became "Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel".
Early modern times
The reigns of dukes
Henry the Younger,
Julius and
Henry Julius followed, under whose lordship the ''Residenz'' of Wolfenbüttel was expanded and the principality gained a Germany-wide standing.
In 1500 Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel became part of the
Lower Saxon Circle
The Lower Saxon Circle () was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. It covered much of the territory of the medieval Duchy of Saxony (except for Westphalia), and was originally called the Saxon Circle () before later being better differen ...
within 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 ...
.
From 1519 to 1523 the principality went to war with the
principalities of Hildesheim and
Lüneburg
Lüneburg, officially the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg and also known in English as Lunenburg, is a town in the German Bundesland (Germany), state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of another Hanseatic League, Hanseatic city, Hambur ...
in the
Hildesheim Diocesan Feud which, despite a resounding defeat in the
Battle of Soltau, eventually resulted in large territorial gains accruing to Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

In the
Thirty Years War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, whil ...
Wolfenbüttel was the strongest
fortress
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...
in North Germany but survived the war heavily damaged. The Wolfenbüttel line died out during the war.
In 1571 the castle and village of
Calvörde became part of the principality thanks to Duke
Julius of Brunswick.
In 1635 Duke
Augustus the Younger, from the collateral line of Lüneburg-Dannenberg, took over the reins of power in the principality and founded the New House of Brunswick. Under his rule, Wolfenbüttel reached its cultural zenith. One of his greatest achievements was the building of the
Wolfenbüttel Library, the largest in Europe in its day. In 1671 an old pipe dream of the House of Welf dukes came true when the joint armies of the different dynastic lines were able to capture the town of Brunswick and add it to their domain.
In 1735 when the dynastic line died out another collateral line emerged: the Brunswick-Bevern line founded in 1666.
In 1753–1754 the residence of the dukes of Wolfenbüttel returned to Brunswick, to the newly built
Brunswick Palace
Brunswick Palace ( or ''Braunschweiger Residenzschloss'') on the ''Bohlweg'' in the centre of the city of Brunswick (), was the residence of the Brunswick dukes from 1753 to 8 November 1918.
History
Work on the first building was begun in 1 ...
.
The town thus lost the independence it had enjoyed since the 15th century. In the process, the duke followed the trend and did not interfere with anything, including work on the new castle, begun in 1718 by
Hermann Korb on the ''
Grauer Hof'' which was still not finished. The effect on Wolfenbüttel was catastrophic, as can be seen from the timber-framed houses built later on. 4,000 townsfolk followed the ducal family and Wolfenbüttel's population sank from 12,000 to 7,000. Only the archives, the ecclesiastical office and the
library
A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
remained as a link to earlier times. From Brunswick there were jibes that Wolfenbüttel had deteriorated into a "widows' residence" (''Witwensitz'').
The extensive gardens in front of the three town gates (the ''Herzogtor'', ''Harztor'' and ''Augusttor'') were leased to the former gardeners as an
emphyteusis. As a consequence jam factories were established which were characteristic of Wolfenbüttel until the 20th century. In front of the ''Herzogtor'', the number of gardens grew, until they eventually reached the Lechlum Wood (''Lechlumer Holz''). Its southern edge was graced by the little
Lustschloss of ''Antoinettenruh'', built in 1733 instead of a garden house, a work by the master builder, Hermann Korb, who was so important to Wolfenbüttel. Wolfenbüttel became a town of schools. In 1753 the teachers' training college was founded, which began in the orphanage and later moved to the building of the present-day Harztorwall School.
Politically Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was one of
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
's closest allies. Whilst shortly beforehand the Habsburg emperor had been the most important focal point through political marriages, the Wolfenbüttel line of the Welfs became closely linked to the
Hohenzollerns through the marriage of the Prussian Crown Prince
Frederick to
Elisabeth Christine.
[Werner Knopp, ''Im Schatten des großen Bruders: Braunschweig und Preußen in friderizianischer Zeit'', Braunschweigische Museumsvorträge 1, Braunschweig: Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum, 1986 ] The marriage was arranged by
Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I (; 14 August 1688 – 31 May 1740), known as the Soldier King (), was King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death in 1740, as well as Prince of Neuchâtel.
Born in Berlin, he was raised by the Hugu ...
and
Ferdinand Albert. They also founded the "brotherhood in arms" between the little state and the great Prussian kingdom. Numerous Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel officers served in high positions in the
Prussian Army, most notably during the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
. The
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation.
In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
s of the principality screened the allied army in western Prussia and, in particular, the allied
Electorate of Hanover
The Electorate of Hanover ( or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an Prince-elector, electorate of the Holy Roman Empire located in northwestern Germany that arose from the Principality of Calenberg. Although formally known as the Electorate of Brun ...
. An outstanding representative of the military alliance between Brunswick and Prussia was the Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, the hereditary Prince
Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
During Charles I's era, there were great achievements in the cultural and scientific fields: the theatre was promoted and education encouraged. In 1753 the ducal art and natural history collection—forerunner of the Natural History Museum—was founded. These substantial collections had been amassed by the Brunswick dukes. This enterprise was supported by
Abbot Jerusalem, the founder of the
Collegium Carolinum. Whilst Wolfenbüttel waned, Brunswick now experienced a cultural boom.
In August 1784
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
stayed in Brunswick on a political mission, when he accompanied the Weimarsch minister, his duke,
Charles Augustus
Karl August, sometimes anglicised as Charles Augustus (3 September 1757 – 14 June 1828), was the sovereign Duke of Saxe-Weimar and of Saxe-Eisenach (in personal union) from 1758, Duke of Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach ...
. At a time when the political situation between Austria and Prussia had heated up once again, the small and medium-sized German states planned the creation of a larger princely state as a counterbalancing force.
Duke Charles William Ferdinand of Brunswick was to be asked to join this
league of princes (''Fürstenbund'') which he did on 30 August.
The secret mission was disguised as a family visit at the time of the Autumn Fair. court life determined the timing of the stay in the ''Residenz'' castle on ''Bohlweg''.
Napoleonic era and transfer to the Duchy of Brunswick
As a result of the
German Mediatisation
German mediatisation (; ) was the major redistribution and reshaping of territorial holdings that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany by means of the subsumption and Secularization (church property), secularisation of a large number of ...
of 25 February 1803 the principality was given the territories of the secularised
imperial abbeys of
Gandersheim and
Helmstedt.
In 1806 Duke
Charles William Ferdinand was mortally wounded as a Prussian general in the
Battle of Auerstedt. After a short interregnum Brunswick was occupied from 1807 to 1813 by the French and became part of the
Kingdom of Westphalia
The Kingdom of Westphalia was a client state of First French Empire, France in present-day Germany that existed from 1807 to 1813. While formally independent, it was ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte. It was named after Westphalia, ...
.
After the end of Napoleonic rule the state was re-established under the name of the
Duchy of Brunswick
The Duchy of Brunswick () was a historical German state that ceased to exist in 1918. Its capital city, capital was the city of Braunschweig, Brunswick (). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ...
.
Collateral line in Bevern
The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern emerged from an inheritance dispute between
Ferdinand Albert I and his brothers. In 1667 Ferdinand Albert was awarded the castle of
Bevern near
Holzminden. He — and later his son
Ferdinand Albert II — were princes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern. In 1735 Ferdinand Albert II took over the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, the subordinate principality returning to the overarching Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
Economic and social history
The role of farmers
According to Bornstedt
[Wilhelm Bornstedt, ''Aus der Geschichte von Rautheim an der Wabe'' (Braunschweig: Rautheim, 1977), p.28] serfdom in the state was abolished with the "
Recess of 17 May 1433" by
Henry the Peaceful. According to Bornstedt, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was therefore the first principality 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 ...
to do away with feudalism. The recess laid down that all arbitrariness (''Willkür'') in the levies on stewards, or ''Meier'', of feudal manors, particularly on the death of the
farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...
, were cancelled. the ''Grundherr'' or 'lord of the manor' continued to be the owner of the ''Meier'' estate, but now the ''Meier'' could also quit. This change usually meant that the ''Meier'' family did not move out when the contract expired or when the farmer died; i.e. that the family were not prematurely evicted as would have been the case before. In 1563 it was decreed by
Henry the Younger that every 6 years ''Meier'' and ''Grundherr'' had to negotiate the extension of the estate lease; later this was increased to 9 years. In his ''
Landtag
A ''Landtag'' (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence ...
'' farewell in 1597, "Duke"
Henry Julius made the farms inheritable.
With the Brunswick redemption law (''Ablösungsordnung'') of 20 December 1834 by the state's legal successor, the
Duchy of Brunswick
The Duchy of Brunswick () was a historical German state that ceased to exist in 1918. Its capital city, capital was the city of Braunschweig, Brunswick (). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ...
, the dependence of the farmers was abolished. Farmers could now purchase the land freehold and the money required could be loaned from the
ducal lending office.
At the end of the 19th century ''
Flurbereinigung'' or land consolidation took place.
See also
*
List of the rulers of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
*
List of rulers of the House of Welf
References
Sources
* Wilhelm Havemann: ''Geschichte der Lande Braunschweig und Lüneburg.'' 3 vols. Repr. Hirschheydt, Hannover 1974–75, (Original ed: Verlag der Dietrich'schen Buchhandlung, Göttingen 1853–1857
online at Google Books
* Hans Patze (''et al.''): ''Geschichte Niedersachsens.'' 7 vols. Hahnsche Buchhandlung, Hannover 1977- (Veröffentlichungen der Historischen Kommission für Niedersachsen und Bremen, 36)
Publisher's summary
* Gudrun Pischke: ''Die Landesteilungen der Welfen im Mittelalter.'' Lax, Hildesheim 1987,
External links
The House of WelfZur Rolle der Bauern im Duchy of BS-WF auf der Cremlingen.deCastle of the House of Welf at Wolfenbüttel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel
Principalities of the Holy Roman Empire
Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel
Former states and territories of Lower Saxony
1260s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
1269 establishments in Europe
1815 disestablishments in Europe
Former principalities
States and territories disestablished in 1815