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Last updated: Feb 10, 2009
Brunswick ( Braunschweig
)
The House of Brunswick descended from the
ancient noble family that ruled in North Italian in the 11th-12th
centuries [10: Neue Folge; Band I.1; t. 18-30].
Count Albert-Azzo II (+1097), who ruled in Milan,
Luni, Tortona, and other places of North Italy, left three sons: Welf from the
first marriage; and Folco and Ugo from the second one.
Ugo / Hugues became Count of Main in France.
Folco stayed in North Italy and founded the Italian Princely House of
Este that ruled in Ferrara, Modena, Reggio, etc. (N.1).
Welf (+1101), son of Count Albert-Azzo II and his
first wife Chuniza of Altdorf, moved to Germany and inherited possessions of his
maternal uncle Welf III (+1055).
Welf, who became Duke of Bavaria, founded the
Younger House of Welf / Guelph (N.2-4).
Otto (+ 1218), a descendent of Duke Welf (+1101),
became the Roman Emperor Otto IV (N.5).
In 1235, Otto "the Child" (+1252), the
only child of Wilhelm, a younger brother of Emperor Otto IV, achieved an
agreement with Emperor Friedrich II of the Romans, that ended the dispute
between the Hohenstaufen House and the House of Welf. According to this
agreement, Otto "the Child" transferred his entire private (allodial) property
to the Emperor Friedrich II, who immediately returned it to him as the Duchy
of Brunswick and Lüneburg.
Albrecht and Johann, sons of Duke Otto "the
Child" (+1252), divided their patrimony and founded, respectively, the Elder
Lüneburg and Brunswick branches (N.6).
Albrecht (+1279) founded the branch of Brunswick.
His sons Heinrich I and Albrecht II divided his possessions and founded,
respectively, the branches of Grubenhagen, which became extinct in the male line
in 1596, and Brunswick.
The branch of Brunswick divided in the
sub-branches of Brunswick, the Middle Lüneburg, Göttingen, Harburg,
the Elder Wolfenbüttel, etc.
By the end of the 17th century, all branches of
the House of Brunswick had become extinct with the exception of the descendants
of Duke Ernst (+1546) from the Middle Lüneburg branch.
Heinrich (+1598) and Wilhelm (+1592), sons of
Duke Ernst (+1546), founded, respectively, the Dannenberg and the Younger
Lüneburg branches.
Notes:
1. In 1803, the House of Este became extinct in
the male line with the death of Ercole / Herkules, the former Duke of
Modena and Reggio, who by the Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation of 1803
received Breisgau & Ortenau with the status of Imperial
Estate.
2. Heinrich "the Proud" ("der Stolze")
(+1139), grandson of Welf IV (+1101), was Duke of Bavaria and Saxony. He was a
candidate in the German royal election against Conrad III of Hohenstaufen.
Heinrich "the Proud" lost the election, as the other princes feared his power,
and Conrad III dispossessed him.
3. In 1142, Heinrich "the Lion" (+1195), son of
Heinrich "the Proud,” recovered the Duchy of Saxony. In 1156, he recovered
the Duchy of Bavaria. In 1180, Emperor Friedrich I dispossessed Heinrich "the
Lion" of his Duchies.
4. In 1196, King Richard "the Lionheart" of
England ceded the Duchy of Aquitaine to his nephew Otto (+ 1218), son of
Heinrich "the Lion" and Matilda of England.
5. In 1198, German princes opposed to King Philip
of Hohenstaufen, elected Otto (+ 1218) as anti-King of the Romans. This election
led to a civil war in Germany. In 1208, after the death of Philip of
Hohenstaufen, all German princes recognized Otto as King. In 1209, Pope Innocent
III crowned Otto (+1218) as Emperor of the Romans (Otto IV). Contradicting his
earlier promises, Emperor Otto tried to restore Imperial power in Italy, and
Pope excommunicated him for this in 1210. In 1212, several German princes, with
the consent of the Pope, elected Friedrich of Hohenstaufen as anti-King
(Friedrich II). This election led to another civil war in Germany that ended
with the decisive defeat of Otto IV in 1214. Otto IV was forced to withdraw to
his private possessions in Brunswick.
6. The Elder Lüneburg branch became extinct
in the male line in 1369, and after the succession war with the Dukes of
Saxony-Lauenburg, its possessions passed to the Brunswick
branch.
1. The Younger Wolfenbüttel
(Dannenberg before 1635)
+1884
Duke Heinrich (+1598) founded the branch of
Dannenberg.
In 1635, August (+1666), son of Heinrich,
inherited the possessions of the Elder Wolfenbüttel branch
(N.1).
In Aug 1806, with the abolition of the
Holy Roman Empire, the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel became a sovereign
ruler.
In 1806, Emperor Napoleon I of France
dispossessed the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel for his support of
Prussia during the War of the Fourth Coalition.
In 1807, the territory of
Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel became a part of the Kingdom of
Westphalia.
In 1813, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was
restored to Friedrich-Wilhelm (+1815), Duke Karl-Wilhelm-Ferdinand's son,
after the fall of Napoleonic rule in Germany.
In 1815, the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
joined the German Confederation.
In 1867, the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
joined the North German Confederation.
In 1871, the Duke of
Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel joined the German Empire.
In 1884, with the death of Wilhelm, the
Wolfenbüttel branch became extinct.
Notes:
1. Ferdinand-Albrecht I (+1687), younger son of
Duke August of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (+1666), founded the appanage branch
of Bevern.
In Mar 1735, Ferdinand-Albrecht II of Bevern (+
Sep 1735), son of Ferdinand-Albrecht I, succeeded in Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
after the elder branch became extinct in the male branch.
2. a. Anton-Ulrich (+1774), younger son of Duke
Ferdinand-Albrecht of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (+ Sep 1735), married Anna of
Mecklenburg, a granddaughter of Czar Ioann / Ivan II of Russia, an elder brother
and the co-ruler of Peter I "the Great". In October 1740, Johann (Aug
1740-1764), the eldest son of Anton-Ulrich and Anna of Mecklenburg, succeeded as
Emperor Ioann III of Russia. In Nov 1741, n.s., Elizabeth, Emperor Peter I's
daughter overthrew Ioann III. He spent the rest of his life imprisoned in the
Shlisselburg fortress. In 1764, when an army officer tried to free Ioann to
restore him to power, his jailers killed him.
b. In Russian official documents and on his coins
the Emperor was named Ioann III, as he was the third Russian crowned czar with
this name. However, some historians named him Ioann VI counting the Princes of
Moscow named Ioann / Ivan.
List of the Rulers
Karl-Wilhelm-Ferdinand (1735-1806) [1780-1806]
Friedrich-Wilhelm (1771-1815) [1813-1815]
Karl (1804-1873) [1815-1830]
Wilhelm (1806-1884) [1830-1884]
Titles
>-1884
Duke of Brunswick,
Lüneburg;
Voices in the Imperial Circle assemblies in
1789 [2: p.13-14]
The Lower Saxony:
- Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel;
- Blankenburg;
The Upper Saxony:
- Walkenried;
The Imperial Assembly in 1789 [2: p.1,
3-4, 9-11]
Individual voices in the Council of
Princes:
- Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel;
Territorial Possessions in 1789 [2:
p.18-19, 56]
The Imperial Circle of the Lower
Saxony:
- % Brunswick / Braunschweig &
Lüneburg;
- Blankenburg;
The Imperial Circle of the Upper
Saxony:
- Walkenried;
The Imperial Circle of the Lower
Rhine-Westphalia:
- % Hoya (Thedinghausen);
Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1803
(Changes by the Final Recess of the Imperial
Deputation)
Individual voices in the Council of
Princes:
- Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel;
- Blankenburg;
Territorial Acquisitions and Losses since
1789 [2: p.82]
- In Feb 1803, by the Final Recess of the
Imperial Deputation the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel acquired the
secularized territories of Gandersheim und Helmstädt.
- 1792, after the death of Karl-Christian-Erdmann
of Württemberg (+1792), Duke of Olesnica, the Duchy of Olesnica /
Öls in Silesia (under the Prussian overlordship) passed to
Friedrich-August of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (+1805), the husband of
Friederike (+1789), a daughter of Karl-Christian-Erdmann. After 1805, the death
of Friedrich-August, who was son of Duke Karl I of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel,
Olesnica passed to the Dukes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
2. Hanover / the Younger Lüneburg
-1918]
Wilhelm (+1592), son of Duke Ernst (+1546),
founded the Younger Lüneburg branch of the House of Brunswick.
Wilhelm's grandsons divided his possessions
founding, respectively, the sub-branches of Kalenberg / Calenberg, Celle and
Hanover.
In 1689, Duke Ernst-August of Brunswick-Hanover
(+1698), Wilhelm's grandson, acquired Saxony-Lauenburg
In 1692, Duke Ernst-August of
Brunswick-Hanover received the Dignity of Prince-Elector of the Holy
Roman Empire, and his possessions became known as the Electorate of
Hanover.
Ernst-August married Sophie of the Palatinate
(+June 1714), a granddaughter of King James I of England, and the heir of the
Crown of Great Britain.
In 1705, Elector Georg-Ludwig (+1727), son of
Ernst-August, united all lands of the Younger Lüneburg branch when he
inherited the possessions of his uncle Duke Georg-Wilhelm of Brunswick-Celle.
In Aug 1714, Elector Georg-Ludwig
succeeded in Great Britain as King George I.
In 1715, Georg-Ludwig acquired Bremen and
Verden.
In 1803, the French armies occupied
Hanover.
In 1805, Emperor Napoleon I ceded Hanover to the
King of Prussia.
In 1806, the French armies occupied Hanover.
In 1807, Emperor Napoleon I ceded a part of
Hanover to his brother King Jerome of Westphalia.
In 1810, Emperor Napoleon I annexed a part of
Hanover to France.
In 1813, Hanover was restored as a
sovereign possession to Georg III, King of Great Britain and Elector of
Hanover, after the fall of Napoleonic rule in Germany.
In 1814, the Congress of Vienna elevated
Hanover to the rank of Kingdom.
In 1815, the Kingdom of Hanover joined the German
Confederation.
In 1837, the personal union of Great Britain and
Hanover ended with the death of King Wilhelm (as William IV in Great Britain)
(N.1).
In 1866, the King of Hanover was
deposed when Prussia annexed the Kingdom of Hanover (N.2).
In Nov 1913, Ernst-August (+1953),
grandson of the deposed King of Hanover, became ruling Duke of
Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (N.3).
In the course of the November Revolution of
1918, the Duke of Brunswick was deposed.
Notes:
1. The Crown of Great Britain could pass to
females, and King Wilhelm's niece Victoria (+1901) succeeded him in Great
Britain; Hanover could be inherited only by males, and the Kingdom of Hanover
passed to Wilhelm's younger brother Ernst-August (+1851), Duke of Cumberland. In
1901, the reign of the House of Brunswick-Hanover in Great Britain ended with
the death of Queen Victoria.
2. In 1866, King Georg V of Hanover (+1878)
refused, contrary to the wishes of his parliament, to assent to the Prussian
demand that Hanover should observe unarmed neutrality during the Austro-Prussian
War. As a result, the Prussian army occupied Hanover and the Hanoverian army
surrendered in June 1866. King Georg V and his family fled to Austria. The
Prussian government formally annexed the Kingdom of Hanover in Sep 1866. King
Georg V never renounced his rights to the Throne nor acknowledged Prussia's
actions.
3. a. In 1884, the Wolfenbüttel branch of
the House of Brunswick became extinct. Ernst-August (+1923), Duke of Cumberland,
son of King Georg V of Hanover, proclaimed himself Duke of
Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel according to the House Law. However, since
Ernst-August refused to accept the Prussian annexation of Hanover, he was not
allowed to accede to rule in the Duchy of Brunswick, a member state of the
German Empire. In 1885-1913, regents ruled the Duchy of Brunswick: Prince Albert
of Prussia (+1906) in 1885-1906, and Duke Johann-Albrecht of Mecklenburg in
1907-1913.
b. In Oct 1913, Ernst-August (+1923), Duke of
Cumberland, formally renounced his claims to the Duchy of Brunswick in favor of
his son Ernst-August (+1953), who had married a daughter of Emperor Wilhelm II
of Germany and swore allegiance to the German Empire. In Nov 1913, Ernst-August
(+1953) formally took possession of the Duchy of Brunswick.
List of the Rulers
= in Brunswick-Hanover =
Georg III (1738-1820) [1760-1803/1805; 1813-1820]
// Regents : 1811-1820 Georg IV
(1762-1830)
Georg IV (1762-1830) [1820-1830]
Wilhelm (1765-1837) [1830-1837]
Ernst-August (1771-1851) [1837-1851]
Georg V (1819-1878) [1851-1866]
= in Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel =
Ernst-August (1887-1953) [1913-1918]
Titles
1714-1801
King of Great Britain, France,
Ireland;
Duke of Brunswick,
Lüneburg;
The HRE Prince-Elector;
1801-1814
King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain,
Ireland;
Duke of Brunswick,
Lüneburg;
The HRE Prince-Elector;
1814-1837
King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain,
Ireland;
King of Hanover;
Duke of Brunswick,
Lüneburg;
1837-1866
King of Hanover;
Royal Prince of Great Britain & Ireland;
Duke of Cumberland;
Duke of Brunswick,
Lüneburg;
1913-1918
Duke of Brunswick,
Lüneburg;
Royal Prince of Great Britain & Ireland;
Voices in the Imperial Circle assemblies in
1789 [2: p.13-14]
The Lower
Rhine-Westphalia:
- Verden;
- Bentheim;
- Hoya;
- Diepholz;
- Spiegelberg;
The Lower Saxony:
- Bremen;
- Brunswick-Celle;
- Brunswick-Grubenhagen;
- Brunswick-Kalenberg;
- Saxony-Lauenburg;
The Imperial Assembly in 1789 [2: p.1,
3-4, 9-11]
Voices in the Council of
Electors:
- Hanover / Hannover;
Individual voices in the Council of
Princes:
- Bremen;
- Brunswick-Celle;
- Brunswick-Kalenberg;
- Brunswick-Grubenhagen;
- Verden;
- Saxony-Lauenburg;
Curial voices in the Council of Princes:
= the Counts of Westphalia
=
- Hoya;
- Diepholz;
- Spiegelberg;
Territorial Possessions in 1789 [2:
p.18-19, 23, 24, 56]
The Imperial Circle of the Lower
Saxony:
- % Brunswick / Braunschweig &
Lüneburg;
- Bremen;
- Saxony-Lauenburg;
- Hadeln;
- Wildeshausen;
The Imperial Circle of the Lower
Rhine-Westphalia:
- Verden;
- % Hoya;
- Diepholz;
= mortgaged by the Count of Bentheim-Bentheim =
- Bentheim;
= the Territorial Supremacy over
=
- Spiegelberg;
- Hallermund;
The Imperial Circle of the Upper
Saxony:
= the Territorial Supremacy over
=
- % Hohnstein / Hohenstein;
Sovereign outside the Empire:
- Great Britain;
- Ireland;
- the British overseas colonies (Canada,
Australia, India, etc.);
Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1803
(Changes by the Final Recess of the Imperial
Deputation)
Voices in the Council of
Electors:
- Hanover;
Individual voices in the Council of
Princes:
- Bremen;
- Brunswick-Celle;
- Brunswick-Kalenberg;
- Brunswick-Grubenhagen;
- Osnabrück;
- Verden;
- Saxony-Lauenburg;
- Brunswick-Göttingen;
Territorial Acquisitions and Losses since
1789 [2: p.82, 89-90, 109, 115]
- In Feb 1803, by the Final Recess of the
Imperial Deputation the Elector of Hanover acquired the secularized Bishopric of
Osnabrück.
- In 1815, by the decisions of the Congress of
Vienna, Hanover annexed the former Bishopric of Hildesheim, Goslar,
Arenberg-Meppen, East Frisia / Ostfriesland, the Lower County of Lingen,
and the northern part of the former Bishopric of Münster, Rheina-Wolbeck,
Bentheim, and ceded Saxony-Lauenburg.
Outside Europe, Great
Britain officially annexed the Ionian Islands, Malta, Seychelles, Mauritius, St
Lucia, Tobago, Trinidad, Guyana, the Cape Colony, etc.
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