Augustus the Elder, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Augustus the Elder
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Noble family	House of Welf
Father	William the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Mother	Dorothea of Denmark
Born	18 November 1568
Died	1 October 1636 (aged 67) Celle

Augustus the Elder, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (18 November 1568 – 1 October 1636) was the Lutheran Bishop of Ratzeburg from 1610 to 1636 and the Prince of Lüneburg from 1633 to 1636.

Life

Augustus was born in 1564 as the fifth of fifteen children and the son of William the Younger and his wife Dorothea of Denmark. As a young man he was a colonel in the service of Rudolf II and fought in the campaigns against France and Turkey. In 1610 Augustus became the Lutheran administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg.

In order to prevent hereditary aspirations the Ratzeburg cathedral chapter, the elective body, insisted that on ascending to power in the prince-bishopric (an elective monarchy), Augustus committed himself in his election capitulation not to marry. Nevertheless he lived with Ilse Schmidtchen in a 'marriage-like relationship.'^[1] and had 12 children by her. These were later elevated to the hereditary peerage under the name von Lüneburg. In 1633 Augustus succeeded his brother, Christian, who had died, as Prince of Lüneburg. During the Thirty Years War he continued the policy of neutrality started by his brother. He died in Celle in 1636.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Augustus the Elder, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

16. Otto V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg               8. Henry I of Lüneburg                       17. Anna of Nassau-Dillenburg               4. Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg                             18. Ernest, Elector of Saxony               9. Margarete of Saxony                       19. Elisabeth of Bavaria               2. William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg                                   20. Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg               10. Henry V, Duke of Mecklenburg                       21. Sophia of Pomerania               5. Sophia of Mecklenburg                             22. John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (= 26)               11. Ursula of Brandenburg                       23. Margaret of Thuringia (= 27)               1. Augustus I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg                                         24. Christian I of Denmark               12. Frederick I of Denmark                       25. Dorothea of Brandenburg               6. Christian III of Denmark                             26. John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (= 22)               13. Anna of Brandenburg                       27. Margaret of Thuringia (= 23)               3. Dorothea of Denmark                                   28. John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg               14. Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg                       29. Dorothea of Brandenburg               7. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg                             30. Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg               15. Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel                       31. Catherine of Pomerania-Wolgast

See also

• House of Welf

References

1. Christa Geckler, Die Celler Herzöge - Leben und Wirken 1371-1705, p. 73

Sources

• Geckler, Christa (1986). Die Celler Herzöge: Leben und Wirken 1371–1705. Celle: Georg Ströher. ISBN 3-921744-05-8. OCLC 255990175.

External links

• Die House of Welf