George, Duke of Brunswick
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (17 February 1582, in Celle (German Georg)– 12 April 1641, in Hildesheim ), ruled as Prince of Calenberg from 1635. He was a member of the House of Welf , a prominent German noble family. George was part of a cadet branch of the family known as the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg , which held territories in what is now Lower Saxony in Germany .
George was the sixth son of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1535–1592) and Dorothea of Denmark (1546–1617). His mother was the daughter to King Christian III of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg . She acted as a regent during the early years of his reign, keeping power from the Councillors who had mismanaged the estates during his father's fits of insanity.
In the 1635 re-division of the territories of the House of Welf, after the death of Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg , he received the Principality of Calenberg , which included the former Principality of Göttingen , since 1495, while his elder brother, Augustus the Elder , retained the Principality of Lüneburg . George was the first duke to move his residence to Hanover , where he built the Leineschloss as his residence in 1636, a palace situated by the river Leine . After his death, he was succeeded by his son, Christian Louis .
Children
George married Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt , daughter of Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Magdalene of Brandenburg , in 1617. They had the following known children:
Christian Louis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1622–1665), Prince of Calenberg from 1641-1648, and Prince of Lüneburg from 1648-1665.
George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1624–1705), Prince of Calenberg from 1648-1665, and Prince of Lüneburg from 1665-1705. He was the father of Sophia Dorothea of Celle , wife of the future King George I of Great Britain .
John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1625–1679), Prince of Calenberg from 1665-1679.
Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1628–1685), who married King Frederick III of Denmark .
Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover (1629–1698), Prince of Calenberg from 1679-1698, husband of Electress Sophia , and father of King George I of Great Britain.
References
International National People Other