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 century to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconian family from the Meuse-Moselle area was closely related to the imperial family of the Carolingians.

Origins

The (Younger) House of Welf is the older branch of the House of Este, a dynasty whose earliest known members lived in Veneto and Lombardy in the late 9th/early 10th century, sometimes called Welf-Este. The first member was Welf I, Duke of Bavaria, also known as Welf IV. He inherited the property of the Elder House of Welf when his maternal uncle Welf III, Duke of Carinthia and Verona, the last male Welf of the Elder House, died in 1055.

Welf IV was the son of Welf III's sister Kunigunde of Altdorf and her husband Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan. In 1070, Welf IV became Duke of Bavaria.

Welf II, Duke of Bavaria married Countess Matilda of Tuscany, who died childless and left him her possessions, including Tuscany, Ferrara, Modena, Mantua, and Reggio, which played a role in the Investiture Controversy. Since the Welf dynasty sided with the Pope in this controversy, partisans of the Pope came to be known in Italy as Guelphs (Guelfi).

The first genealogy of the Welfs is the Genealogia Welforum, composed shortly before 1126. A much more detailed history of the dynasty, the Historia Welforum, was composed around 1170. It is the earliest history of a noble house in Germany.

File:Kunigunda Azzo.jpg|Kunigunde of Altdorf, sister of Welf III, wife of Albert Azzo II of Este, Margrave of Milan, parents of Welf IV

File:Wgt Stifterbüchlein 25v.jpg|Welf I, Duke of Bavaria ( 1030/1040 – 1101)

File:WElf.jpg|Welf II, Duke of Bavaria (1073–1120)

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Bavaria and Saxony

Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria, from 1120 to 1126, was the first of the three dukes of the Welf dynasty called Henry. His wife Wulfhild was the heiress of the house of Billung, possessing the territory around Lüneburg in Lower Saxony. Their son, Henry the Proud, was the son-in-law and heir of Lothair II, Holy Roman Emperor and became also Duke of Saxony on Lothair's death.

Lothair left his territory around Brunswick, inherited from his mother of the Brunonids, to his daughter Gertrud. Her husband Henry the Proud became then the favoured candidate in the imperial election against Conrad III of the Hohenstaufen. Henry lost the election, as the other princes feared his power and temperament, and was dispossessed of his duchies by Conrad III.

Henry's brother Welf VI (1115–1191), Margrave of Tuscany, later left his Swabian territories around Ravensburg, the original possessions of the Elder House of Welf, to his nephew Emperor Frederick I, and thus to the House of Hohenstaufen.

File:Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria.jpg|Henry the Black, duke of Bavaria (1075–1126) and his wife Wulfhild of Billung

File:Lev rodice dvojice.jpg|Henry the Proud (1102–1139), Duke of Bavaria and Saxony, and his wife Gertrud of Saxony, daughter of Lothair II, Holy Roman Emperor, Duke of Saxony

File:Vad-0321 125 Welf VI.jpg|Welf VI (1115–1191), Margrave of Tuscany

File:Steingaden GO-1.jpg|Steingaden Abbey, Swabia, place of burial of its founder Welf VI (d. 1191)

</gallery>

thumb|200px|The possessions of the Welfs in the days of Henry the Lion|alt=Black-and-white map showing the territorial possessions of the Guelf dynasty during the reign of Henry the Lion.

The next duke of the Welf dynasty Henry the Lion (1129/1131–1195) recovered his father's two duchies, Saxony in 1142, Bavaria in 1156 and thus ruled vast parts of Germany. In 1168 he married Matilda (1156–1189), the daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and sister of Richard I of England, gaining ever more influence. His first cousin, Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, tried to get along with him, but when Henry refused to assist him once more in an Italian war campaign, conflict became inevitable.

Dispossessed of his duchies after the Battle of Legnano in 1176 by Emperor Frederick I and the other princes of the German Empire eager to claim parts of his vast territories, he was exiled to the court of his father-in-law Henry II in Normandy in 1180. He returned to Germany three years later.

Henry made his peace with the Hohenstaufen Emperor in 1185 and returned to his much diminished lands around Brunswick without recovering his two duchies. Bavaria had been given to Otto I, Duke of Bavaria, and the Duchy of Saxony was divided between the Archbishop of Cologne, the House of Ascania and others. Henry died at Brunswick in 1195.

File:Lev Jindrich.jpg|Henry the Lion (1130–1195), Duke of Bavaria and Saxony

File:Matylda.jpg|Matilda Plantagenet (1156–1189), wife of Henry the Lion, sister of Richard I of England

File:Burg Dankwarderode am Burgplatz in Braunschweig IMG 2756.jpg|Henry's Dankwarderode Castle in Brunswick

File:Braunschweiger Loewe Original Brunswick Lion.jpg|Henry's Brunswick Lion

File:Ottta4Brunsvicky.jpg|Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor, son of Henry the Lion and Matilda of England

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Brunswick and Hanover

Henry the Lion's son, Otto of Brunswick, was elected King of the Romans and crowned Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV after years of further conflicts with the Hohenstaufen emperors. He incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III and was excommunicated in 1215. Otto was forced to abdicate the imperial throne by the Hohenstaufen Frederick II. He was the only Welf to become Holy Roman Emperor.

thumb|upright=0.7|Coat-of-arms of the [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg|alt=Shield divided per pale: a red field with two gold lions on the left, and a gold field with a blue lion surrounded by red hearts on the right.]]

Henry the Lion's grandson Otto the Child became duke of a part of Saxony in 1235, the new Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and died there in 1252. The duchy was divided several times during the High Middle Ages amongst various lines of the House of Welf. The subordinate states had the legal status of principalities within the duchy, which remained as an undivided imperial fief. Each state was generally named after the ruler's residence, e.g., the rulers of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel originally lived in Wolfenbüttel.

Whenever a branch of the family died out in the male line, the territory was given to another line, as the duchy remained enfeoffed to the family as a whole rather than its individual members. All members of the House of Welf, male or female, bore the title Duke/Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg in addition to the style of the subordinate principality. By 1705, the subordinate principalities had taken their final form as the Electorate of Hanover and the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and these would become the Kingdom of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick after the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

In 1269 the Principality of Brunswick was formed following the first division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In 1432, as a result of increasing tensions with the townsfolk of Brunswick, the Brunswick Line moved their residence to Wolfenbüttel Castle, thus the name Wolfenbüttel became the unofficial name of this principality. With Ivan VI of Russia the Brunswick line even had a short intermezzo on the Russian imperial throne in 1740. Not until 1754 was the residence moved back to Brunswick, into the new Brunswick Palace. In 1814 the principality became the Duchy of Brunswick, ruled by the senior branch of the House of Welf.

Principality of Calenberg – later Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg

thumb|110px|Coat of Arms of the [[Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1708)|alt=Ornate heraldic coat of arms surmounted by a crown and cross, featuring a quartered shield with multiple panels showing lions, a white horse, an eagle, a stag, hearts, stripes, and checkered patterns, representing the territories of the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg.]]

In 1432 the estates gained by the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel between the Deister and Leine split away as the Principality of Calenberg. In 1495 it was expanded around Göttingen and in 1584 went back to the Wolfenbüttel Line. In 1634, as a result of inheritance distributions, it went to the House of Luneburg residing at Celle Castle. In 1635 it was given to George, younger brother of Prince Ernest II of Lüneburg, who chose Hanover as his residence.

New territory was added in 1665, and in 1705 the Principality of Luneburg was taken over by the Hanoverians. In 1692 Duke Ernest Augustus from the Calenberg-Hanover Line acquired the right to be a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire as the Prince-Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Colloquially the Electorate was known as the Electorate of Hanover. In 1814 it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Hanover.

British succession

Religion-driven politics placed Ernest Augustus's wife Sophia of the Palatinate in the line of succession to the British crown by the Act of Settlement 1701, written to ensure a Protestant succession to the thrones of Scotland and England at a time when anti-Catholic sentiment ran high in much of Northern Europe and Great Britain. Sophia died shortly before her first cousin once removed, Anne, Queen of Great Britain, the last sovereign of the House of Stuart.

Sophia's son George I succeeded Queen Anne and formed a personal union from 1714 between the British crown and the Electorate of Hanover, which lasted until well after the end of the Napoleonic Wars more than a century later, through the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and the rise of a new successor kingdom. The British royal family became known as the House of Hanover.

File:Coat of arms of Great Britain (1714–1801).svg|Coat of arms of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain (1714–1801)

File:Bernard Lens King George I 1718 VA.jpg|George I (1714–1727)

File:George II 1755-1767.jpg|George II (1727–1760)

File:Frederick, Prince of Wales 1754 by Liotard.jpg|Frederick, Prince of Wales (b. 1707 d. 1751)

File:George III (by Sir William Beechey).jpg|George III (1760–1820)

File:King George IV when Prince Regent (1762-1830), by Henry Bone.jpg|George IV (1820–1830)

File:WilliamIVbyLonsdale.jpg|William IV (1830–1837)

File:Dronning victoria.jpg|Victoria (1837–1901)

</gallery>

Kingdom of Hanover

The "Electorate of Hanover" (the core duchy) was enlarged with the addition of other lands and became the Kingdom of Hanover in 1814 at the Congress of Vienna. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the Kingdom was ruled as personal union by the British crown from its creation under George III of the United Kingdom, the last elector of Hanover until the death of William IV in 1837.

At that point, the crown of Hanover went to William's younger brother, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale under the Salic law requiring the next male heir to inherit, whereas the British throne was inherited by an elder brother's only daughter, Queen Victoria. Her offspring belong to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: in 1917 the name was changed to the House of Windsor.

The Kingdom of Hanover was lost in 1866 by Ernest Augustus's son George V of Hanover, Austria's ally during the Austro-Prussian War, when it was annexed by Prussia after Austria's defeat and became the Prussian province of Hanover. The Welfs went into exile at Gmunden, Austria, where they built Cumberland Castle.

File:Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Hanover.svg|Coat of arms of the kingdom of Hanover 1837

File:Ernest Augustus I of Hanover.PNG|Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover

File:GeorgeVHannover.jpg|King George V of Hanover

File:Ernst August, Crown Prince of Hannover.png|Ernst August, Crown Prince of Hannover

</gallery>

Brunswick succession

thumb|upright=0.7|Coat-of-arms of the [[Duchy of Brunswick|alt=Highly ornate coat of arms of the Duchy of Brunswick with a crowned, multi-quartered shield and two human supporters.]]

thumb|[[Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick|Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick and Wolfenbüttel, 1913-1918|alt=Black-and-white portrait of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, wearing an ornate military uniform with decorations and holding a plumed hat, photographed during his reign between 1913 and 1918.]]

The senior line of the dynasty had ruled the much smaller principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, created the sovereign Duchy of Brunswick in 1814. This line became extinct in 1884. Although the Duchy should have been inherited by the Duke of Cumberland, son of the last king of Hanover, Prussian suspicions of his loyalty led the duchy's throne to remain vacant until 1913, when the Duke of Cumberland's son, Ernst August, married the daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II and was allowed to inherit it. His rule there was short-lived, as the monarchy came to an end following the First World War in 1918.

Welf Dynasty Today

The Welf dynasty continues to exist. The last member sitting on a European throne was Frederica of Hanover, daughter of Ernest Augustus, the last Duke of Brunswick, was the Queen of Greece († 1981), mother of Queen Sofia of Spain and King Constantine II of Greece. Frederica's brother Prince George William of Hanover married Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The House's head is Queen Frederica's nephew Ernst August, the third and present husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco.

File:Leineschloss Leine.jpg|The Leine Palace in Hanover

File:Unbekannt, Maison de Plaisir d'Herrenhausen, c1708..jpg|Herrenhausen Palace and Herrenhausen Gardens in Hanover

File:Das Schloss in Celle.jpg|Celle Castle

File:Braunschweiger Schloss.jpg|Brunswick Palace

File:Wolfenbuettel Schloss (2006).jpg|Wolfenbüttel Castle

File:Pattensen Marienburg Castle.jpg|Marienburg Castle (Hanover)

</gallery>

Rulers

{|align="center" style="border-spacing: 0px; border: 1px solid black; text-align: center;"

| colspan=12 style="background: #fff;" |

| colspan=1 style="background: #fedf;" |County of Auxerre (866–888) Raised to: Kingdom of Upper Burgundy (888–1032)

| colspan=11 style="background: #fff;" |County of Altdorf (820–1191)

| colspan=1 rowspan="2" style="background: #eee;" |

| colspan=11 style="background: #fff;" |

| colspan=1 style="background: #fff;" |

| colspan=10 style="background: #def;" |

| colspan=2 rowspan="25" style="background: #eee;" |Annexed to the Holy Roman Empire

| colspan=1 style="background: #afd;" |County Palatine of the Rhine (1195–1267)

| colspan=9 rowspan="2" style="background: #def;" |Lordship of Lüneburg (1126–1235) Raised to: Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1235–1269)

| colspan=1 style="background: #afd;" |

| colspan=1 rowspan="23" style="background: #eee;" |Annexed to House of Wittelsbach

| colspan=6 style="background: #ffdead;" |Principality of Brunswick (1269–1291)

| colspan=4 rowspan="4" style="background: #ffc;" |Principality of Lüneburg (1st creation) (1269–1369)

| colspan=2 rowspan="13" style="background: #dce;" |Principality of Grubenhagen (1291–1596)

| colspan=2 style="background: #ade;" |

| colspan=2 style="background: #ceb;" |Principality of Wolfenbüttel (1st creation) (1291–1292)

| colspan=4 style="background: #ade;" |

| colspan=2 rowspan="7" style="background: #ade;" |Principality of Göttingen (1291–1463)

| colspan=2 style="background: #ceb;" |

| colspan=6 style="background: #ceb;" |

| colspan=2 rowspan="2" style="background: #ceb;" |Principality of Wolfenbüttel (2nd creation) (1344–1400)

| colspan=4 style="background: #eee;" |Lüneburg under Ascanian rule (1373–1388)

| colspan=4 style="background: #ffc;" |

| colspan=6 style="background: #ffc;" |

| colspan=2 style="background: #ceb;" |

| colspan=4 rowspan="7" style="background: #ffc;" |Principality of Lüneburg (2nd creation) (1388–1705)

| colspan=1 style="background: #ffdaed;" |Principality of Calenberg (1st creation) (1432–1584)

| colspan=1 style="background: #ceb;" |Principality of Wolfenbüttel (3rd creation) (1409–1485)

| colspan=3 style="background: #ffdaed;" |

| colspan=1 style="background: #ceb;" |

| colspan=4 style="background: #ffdaed;" |

| colspan=3 style="background: #ffdaed;" |

| colspan=1 style="background: #ceb;" |

| colspan=4 style="background: #ceb;" |Principality of Wolfenbüttel (4th creation) (1494–1807)

| colspan=6 style="background: #ceb;" |

| colspan=4 style="background: #ceb;" |

| colspan=6 rowspan="3" style="background: #ffc;" |

| colspan=2 rowspan="3" style="background: #ceb;" |

| colspan=2 style="background: #ffdaed;" |

| colspan=8 rowspan="3" style="background: #ffdaed;" |Principality of Calenberg (2nd creation) (1634–1692) Raised to Electorate of Hanover (1692–1866)

| colspan=2 style="background: #eee;" |Annexed by France

| colspan=2 rowspan="2" style="background: #ceb;" |Duchy of Brunswick (1813–1918)

| colspan=8 style="background: #eee;" |Annexed by Prussia

{| class="wikitable sticky-header"

! colspan=2 | Ruler!!Born!!Reign!!Ruling part!!Consort!!Death!!Notes

|- style="background:#eee"

|colspan="8" align="center"| Elder House of Welf

|- style="background:#fff"

|Welf I (a)||

|align="center"| Son of Rothard of the Argengau

|align="center"| – 3 October 825||County of Altdorf||Hedwig of Bavaria four children

|align="center"|3 October 825 aged 49–50||Eponymous founder of the family.

|- style="background:#fff"

|Conrad I the Elder||

|align="center"| Son of Welf I (a) and Hedwig of Bavaria

|align="center"|3 October 825 – 864||County of Altdorf||Adelaide of Tours three children

|align="center"|864 aged 63–64||

|- style="background:#fff"

|Welf I (b)||100px

|align="center"| First son of Conrad I and Adelaide of Tours

|align="center"|864 – 876||County of Altdorf||Unknown at least one child

|align="center"|876 aged 40–41||Also Count at Linzgau, Alpgau and possibly Argengau.

|- style="background:#fedf"

|Conrad II the Younger||

|align="center"| Second son of Conrad I and Adelaide of Tours

|align="center"|864 – 876||County of Auxerre||Waldrada of Worms one child

|align="center"|876 aged 40–41||

|- style="background:#fff"

|Eticho||100px

|align="center"| Son of Welf I (b)

|align="center"|876 – 911||County of Altdorf||Egila three children

|align="center"|||

|- style="background:#fedf"

|Rudolf I||

|align="center"|859 Son of Conrad II and Waldrada of Worms

|align="center"|876 – 25 October 911||County of Auxerre (until 888) Kingdom of Upper Burgundy (from 888)||Guilla of Provence four children

|align="center"|25 October 911 aged 51–52|| First King of Burgundy, from 888.

|- style="background:#fff"

|||100px

|align="center"| Son of Eticho and Egila

|align="center"|911 – 935||County of Altdorf||Atha of Hohenwart three children

|align="center"| aged 54–55||

|- style="background:#fedf"

|Rudolf II||

|align="center"| Son of Rudolf I and Guilla of Provence

|align="center"|25 October 911 – 11 July 937||Kingdom of Upper Burgundy||Bertha of Swabia 922 two children

|align="center"|11 July 937 aged 56–57|| Also King of Italy (922–926).

|- style="background:#fff"

|Rudolf I||

|align="center"| Son of and Atha of Hohenwart

|align="center"|935 – 950||County of Altdorf||Siburgis/ at least one child

|align="center"| aged 39–40||

|- style="background:#fedf"

|Conrad III the Peaceful||

|align="center"|925 Son of Rudolf II and Bertha of Swabia

|align="center"|11 July 937 – 19 October 993||Kingdom of Upper Burgundy||Adelaide of Bellay one child Matilda of France 866 four children

|align="center"|19 October 993 aged 67–68||

|- style="background:#fff"

|Rudolf II||100px

|align="center"| Son of Rudolf I and Siburgis/

|align="center"|950 – 10 March 990||County of Altdorf||Ita of Öhningen three children

|align="center"|10 March aged 49–50||

|- style="background:#fff"

|Henry II

|- style="background:#fedf"

|Gisela||100px

|align="center"|11 November 990 Daughter of Herman II, Duke of Swabia and Gerberga of Burgundy

|align="center"|6 September 1032 – 15 February 1043||Kingdom of Upper Burgundy (Conradine dynasty)||Brun I, Count of Brunswick 1002 three children Ernest I, Duke of Swabia 1012 two children Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor 1016 three children

|align="center"|15 February 1043 Goslar aged 52|| Gisela was heiress of her maternal uncle, which lead to the annexation of the kingdom to the Holy Roman Empire.

|- style="background:#fedf"

|colspan=8 align="center"|Upper Burgundy annexed to the Holy Roman Empire

|- style="background:#eee"

|colspan="8" align="center"| Younger House of Welf

|- style="background:#fff"

|Welf IV

From until his death in 1167, Welf VI's son, Welf VII, was associated to his father, but predeceased him. After Welf VI's death, Altdorf was annexed to the Holy Roman Empire.

|- style="background:#fff"

|Welf VI the Mild||100px

|align="center"|1173 First son of Henry (II) and Matilda of England

|align="center"|6 August 1195 – 1212||County Palatine of the Rhine (also at Stade and Altencelle, in Lüneburg)||Agnes of Hohenstaufen 1193 three children Agnes of Landsberg 1209 no children

|align="center"|28 April 1227 Braunschweig aged 53–54

|rowspan="3"| Inherited the land jointly until 1213, when after William's death, they resigned this possessions in favor that William's son, the inheritor of the Luneburg property. Henry was Count Palatine of the Rhine (1195–1213), and Otto was Holy Roman Emperor (1212–1218). Henry also inherited, after William's death, extensive properties near the Elbe and the Weser.

|- style="background:#def"

|Otto||100px

|align="center"|1175 Third son of Henry (II) and Matilda of England

|align="center"|6 August 1195 – 19 May 1218||Lordship of Lüneburg (at Haldensleben)||Beatrice of Swabia 1212 no children Maria of Brabant 19 May 1214 Maastricht no children

|align="center"|19 May 1218 Harzburg aged 42–43

|- style="background:#def"

|William Longsword||100px

|align="center"|11 April 1184 Winchester Fourth son of Henry (II) and Matilda of England

|align="center"|6 August 1195 – 12 December 1213||Lordship of Lüneburg||Helena of Denmark 1202 Hamburg one child

|align="center"|12 December 1213 Lüneburg aged 29

|- style="background:#def"

|align=center colspan=8|Haldensleben re-merged in Lüneburg

|- style="background:#afd"

|Henry (VI) the Younger||

|align="center"|1196 Son of Henry (III) and Agnes of Hohenstaufen

|align="center"|1212 – 26 April 1214||County Palatine of the Rhine||Unmarried

|align="center"|26 April 1214 aged 17–18|| After his death the Palatinate was inherited by his sister.

|- style="background:#def"

|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1213–1218)

|rowspan="2"|He was raised to Duke and recognised as such in 1235, by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor

|-bgcolor=#def

| Otto I the Child ||100px|center

|align="center"|1204 Son of William and Helena of Denmark

|align="center"|12 December 1213 – 9 June 1252||Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg|| Matilda of Brandenburg 1228 ten children

|align="center"|9 June 1252 Lüneburg aged 47–48

|- style="background:#afd"

|Agnes||100px

|align="center"|1201 Daughter of Henry (III) and Agnes of Hohenstaufen

|align="center"|26 April 1214 – 1267||County Palatine of the Rhine||Otto IV, Duke of Bavaria 1222 Worms five children

|align="center"|1267 aged 65–66|| Her marriage with Otto, Duke of Bavaria determined the annexation of the county to the patrimony of the House of Wittelsbach.

|- style="background:#afd"

|align=center colspan=8|County Palatine of the Rhine was inherited by the House of Wittelsbach

|-style="background:#ffdead"

||Albert I the Tall ||100px

|align="center"|1236 First son of Otto I and Matilda of Brandenburg

|align="center"|9 June 1252 – 15 August 1279||Principality of Brunswick (until 1269 co-ruling in Brunswick-Lüneburg)|| Elisabeth of Brabant 1254 no children 1263 seven children

|align="center"|15 August 1279 Braunschweig aged 42–43

|rowspan="2" bgcolor=#def| Children of Otto I, they shared rule of the land until 1269. Albert became Prince of Brunswick and John a Prince of Luneburg.

|-style="background:#ffc

||John ||

|align="center"|1242 Second son of Otto I and Matilda of Brandenburg

|align="center"|9 June 1252 – 13 December 1277||Principality of Lüneburg (until 1269 co-ruling in Brunswick-Lüneburg)||Liutgard of Holstein-Itzehoe 1265 five children

|align="center"|13 December 1277 Braunschweig aged 34–35

|-style="background:#def

|colspan=8 align="center"|All Welf lines continued to bear the title "Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg" between the division of 1269 and the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. This was an additional title to the representation of their actual territorial lordship. However, as this is a list of rulers, the list goes beyond the use of the title, going through all generations until the end of the noble family representation in the land, in 1918.

|-style="background:#ffc

|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1277–1279) Regency of Conrad of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Prince-Bishop of Verden (1277–1282)

|rowspan="2"|His rule was marked by several feuds, financed by pledges (Verpfändungen), involving border and property disputes with his neighbours. Otto restricted the rights of the knights and safeguarded public order.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Otto II the Strict ||100px|center

|align="center"|1266 Son of John and Liutgard of Holstein-Itzehoe

|align="center"|13 December 1277 – 10 April 1330||Principality of Lüneburg || 1288 five children

|align="center"|10 April 1330 aged 63–64

|-style="background:#dce

||Henry I the Admirable||

|align="center"|August 1267 First son of Albert I and

|align="center"|15 August 1279 – 7 September 1322||Principality of Grubenhagen (until 1291 co-ruling at Brunswick)|| Agnes of Meissen 1282 sixteen children

|align="center"|7 September 1322 Einbeck aged 55

|rowspan="3" style="background:#ffdead| Children of Albert I, ruled jointly. In 1291 divided the land: Henry received Grubenhagen, William Wolfenbüttel and Albert Göttingen. William died without descendants, and Albert reunited his land with his brother's. Wolfenbüttel became part of Göttingen.

|-style="background:#ade

||Albert II the Fat ||

|align="center"|1268 Second son of Albert I and

|align="center"|15 August 1279 – 22 September 1318||Principality of Göttingen (until 1291 co-ruling at Brunswick)||Rixa of Werle 1284 ten children

|align="center"|22 September 1318 aged 49–50

|-style="background:#ceb

||William I ||

|align="center"|1270 Third son of Albert I and

|align="center"|15 August 1279 – 30 September 1292||Principality of Wolfenbüttel (until 1291 co-ruling at Brunswick)|| 1290 no children

|align="center"|30 September 1292 Braunschweig aged 21–22

|-style="background:#ceb

|align=center colspan=8|Wolfenbüttel briefly annexed to Göttingen

|-style="background:#ade

|Otto (I) the Mild || 100px

|align="center"|24 June 1292 First son of Albert II and Rixa of Werle

|align="center"|22 September 1318 – 30 August 1344||Principality of Göttingen|| 1311 no children 1319 no children

|align="center"|30 August 1344 Göttingen aged 52|| By marriage inherited the Altmark region, which he sold c.1340. Left no descendants. His inheritance went to his brothers.

|-style="background:#dce

|Henry II of Greece ||

|align="center"|c.1295 First son of Henry I and Agnes of Meissen

|align="center"|7 September 1322 – 1351

|rowspan="4"|Principality of Grubenhagen|| Jutta of Brandenburg-Stendal 1318 four children Helvis of Ibelin 1324 six children

|align="center"|c.1355 Grubenhagen aged 59–60

|rowspan="4"| Sons of Henry I, ruled jointly.

|-style="background:#dce

|John I ||

|align="center"|c.1295 Second son of Henry I and Agnes of Meissen

|align="center"|7 September 1322 – 1325|| Unmarried

|align="center"|c.1370 Einbeck aged 59–60

|-style="background:#dce

|Ernest I ||

|align="center"|1297 Third son of Henry I and Agnes of Meissen

|align="center"|7 September 1322 – 9 March 1361|| Adelheid of Everstein-Polle June 1335 nine children

|align="center"|9 March 1361 aged 63–64

|-style="background:#dce

|William ||

|align="center"|1298 Fourth son of Henry I and Agnes of Meissen

|align="center"|7 September 1322 – 1360||Unmarried

|align="center"|1360 aged 61–62

|-style="background:#ffc

|Otto III ||

|align="center"|1296 Second son of Otto II and

|align="center"|10 April 1330 – 19 August 1352

|rowspan="2"|Principality of Lüneburg|| Matilda of Mecklenburg 1311 three children

|align="center"|19 August 1352 aged 55–56

|rowspan="2"| Sons of Otto II, ruled jointly. After Otto's death in 1352, William ruled alone. His death without descendants precipitated the Lüneburg War of Succession in 1370.

|-style="background:#ffc

|William II the Elder ||100px

|align="center"| Fourth son of Otto II and

|align="center"|10 April 1330 – 23 November 1369|| Hedwig of Ravensberg 7 April 1328 one child Maria After 1387 one child 12 March 1346 no children Agnes of Saxe-Lauenburg 1363 no children

|align="center"|23 November 1369 Lüneburg aged 68–69

|-style="background:#ceb

||Magnus I the Pious ||

|align="center"|1304 Seventh son of Albert II and Rixa of Werle

|align="center"|30 August 1344 – 1369|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel||Sophia of Brandenburg-Stendal 1327 eight children

|align="center"|1369 aged 64–65

|rowspan="2"| Younger brothers of Otto, divided the inheritance.

|-style="background:#ade

||Ernest I||

|align="center"|1305 Eighth son of Albert II and Rixa of Werle

|align="center"|30 August 1344 – 24 April 1367||Principality of Göttingen|| 1337 three children

|align="center"|24 April 1367 aged 61–62

|-style="background:#dce

|Albert I ||

|align="center"| First son of Ernest I and Adelaide of Eberstein-Polle

|align="center"|9 March 1361 – 1383

|rowspan="2"|Principality of Grubenhagen || 1371 one child

|align="center"|1383 aged 43–44

|rowspan="3"| Children of Ernest I, divided their inheritance. John II abdicated 1364 to join the clergy and Albert became sole ruler.

|-style="background:#dce

|John II ||

|align="center"| Second son of Ernest I and Adelaide of Eberstein-Polle

|align="center"|9 March 1361 – 1364||Unmarried

|align="center"|18 January 1401 aged 61–62

|-style="background:#dce

|Frederick I ||

|align="center"|1350 Third son of Ernest I and Adelaide of Eberstein-Polle

|align="center"|9 March 1361 – 4 May 1421||Principality of Grubenhagen (at Osterode)|| one child

|align="center"|4 May 1421 aged 70–71

|-style="background:#ade

|Otto (II) the Evil ||100px

|align="center"|1330 Son of Ernest I and

|align="center"|24 April 1367 – 13 November 1394||Principality of Göttingen ||Mirolawa of Holstein-Plön (d.1376) 19 November 1357 no children 1379 two children

|align="center"|13 November 1394 Hardegsen aged 63–64||

|-style="background:#ceb

|Magnus II of the Necklace (Torquatus)||100px

|align="center"|1328 Son of Magnus I and Sophia of Brandenburg-Stendal

|align="center"|1369 – 25 July 1373|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel (with Principality of Lüneburg) ||Katherine of Anhalt-Bernburg 1327 eight children

|align="center"|25 July 1373 aged 44–45|| Inherited Wolfenbüttel from his father. However, the Lüneburg War of Succession allowed his succession also in this duchy. However, the War of Succession brought, after his death, the dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg to the government.

|-style="background:#ffc

|colspan=8| After the death of Magnus II with the Necklace, a treaty (the Reconciliation of Hanover) was agreed between the widow of Magnus II and her sons and the claimers, Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg and his uncle Duke Wenceslaus I of Saxe-Wittenberg: the estates of the Principality were to pay homage both to the Welfs and to the Ascanians, and the two noble houses would govern the state alternately. Initially, the land would be given to the two Ascanians from Wittenberg, and after their death it would go to the sons of the fallen Duke Magnus II.

After their death, rule of the Principality was to revert to the Ascanians. In order to underpin the agreement, in 1374 Albert of Saxe-Lüneburg married Catharina, the widow of Magnus II. The treaty also envisaged the creation of a statutory body representing the estates, which was to supervise the treaty. However, 1373–1388 would be the only period in which a Brunswick-Luneburg land was not ruled by a Welf:

Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg (1373–1385), son of Elisabeth, daughter of William II.
Wenceslaus I, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg (1385–1388), uncle of the previous

In the wake of his death, Elector Wenceslas appointed Bernard, his brother-in-law, as co-regent involved him in the government. But his younger brother Henry did not agree with this ruling, and after vain attempts to reach an agreement, the fight flared up again in the spring of 1388. Elector Wenceslas had to assemble an army without the help of Bernard, supported by the town of Lüneburg. From Winsen an der Aller, he wanted to attack Celle, which was held by Henry and his mother. During the preparations Elector Wenceslas fell seriously ill and died shortly thereafter. According to legend, he was poisoned.

Lüneburg continued the preparations, formed an alliance with the Bishop of Minden and Count of Schaumburg and set up his own army. On 28 May 1388, battle was joined at Winsen an der Aller; it ended in victory for Henry. According to the provisions of the Treaty of Hanover from the year 1373, after the death of Wensceslas, the Principality passed to the House of Welf. In 1389, an inheritance agreement between the Welfs and the Ascanians was concluded, the treaty of 1374 was abolished, and the Principality was secured for the Welfs.

|-style="background:#ceb"

|Frederick I ||

|align=center|1357 First son of Magnus II nad

|align=center|25 July 1373 – 5 June 1400|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel||Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg 1386 two children

|align=center|5 June 1400 Kleinenglis aged 42–43

|rowspan="5"| Children of Magnus II. As the eldest, Frederick inherited Wolfenbuttel alone, while his younger brothers held Luneburg sinceits recovery in 1388. After Frederick I's childless death in 1400, the remaining brothers exchanged feuds until 1428.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|rowspan="2"|Henry (I) the Mild

|rowspan="2"|100px

|rowspan="2" align=center|1355 Second son of Magnus II and

|align=center|15 May 1388 – 14 October 1416|| Principality of Lüneburg

|rowspan="2"|Sophia of Pomerania 11 November 1388 two children 30 January 1409 Kassel one child

|rowspan="2" align=center|14 October 1416 aged 60–61

|-style="background:#ceb"

|align=center|5 June 1400 – 1409|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel

|-style="background:#ffc"

|rowspan="2"|Bernard I

|rowspan="2"|100px

|rowspan="2" align=center|1358 Third son of Magnus II and

|align=center|15 May 1388 – 1409 1428 – 11 June 1434|| Principality of Lüneburg

|rowspan="2"| 1386 three children

|align=center rowspan="2"|11 June 1434 Celle aged 75–76

|-style="background:#ceb"

|align=center|1409 – 1428|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel

|-style="background:#dce"

|align="center" colspan="7"| Regency of Frederick I, Duke of Brunswick-Osterode (1383–1401)

|rowspan="2"|

|-style="background:#dce"

|Eric I the Winner ||

|align="center"| Son of Albert I and

|align="center"|1383 – 28 May 1427||Principality of Grubenhagen || six children

|align="center"|28 May 1427 aged 46–47

|-style="background:#ade"

|Otto (III) the One-Eyed ||

|align="center"|1380 Son of Otto (II) and

|align="center"|13 November 1394 – 6 February 1463||Principality of Göttingen ||Agnes of Hesse 1408 one child

|align="center"|6 February 1463 Uslar aged 82–83|| With no male heirs, after his death Göttingen is absorbed by Calenberg.

|-style="background:#ade"

|align=center colspan=8|Göttingen annexed to Calenberg

|-style="background:#ffdaed"

|rowspan="3"|William (III & I) the Victorious

|rowspan="3"|100px

|rowspan="3" align=center|1392 Son of Henry (I) and Sophia of Pomerania

|style="background:#ffc" align=center|14 October 1416 – 1428

|style="background:#ffc"| Principality of Lüneburg

|rowspan="3"|Cecilia of Brandenburg 30 May/6 June 1423 Berlin two children Matilda of Holstein-Pinneberg 1466 one child

|rowspan="3" align=center|25 July 1482 aged 89–90

|rowspan="5"| Sons of Henry the Mild, ruled jointly. In 1428 they exchanged, with their uncle Bernard I, Lüneburg for Wolfenbüttel. In 1432 founded the Principality of Calenberg, a split-off from Lüneburg, and left the remaining Wolfenbüttel to his brother Henry IV. After the latter's death William took his lands. In 1463, attached the Principality of Göttingen to Calenberg. In 1473, William also annexed Wolfenbüttel.

|-style="background:#ceb"

|align=center|1428 – 1432|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel

|-style="background:#ffdaed"

|align=center|1432 – 25 July 1482|| Principality of Calenberg (with Principalities of Göttingen from 1463 and Wolfenbüttel from 1473)

|-style="background:#ceb"

|rowspan="2"|Henry (II) the Peaceful

|rowspan="2"|

|rowspan="2" align=center|1411 Son of Henry (I) and

|style="background:#ffc" align=center|14 October 1416 – 1428

|style="background:#ffc"| Principality of Lüneburg

|rowspan="2"| 1436 one child

|rowspan="2" align=center|7 December 1473 aged 61–62

|-style="background:#ceb"

|align=center|1428 – 7 December 1473|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel

|-style="background:#ceb"

|align=center colspan=8| Wolfenbüttel briefly annexed to Calenberg

|-style="background:#dce"

|Otto II ||

|align=center|1396 Son of Frederick I and

|align=center|4 May 1421 – 1452||Principality of Grubenhagen (at Osterode)|| Schonetta of Nassau-Weilburg (d.1436) 1414 one child

|align=center|1452||After his death, Osterode returned to Grubenhagen.

|-style="background:#dce"

|align=center colspan=8| Osterode re-merged in Grubenhagen

|-style="background:#dce"

|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Otto II, Duke of Brunswick-Osterode (1427–1440)

|rowspan="4"|Sons of Eric I, were under regency until 1440, when they divided Grubenhagen. Henry kept Heldenburg Castle, and Albert Herzberg Castle, but kept the joint rule at Osterode am Harz and Einbeck. Ernest didn't participate in the division, and abdicated in 1464, to become a canon in Halberstadt.

|-style="background:#dce"

|Henry III ||

|align=center|1416 Grubenhagen First son of Eric I and

|align=center|28 May 1427 – 20 December 1464||Principality of Grubenhagen (at Heldenburg from 1440) || Margaret of Żagań before 27 June 1457 two children

|align=center|20 December 1464 aged 47–48

|-style="background:#dce"

|Ernest II ||

|align=center|1418 Second son of Eric I and

|align=center|28 May 1427 – 1466||Principality of Grubenhagen || Unmarried

|align=center|1466 aged 47–48

|-style="background:#dce"

|Albert II ||

|align=center|1 November 1419 Third son of Eric I and

|align=center|28 May 1427 – 15 August 1485||Principality of Grubenhagen (at Herzberg) || Elisabeth of Waldeck 15 October 1471 two children

|align=center|15 August 1485 aged 65

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Otto IV the Lame||100px

|align=center|c.1400 First son of Bernard I and

|align=center|11 June 1434 – 1 June 1446

|rowspan="2"| Principality of Lüneburg ||Elisabeth of Eberstein 1425 one child

|align=center|1 June 1446 aged 45–46

|rowspan="2"| Ruled jointly. Their rule was marked by major building work to Celle Castle and also by numerous reforms which improved the legal situation of farmers vis-a-vis their local lords. Frederick abdicated to his sons and went to a monastery, but after the death of his son Otto, he left the monastery and resumed his rule.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Frederick II the Pious||100px

|align=center|1418 Second son of Bernard I and

|align=center|11 June 1434 – 1457 9 January 1471 – 19 March 1478||Magdalene of Brandenburg 3 July 1429 Tangermünde three children

|align=center|19 March 1478 Celle aged 59–60

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Bernard II||100px

|align=center|1437 First son of Frederick II and Magdalene of Brandenburg

|align=center|1457 – 9 February 1464

|rowspan="2"| Principality of Lüneburg||Matilda of Holstein-Pinneberg 1463 no children

|align=center|9 February 1464 Celle aged 26–27

|rowspan="2"|Children of Frederick II, ruled jointly. Bernard was also Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Otto V the Magnanimous||100px

|align=center|1439 First son of Frederick II and Magdalene of Brandenburg

|align=center|1457 – 9 January 1471||Anne of Nassau-Siegen 25 September 1467 Celle two children

|align=center|9 January 1471 Celle aged 31–32

|- style="background:#dce"

|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1464–1479)

|rowspan="2"|With his uncle Albert, officialized the division of Grubenhagen. However, his death without descendants allowed his cousins (sons of Albert) to reunite Grubenhagen.

|- style="background:#dce"

|Henry IV||

|align="center"|1460 Son of Henry III and Margaret of Żagań

|align="center"|20 December 1464 – 6 December 1526||Principality of Grubenhagen (at Heldenburg)|| 26 August 1494 Einbeck no children

|align="center"|6 December 1526 Einbeck aged 65–66

|- style="background:#ffc"

|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Anne of Nassau-Siegen (1478–1486)

|rowspan="2"|Son of Otto V. As he opposed to the newly elected Emperor Charles V, the latter deposed him from the duchy and gave it to his sons.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Henry (III) the Middle||100px

|align="center"|15 September 1468 Lüneburg Son of Otto V and Anne of Nassau-Siegen

|align="center"|19 March 1478 – 1520|| Principality of Lüneburg ||Margaret of Saxony 27 February 1487 Celle seven children Anna von Campe ? (morganatic) no children

|align="center"|19 February 1532 Wienhausen aged 63

|-style="background:#ffdaed"

|Frederick III the Turbulent||

|align=center|1424 First son of William (III & I) and Cecilia of Brandenburg

|align=center|25 July 1482 – 1485|| Principality of Calenberg (at Calenberg proper)||Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck After 1460 no children Margaret of Rietberg 10 May 1483 no children

|align=center|5 March 1495 Hann. Münden aged 70–71

|rowspan="2"| Children of William III/I, divided their inheritance. Wiliam IV/II imprisoned by his brother Frederick, and took his place in Calenberg, reuniting the inheritance once again. William eventually abdicated of all his property to his sons.

|-style="background:#ffdaed"

||William (IV & II) the Younger||100px

|align=center|1425 Second son of William (III & I) and Cecilia of Brandenburg

|align=center|25 July 1482 – 1495||Principality of Calenberg (at Wolfenbüttel until 1485; at Principality of Göttingen only since 1491)||Elizabeth of Stolberg-Wernigerode 1444 three children

|align=center|7 July 1503 Hardegsen aged 77–78

|-style="background:#dce"

|align=center colspan=7|Regency of Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen and Elisabeth of Waldeck (1485-1490)

|rowspan=2|In 1526 reunited Grubenhagen under his hands.

|-style="background:#dce"

|Philip I ||100px

|align=center|1476 Son of Albert II and Elisabeth of Waldeck

|align=center|15 August 1485 – 4 September 1551||Grubenhagen (at Herzberg; from 1526 in all Grubenhagen) || Unknown before 1509 one child Catherine of Outer Mansfeld ? nine children

|align=center|4 September 1551 Herzberg am Harz aged 74–75

|-style="background:#ceb"

||Henry (IV) the Elder||

|align=center|14 June 1463 First son of William (IV & II) and Elisabeth of Stolberg-Wernigerode

|align=center|1495 – 23 June 1514|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel|| 1486 nine children

|align=center|23 June 1514 Leer aged 51

|rowspan="2" style="background:#ffdaed"| Children of William IV/II, initially ruled jointly, but in 1494, they officially divided their inheritance.

|-style="background:#ffdaed"

||Eric I the Elder||100px

|align=center|16 February 1470 Neustadt am Rübenberge Second son of William (IV & II) and Elisabeth of Stolberg-Wernigerode

|align=center|1495 – 30 July 1540|| Principality of Calenberg ||Katharina of Saxony 1496/97 no children Elisabeth of Brandenburg 7 July 1525 Stettin four children

|align=center|30 July 1540 Haguenau aged 70

|-style="background:#ceb"

|Henry (V) the Younger||100px

|align=center|10 November 1489 Wolfenbüttel Son of Henry (IV) and

|align=center|23 June 1514 – 11 June 1568|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel||Maria of Württemberg 1515 eight children Sophia of Poland 22/25 February 1556 no children

|align=center|11 June 1568 Wolfenbüttel aged 78|| He was the last Catholic of his family. Under him the medieval fortress (Burg) was rebuilt into a castle (Schloss); he was a passionate opponent of the Lutherans, and driving force behind the Catholic alliance established against the Schmalkaldic League; the disinheritance of a third son could not be carried out.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Otto (VI & I)||100px

|align=center|24 August 1495 Celle First son of Henry (III) and Margaret of Saxony

|align=center|1520 – 11 August 1549|| Principality of Lüneburg (at Harburg from 1527) ||Meta von Campe 1527 (morganatic)no children

|align=center|11 August 1549 Harburg aged 53

|rowspan="3"|Sons of Henry VII, ruled jointly. Otto abdicated in 1527 and founded his own estate, the Lordship of Harburg, which passed to his own descendants. Ernest was a champion of the Protestant cause during the early years of the Protestant Reformation. Francis started his co-rulership in 1536, and abdicated three years later to rule in his own estate, the Principality of Gifhorn, which was reannexed to Lüneburg after his death as he left no descendants.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Ernest I the Confessor||100px

|align=center|27 June 1497 Uelzen Second son of Henry (III) and Margaret of Saxony

|align=center|1520 – 11 January 1546|| Principality of Lüneburg ||Sophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 2 June 1528 Schwerin seven children

|align=center|11 January 1546 Celle aged 48

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Francis||100px

|align=center|23 November 1508 Uelzen Third son of Henry (III) and Margaret of Saxony

|align=center|1520 – 23 November 1549|| Principality of Lüneburg (at Duchy of Gifhorn from 1539) ||Clara of Saxe-Lauenburg 29 September 1547 Amt Neuhaus seven children

|align=center|23 November 1549 Gifhorn aged 41

|-style="background:#ffc"

|align=center colspan=8|Gifhorn re-merged in Lüneburg

|- style="background:#ffdaed"

|align="center"colspan="7"| Regencies of Elisabeth of Brandenburg and Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (1540–1545)

|rowspan="2"|During his regency, his mother implemented the Reformation in Calenberg. She also wrote a "government manual" for Eric, with important advice that should serve him as a guide. Left no descendants, and Calenberg was annexed to Wolfenbüttel.

|-style="background:#ffdaed"

|Eric II the Younger||100px

|align=center|10 August 1528 Dassel Son of Eric I and Elisabeth of Brandenburg

|align=center|30 July 1540 – 17 November 1584|| Principality of Calenberg ||Sidonie of Saxony 17 May 1545 Hann. Münden no children Dorothea of Lorraine 26 November 1575 Nancy no children

|align=center|17 November 1584 Pavia aged 56

|-style="background:#ffdaed"

|colspan=8 align="center"|Calenberg annexed to Wolfenbüttel

|-style="background:#ffc"

|colspan=7 align="center"|Council of Regency (1546–1555)

|rowspan="2"|Left no descendants. The land passed to his brothers.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Francis Otto||100px

|align=center|20 June 1530 Celle First son of Ernest I and Sophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

|align=center|11 January 1546 – 29 April 1559|| Principality of Lüneburg || 5 February 1559 no children

|align=center|29 April 1559 Celle aged 28

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Otto II the Famous||

|align=center|25 September 1528 Celle Son of Otto (VI & I) and Meta von Campe

|align=center|11 August 1549 – 26 October 1603|| Principality of Lüneburg (at Harburg) ||Margaret of Schwarzburg-Leutenberg 8 September 1551 four children Hedwig of East Frisia 8 October 1562 twelve children

|align=center|26 October 1603 Harburg aged 75||

|-style="background:#ffdaed"

|Ernest III ||100px

|align=center|17 December 1518 Osterode am Harz First son of Philip I and Catherine of Outer Mansfeld

|align=center|4 September 1551 – 2 April 1567||Grubenhagen|| Margaret of Pomerania-Wolgast 9 October 1547 Wolgast one child

|align=center|2 April 1567 Herzberg am Harz aged 48|| Left no male descendants. The land passed to his brother Wolfgang.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Henry (VI)||

|align=center|4 June 1533 Lüchow-Dannenberg Third son of Ernest I and Sophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

|align=center|29 April 1559 – 19 January 1598|| Principality of Lüneburg (from 1569 in Dannenberg) ||Ursula of Saxe-Lauenburg 1569 seven children

|align=center|19 January 1598 Dannenberg aged 64

|rowspan="2"|Brothers of Francis Otto, initially ruled jointly. In 1569, Henry founded the duchy of Dannenberg, which left to his own descendants. William ruled alone from 1569.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|William V the Young||100px

|align=center|4 July 1535 Fourth son of Ernest I and Sophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

|align=center|29 April 1559 – 20 August 1592|| Principality of Lüneburg ||Dorothea of Denmark 12 October 1561 fifteen children

|align=center|20 August 1592 aged 57

|-style="background:#dce"

|Wolfgang ||

|align=center|6 April 1531 Herzberg am Harz Fifth son of Philip I and Catherine of Outer Mansfeld

|align=center|2 April 1567 – 14 May 1595||Principality of Grubenhagen|| Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg 10 December 1570 Osterode am Harz no children

|align=center|14 May 1595 Herzberg am Harz aged 64|| Like most of his predecessors, he had financial problems, so he was often forced to sell or pledge major parts of his possession and he had to demand high taxes. As he left no male descendants, the land passed to his brother Philip.

|-style="background:#ceb"

||Julius||100px

|align=center|29 June 1528 Wolfenbüttel Son of Henry (V) and Maria of Württemberg

|align=center|11 June 1568 – 3 May 1589|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel||Hedwig of Brandenburg 25 February 1560 Cölln eleven children

|align=center|3 May 1589 Wolfenbüttel aged || In 1584 Julius absorbed the Principality of Calenberg. By embracing the Protestant Reformation, establishing the University of Helmstedt, and introducing a series of administrative reforms, Julius was one of the most important Brunswick dukes in the early modern era.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Ernest II||100px

|align=center|31 December 1564 CelleFirst son of William V and Dorothea of Denmark

|align=center|20 August 1592 – 2 March 1611|| Principality of Lüneburg ||Unmarried

|align=center|2 March 1611 Celle aged 46||Left no descendants. The land passed to his brother, Christian.

|-style="background:#ceb"

|Henry Julius||100px

|align=center|15 October 1564 Hessen Son of Julius and Hedwig of Brandenburg

|align=center|3 May 1589 – 30 July 1613|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel ||Dorothea of Saxony 26 September 1585 Wolfenbüttel one child Elizabeth of Denmark 19 April 1590 Cölln ten children

|align=center|30 July 1613 Prague aged 48|| In 1596 occupied Grubenhagen.

|-style="background:#dce"

|Philip II ||

|align=center|2 May 1533 Sixth son of Philip I and Catherine of Outer Mansfeld

|align=center|14 May 1595 – 4 April 1596||Principality of Grubenhagen|| Clara of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 1 July 1560 Wolfenbüttel no children

|align=center|4 April 1596 aged 62|| As he left no male descendants, the land had no heir and was occupied by the Principality of Wolfenbüttel.

|-style="background:#dce"

|colspan="8" align="center"|Grubenhagen annexed to Wolfenbüttel, and then definitely to Lüneburg

|-style="background:#ffc"

|Julius Ernest||

|align=center|11 March 1571 Lüchow-Dannenberg Son of Henry (VI) and Ursula of Saxe-Lauenburg

|align=center|19 January 1598 – 26 October 1636|| Principality of Lüneburg (at Dannenberg) ||Maria of East Frisia 1 September 1614 two children Sybille of Brunswick-Lüneburg 1616 two children

|align=center|26 October 1636 aged 65||Left no descendants. The short-lived Dannenberg principality reverted to Lüneburg.

|-style="background:#ffc"

|colspan="8" align="center"|Dannenberg annexed to Lüneburg

|-style="background:#ffc

|William Augustus||100px

|align=center|15 March 1564 Harburg First son of Otto II and Hedwig of East Frisia

|align=center|26 October 1603 – 30 March 1642

|rowspan=3| Principality of Lüneburg (in Harburg) ||Unmarried

|align=center|30 March 1642 Harburg aged 78

|rowspan="3"| Sons of Otto II, ruled together in Harburg. After William Augustus' death, the lordship reunited with Lüneburg.

|-style="background:#ffc

|Christopher||

|align=center|21 August 1570 Harburg Fourth son of Otto II and Hedwig of East Frisia

|align=center|26 October 1603 – 7 July 1606||Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 28 October 1604 Harburg no children

|align=center|7 July 1606 Harburg aged 35

|-style="background:#ffc

|Otto III||100px

|align=center|20 March 1572 Harburg Fifth son of Otto II and Hedwig of East Frisia

|align=center|26 October 1603 – 4 August 1641||Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 14 April 1621 Wolfenbüttel no children

|align=center|4 August 1641 Harburg aged 69

|-style="background:#ffc

|align=center colspan=8|Harburg re-merged in Lüneburg

|-style="background:#ffc

||Christian the Elder||100px

|align=center|9 November 1566 Celle Second son of William V and Dorothea of Denmark

|align=center|2 March 1611 – 8 November 1633|| Principality of Lüneburg (with Grubenhagen from 1617)||Unmarried

|align=center|8 November 1633 Celle aged 66|| Absorbed Grubenhagen from Wolfenbüttel. As he left no descendants, the land passed to his brother, Augustus. Grubenhagen is definitively annexed to Lüneburg.

|- style="background:#ceb

|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Elizabeth of Denmark (1616–1622)

|rowspan="3"|Children of Henry Julius. Frederick Ulirch inheriteed the major duchy, and Sophie Hedwig a seat at Spiegelberg. Because of his alcoholism, Frederick Ulrich was deposed by his own mother, with the help of her brother, Christian IV of Denmark. She took the regency in his name. During her regency, Elizabeth lost in 1617 the Principality of Grubenhagen and left the government business for Anton von Streithorst, who nearly ruined the state by minting coins from cheap metals and thus causing inflation. Because of the bad situation of the state, the king of Denmark had Frederick take control of the government again. Frederick didn't leave descendants, and his lands passed to collateral lines of the Lüneburg Welfs.

|-style="background:#ceb

|Frederick Ulrich the Lasting||100px

|align=center|10 April 1579 Dannenberg

|align=center|11 August 1634 – 17 September 1666|| Principality of Wolfenbüttel||Clara Maria of Pomerania-Barth 13 December 1607 Strelitz two children Dorothea of Anhalt-Zerbst 26 October 1623 Zerbst five children Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg 1635 two children

|align=center|17 September 1666 Wolfenbüttel aged 87||Younger son of Henry (VI). Inherited Wolfenbüttel from his cousin Frederick Ulrich, who had left no descendants. In 1643 he moved into the Residence at Wolfenbüttel, was the founder of a barock theatre and the Bibliotheca Augusta.

|-style="background:#ffdaed

|George the Catcher||100px

|align=center|17 February 1582 Celle Sixth son of William V and Dorothea of Denmark

|align=center|11 August 1634 – 2 April 1641|| Principality of Calenberg||Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt 14 December 1617 Darmstadt eight children

|align=center|2 April 1641 Hildesheim aged 59||Inherited Calenberg from his cousin Frederick Ulrich, who had left no descendants. Abdicated to his son in 1641.

|-style="background:#ffc

|Frederick IV||100px

|align=center|28 August 1574 Celle Fourth son of William V and Dorothea of Denmark

|align=center|1 October 1636 – 10 December 1648|| Principality of Lüneburg ||Unmarried

|align=center|10 December 1648 Celle aged 74||As he left no descendants, the land passed to a nephew, Christian Louis, son of Frederick's brother George.

|-style="background:#ffc

|rowspan="2"|Christian Louis the Pure-Hearted

|File:Braunschweig-1582.PNG|coats of arms of the duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1582–1596); Brunswick-Lüneburg (1582–1624); Brunswick-Harburg (1582–1624);

|Braunschweig-1585.PNG|coats of arms of the duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1585);

|Braunschweig-1596.PNG|coats of arms of the duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1596–1599);

|Braunschweig-1599.PNG|coats of arms of the duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1599–1613);

|Braunschweig-1634.PNG|coats of arms of the duchy of Brunswick (-Wolfenbüttel) (1634–1918); coats of arms of the electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg;

|File:Braunschweig-Lüneburg.PNG| coats of arms of the electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg;

|File:Coat of Arms of George I Louis, Elector of Hanover (1698-1708).svg|Coat of Arms of Ernest Augustus (1692–1698) & George I Louis, Electors-designate of Hanover (1698–1708) until approved by the Imperial Diet in 1708, hence the blank red electorial shield.

|File:Coat of Arms of George I Louis, Elector of Hanover (1708-1714).svg|Coat of Arms of George I Louis, Elector of Hanover (1708–1714) (same as his father's but with the electorial shield now filled)

|File:Coat of arms of the HRE Arch-Treasurer.svg|Coat of arms of the HRE Arch-Treasurer

|File:Royal Hanover Inescutcheon.svg|Royal Hanover Inescutcheon in Great Britain and the United Kingdom

|File:Royal Arms of the Kingdom of Hanover.svg|Royal Arms of the Kingdom of Hanover

|File:Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Hanover (1814-1866).svg|Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Hanover (1814–1866)

|File:Shield of the Duchy of Brunswick.svg|Duchy of Brunswick

References

External links

Die Welfen. Official site
Succession laws in the House of Welf

Origins

Bavaria and Saxony

Brunswick and Hanover

Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Principality of Calenberg – later Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg

British succession

Kingdom of Hanover

Brunswick succession

Welf Dynasty Today

Rulers

House of Welf

See also

References

External links