House of Welf (Guelf, Guelph)
Parent houseHouse of Este (agnatic)
Elder House of Welf (cognatic)
CountryGermany, Italy, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Founded11th century
FounderWelf I, Duke of Bavaria
Final rulerErnest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick
Titles
Estate(s)Brunswick & Hanover
Deposition1918 (in Germany)
Cadet branchesHouse of Hanover
The possessions of the Welfs in the days of Henry the Lion

The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph[1]) 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-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.

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.

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. Diminished lands did not prevent him from imprisoning Richard I on his return from the Third Crusade, and demanding a huge ransom in 1193. Henry died at Brunswick in 1195.

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.[2] He was the only Welf to become Holy Roman Emperor.

Coat-of-arms of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg

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.[3] 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

Coat of Arms of the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1708)

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.

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.

Brunswick succession

Coat-of-arms of the Duchy of Brunswick

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.

The Welf dynasty continues to exist. The last member sitting on a European throne was Frederica of Hanover, 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.

Rulers of the House of Welf

House of Welf

Partitions under Welf rule

      
County of Altdorf
(820-1191)		 County of Auxerre
(866-888)
Raised to:
Kingdom of
Upper Burgundy
(888-1032)
      
             
Annexed to the
Holy Roman
Empire		 County
Palatine
of the Rhine
(1195-1214)		 Lordship of Lüneburg
(1126-1235)
Raised to:
Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg
(1235–1269)
Annexed to
House of
Wittelsbach
Brunswick
(1269–1291)		 Lüneburg
(1st creation)
(1269–1369)
Grubenhagen
(1291–1596)		        Wolfenbüttel
(1st creation)
(1291–1292)
      
Göttingen
(1291–1463)		       
      
Wolfenbüttel
(2nd creation)
(1344–1400)		 Lüneburg under
Ascanian rule
(1373–1388)
      
      
       Lüneburg
(2nd creation)
(1388–1705)
Calenberg
(1st creation)
(1432–1584)		 Wolfenbüttel
(3rd creation)
(1409–1485)
             
      
             
Wolfenbüttel
(4th creation)
(1494–1807)
      
       (annexed Grubenhagen 1617)
       Calenberg
(2nd creation)
(1634–1692)
Recalled
Hanover in 1692
      
Electorate of Hanover
(1692–1866)
Annexed by
France
Brunswick
(1813–1918)
Annexed by Prussia

Table of rulers

RulerBornReignDeathRuling partConsortNotes
Elder House of Welf
Welf (I)760c.800-825825County of AltdorfHedwig of Bavaria
four children		Eponymous founder of the family
Conrad I the Elder?825-864864County of AltdorfAdelaide of Tours
three children
Welf I?864-876876County of AltdorfUnknown
at least one child
Conrad II the Younger?864-876876County of AuxerreWaldrada of Worms
one child
Etichoc.850876-911c.911County of AltdorfEgila
three children
Rudolf I859876-91125 October 911County of Auxerre
(until 888)

Kingdom of Upper Burgundy
(from 888)		Guilla of Provence
c.880
four children		First King of Burgundy, from 888.
Henry (I) of the
Golden Chariot		c.880911-935c.935County of AltdorfAtha of Hohenwart
three children
Rudolf II11 July 880911-93711 July 937Kingdom of Upper BurgundyBertha of Swabia
922
two children		Also King of Italy (922-926).
Rudolf Ic.910935-950c.950County of AltdorfSiburgis
at least one child
Conrad III the Peaceful925937-99319 October 993Kingdom of Upper BurgundyAdelaide of Bellay
one child

Matilda of France
866
four children
Rudolf IIc.940950-990c.990County of AltdorfIta of Öhningen
three children
Henry (II)c.960990-100015 November 1000County of AltdorfUnmarriedLeft no descendants. He was succeeded by his brother.
Rudolf III the Pious970993-10326 September 1032Kingdom of Upper BurgundyAgiltrude
(d.1011)
no children

Ermengarde of Burgundy
28 June 1011
no children		After his childless death, the Kingdom was annexed by the Holy Roman Empire.
Welf IIc.9601000-103010 March 1030County of AltdorfImiza of Luxembourg
1017
two children
Welf III10071030-105513 November 1055County of AltdorfUnmarriedAlso Duke of Carinthia. Left no descendants, and the lands passed to his nephews, sons of his sister Kunigunde.
Younger House of Welf
Welf IVc.1035/401055-11016 November 1101County of AltdorfEthelinde of Northeim
1062
no children

Judith of Flanders
1071
three children		Son of Kunigunde of Altdorf and Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan, inherited his maternal family's possessions. Also Duke of Bavaria (1070-1077 and 1096-1101).
Welf V the Fat10721101-112024 September 1120County of AltdorfMatilda of Tuscany
1088/89
no children		Left no children, and the county went to his brother. Also Duke of Bavaria.
Henry (III) the Black10751120-112613 December 1126County of AltdorfWulfhilde of Saxony
1095
eight children		Inherited by marriage possessions in the Luneburg, to the north.
Welf VI11151126-119115 December 1191County of AltdorfUta of Schauenburg
c.1130
two children		 Children of Henry the Black, Welf VI and Henry the Proud divided their inheritance: Welf VI kept the original possessions to the south, and Henry the northern ones, besides inheriting his father's title of Duke of Bavaria (1136-38), and conquering also the title of Duke of Saxony (1137-1139) inherited from their mother. Welf VI would also go on to become Margrave of Tuscany and Duke of Spoleto (1152-1160 and 1167-1173).

In 1129, after Henry the Proud's defeat against Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor, his sister Sophia was given a seat at Regensburg.[4]

From c.1150 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.

Henry (I) the Proud11081126-113920 October 1139Lordship of LüneburgGertrude of Süpplingenburg
1202
one child
Sophia11051129-11451145County of Altdorf
(at Regensburg)		Berthold III, Duke of Zähringen
c.1120
no children

Leopold, Margrave of Styria
c.1122
four children
Welf VII1135c.1150-116712 September 1167County of AltdorfUnmarried
Regency of Gertrude of Süpplingenburg (1139-1142) Inherited Brunswick from his mother after her death in 1143. Also Duke of Saxony (1142-1180) and Duke of Bavaria (1156-1180). When Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, became king of Germany, he restored Bavaria to the Welf line.
Henry (II) the Lion1129/311139-11956 August 1195Lordship of LüneburgClementia of Zähringen
1147
three children

Matilda of England
1168
five children
Henry (III) the Elder11731195-1213

1195-1212		28 April 1227Lordship of Lüneburg

County Palatine of the Rhine		Agnes of Hohenstaufen
1193
three children

Agnes of Landsberg
1209
no children		 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).
Otto11751195-121319 May 1218Lordship of Lüneburg

Beatrice of Swabia
1212
no children

Maria of Brabant
19 May 1214
Maastricht
no children

William Longsword11 April 11841195-121312 December 1213Lordship of LüneburgHelena of Denmark
1202
Hamburg
one child
Henry (IV) the Younger11961212-121426 April 1214County Palatine of the RhineUnmarriedAfter his death the Palatinate was inherited by the House of Wittelsbach, to which his sister Agnes had married.
Regency of Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1213-1218) He was raised to Duke and recognised as such in 1235, by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Child
12041213–12529 June 1252Brunswick-LüneburgMatilda of Brandenburg
1228
ten children
Albert I the Tall12361252-127915 August 1279Brunswick
(in Brunswick-Lüneburg until 1269)		Elisabeth of Brabant
1254
no children

Alexia of Montferrat
1263
seven children		 Children of Otto I, they shared rule of the land until 1269. Albert became Prince of Brunswick and John a Prince of Luneburg.
John12421252-127713 December 1277Lüneburg
(in Brunswick-Lüneburg until 1269)		Liutgard of Holstein-Itzehoe
1265
five children
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 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.
Regencies of Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1277-1279) and Conrad of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Prince-Bishop of Verden (1277-1282) 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.
Otto II the Strict
12661277-133010 April 1330LüneburgMatilda of Bavaria
1288
five children
Henry I the AdmirableAugust 12671279–13227 September 1322Grubenhagen
(until 1291 in Brunswick)		Agnes of Meissen
1282
sixteen children		 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.
William I12701279-129230 September 1292Wolfenbüttel
(until 1291 in Brunswick)		Elisabeth of Hesse
190
no children
Albert II the Fat12681279-131822 September 1318Göttingen
(until 1291 in Brunswick)		Rixa of Werle
1284
ten children
Otto (I) the Mild24 June 1292 1318–134430 August 1344GöttingenJudith of Hesse
1311
no children

Agnes of Brandenburg-Salzwedel
1319
no children		 Sons of Albert II, ruled jointly. After Otto's death Magnus and Ernest divided the land: Magnus received Wolfenbüttel and Ernest Göttingen.
Ernest I13051318–136724 April 1367GöttingenElizabeth of Hesse
1337
three children
Magnus I the Pious 1304 1318–1344 1369 Göttingen Sophia of Brandenburg-Stendal
1327
eight children
1344-1369Wolfenbüttel
Henry IIBefore 12961322–1351After 1351GrubenhagenJutta of Brandenburg-Stendal
1318
four children

Helvis of Ibelin
1324
six children		 Sons of Henry I, ruled jointly.
Ernest I12971322–13619 March 1361GrubenhagenAdelheid of Everstein-Polle
June 1335
nine children
William12981322–13601360GrubenhagenUnmarried
John IBefore 12961322–1325After 1367GrubenhagenUnmarried
Otto III12961330–135219 August 1352LüneburgMatilda of Mecklenburg
1311
three children		 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.
William II the Elderc.13001330–136923 November 1369LüneburgHedwig of Ravensberg
7 April 1328
one child

Maria
After 1387
one child

Sophia of Anhalt-Bernburg
12 March 1346
no children

Agnes of Saxe-Lauenburg
1363
no children
Albert Ic.13391361–13831383GrubenhagenAgnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg
c.1380?
one child		 Sons of Ernest I, ruled jointly. John II abdicated 1364 to join the clergy and Albert became sole ruler.
John IIc.13391361–136418 January 1401GrubenhagenAdelheid of Everstein-Polle
June 1335
nine children
Frederick I13501361–14211421Grubenhagen
(at Osterode)		Adelaide of Anhalt-Zerbst
(d. before 1421)
one child
Otto (II) the Evil13301367–139413 November 1394GöttingenMargarethe of Jülich-Berg
1379
two children
Magnus II of the Necklace (Torquatus)13041369–137325 July 1373Wolfenbüttel
(with Lüneburg)		Katherine of Anhalt-Bernburg
1327
eight children		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.
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:

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.

Frederick I13571373–14005 June 1400WolfenbüttelAnna of Saxe-Wittenberg
1386
two children		 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.
Henry (I) the Mild 13551388–1416 14 October 1416Lüneburg Sophia of Pomerania
11 November 1388
two children

Margaret of Hesse
30 January 1409
one child
1400-1409Wolfenbüttel
Bernard I between 1358 and 1364 1388–1409

1428-1434		 11 June 1434 Lüneburg Margaret of Saxe-Wittenberg
1386
three children
1409-1428Wolfenbüttel
Regency of Frederick I, Duke of Brunswick-Osterode (1383-1401)
Eric I the Winnerc.13831383–142728 May 1427GrubenhagenElisabeth of Brunswick-Göttingen
six children
Otto (III) the One-Eyed13801394–14636 February 1463GöttingenAgnes of Hesse
1408
one child		With no male heirs, after his death Göttingen is absorbed by Calenberg.
William (III & I) the Victorious 1392 1416–1428 25 July 1482 Lüneburg Cecilia of Brandenburg
30 May/6 June 1423
Berlin
two children

Matilda of Holstein-Pinneberg
1466
one child		 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.
1428–1432Wolfenbüttel
1432–1482Calenberg
(with Göttingen from 1463,
and Wolfenbüttel from 1473)
Henry (II) the Peaceful 1411 1416–1428 7 December 1473 Lüneburg Helena of Clèves
1436
one child
1428-1473Wolfenbüttel
Otto II13961421-14521452Grubenhagen
(at Osterode)		Schonetta of Nassau-Weilburg
(d.1436)
1414
one child		After his death, Osterode returned to Grubenhagen.
Regency of Otto II, Duke of Brunswick-Osterode (1427-1440) 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.
Henry III14161427–146420 December 1464Grubenhagen
(at Heldenburg from 1440)		Margaret of Żagań
before 27 June 1457
two children
Albert II1 November 14191427–148515 August 1485Grubenhagen
(at Herzberg)		Elisabeth of Waldeck
15 October 1471
two children
Ernest II14181427–14661466GrubenhagenUnmarried
Otto IV the Lame?1434–14461446LüneburgElisabeth of Eberstein
1425
one child
 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.
Frederick II the Pious14181434–1457

1471-1478		19 March 1478LüneburgMagdalene of Brandenburg
3 July 1429
Tangermünde
three children
Otto V the Magnanimous14391457–14719 January 1471LüneburgAnne of Nassau-Siegen
25 September 1467
Celle
two children		 Children of Frederick II, ruled jointly. Bernard was also Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim.
Bernard II14371457–14641464LüneburgMatilda of Holstein-Pinneberg
1463
no children
Regency of Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1464-1479) With his uncle Albert, officialized the division of Grubenhagen. However, his death without descendants allowed his cousins (sons of Albert) to reunite Grubenhagen.
Henry IV14601464–15266 December 1526Grubenhagen
(at Heldenburg)		Elisabeth of Saxe-Lauenburg
26 August 1494
Einbeck
no children
Regency of Anne of Nassau-Siegen (1478-1486) 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.
Henry (III) the Middle15 September 14681478–152019 February 1532LüneburgMargaret of Saxony
27 February 1487
Celle
seven children

Anna von Camp
c.1528?
no children
Frederick III the Turbulent14241482–14857 July 1503CalenbergAnna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck
After 1460
no children

Margaret of Rietberg
10 May 1483
no children		Imprisoned by his brother William, who took his place.
William (IV & II) the Younger 1425 1482–1485 7 July 1503 Wolfenbüttel Elizabeth of Stolberg-Wernigerode
1444
three children		 Inherited Wolfenbüttel from his father. Joined Calenberg to his domains in 1485, when he imprisoned his brother. Abdicated to his sons in 1491.
1485–1491Calenberg
(with Wolfenbüttel)
Philip I14761485–15514 September 1551Grubenhagen
(at Herzberg; from 1526 all Grubenhagen)		Unknown
before 1509
one child

Catherine of Mansfeld-Vorderort
c.1510?
nine children		Son of Albert V, in 1526 reunited Grubenhagen under his hands.
Eric I the Elder16 February 14701491-154030 July 1540CalenbergKatharina of Saxony
1496/97
no children

Elisabeth of Brandenburg
7 July 1525
Stettin
four children		 Sons of William V, ruled jointly. In 1494, they divided their lands. Henry retained Wolfenbüttel and Eric retained Calenberg.
Henry (IV) the Elder 14 June 1463 1491–1494 23 June 1514 Calenberg Catherine of Pomerania-Wolgast
1486
nine children
1494–1514Wolfenbüttel
Henry (V) the Younger10 November 14891514–156811 June 1568WolfenbüttelMaria of Württemberg
1515
eight children

Sophia of Poland
22/25 February 1556
no children		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.
Otto (VI & I)24 August 14951520–154911 August 1549Lüneburg
(from 1527 in Harburg)		Meta von Camp
1527
no children		 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.
Ernest I the Confessor27 June 14971520–154611 January 1546LüneburgSophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
2 June 1528
Schwerin
seven children
Francis23 November 15081536–153923 November 1549LüneburgClara of Saxe-Lauenburg
29 September 1547
Amt Neuhaus
seven children
Regencies of Elisabeth of Brandenburg and Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (1540-1545) 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.
Eric II10 August 15281540–158417 November 1584CalenbergSidonie of Saxony
17 May 1545
Hann. Münden
no children

Dorothea of Lorraine
26 November 1575
Nancy
no children
Council of Regency (1546–1555) Left no descendants. The land passed to his brothers.
Francis Otto20 June 15301546–155929 April 1559LüneburgElizabeth Magdalene of Brandenburg
1559
no children
Otto II25 September 15281549-160326 October 1603Lüneburg
(in Harburg)		Margaret of Schwarzburg-Leutenberg
8 September 1551
four children

Hedwig of East Frisia
8 October 1562
twelve children
Ernest III17 December 15181551–15672 April 1567GrubenhagenMargaret of Pomerania-Wolgast
9 October 1547
Wolgast
one child		Left no male descendants. The land passed to his brother Wolfgang.
Henry (VI)15331559–159819 January 1598Lüneburg
(from 1569 in Dannenberg)		Ursula of Saxe-Lauenburg
1569
seven children		 Brothers of Francis Otto, ruled jointly. In 1569 Henry founded the duchy of Dannenberg, which left to his own descendants. William ruled alone from 1569.
William V the Younger4 July 15351559–159220 August 1592LüneburgDorothea of Denmark
12 October 1561
fifteen children
Wolfgang6 April 15311567–159514 May 1595GrubenhagenDorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg
10 December 1570
Osterode am Harz
no children		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.
Julius29 June 15281568–15893 May 1589WolfenbüttelHedwig of Brandenburg
25 February 1560
Cölln
eleven children		In 1584 absorbes 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.
Ernest II31 December 15641592–16112 March 1611LüneburgUnmarriedLeft no descendants. The land passed to his brother, Christian.
Henry Julius15 October 15641589–161330 July 1613WolfenbüttelDorothea of Saxony
26 September 1585
Wolfenbüttel
one child

Elizabeth of Denmark
19 April 1590
Cölln
ten children		In 1596 occupied Grubenhagen.
Philip II2 May 15331595–15964 April 1596GrubenhagenClara of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
1 July 1560
Wolfenbüttel
no children		As he left no male descendants, the land had no heir and was occupied by the Principality of Wolfenbüttel.
Grubenhagen annexed to Wolfenbüttel, and then definitely to Lüneburg
Julius Ernest11 March 15711598-163626 October 1636Lüneburg
(at Dannenberg)		Maria of East Frisia
1 September 1614
two children

Sybille of Brunswick-Lüneburg
1616
two children		 Left no descendants. The short-lived Dannenberg principality reverted to Lüneburg.
William Augustus15 March 15641603-164230 March 1642Lüneburg
(in Harburg)		Unmarried Sons of Otto II, ruled together in Harburg. After William Augustus' death, the lordship reunited with Lüneburg.
Otto III20 March 15721603-16414 August 1641Lüneburg
(in Harburg)		Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
14 April 1621
Wolfenbüttel
no children
Christopher21 August 15701603-16067 July 1606Lüneburg
(in Harburg)		Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
28 October 1604
Harburg
no children
Regency of Elizabeth of Denmark (1616-1622) 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.
Frederick Ulrich5 April 15911613–163411 August 1634WolfenbüttelAnna Sophia of Brandenburg
4 September 1614
Wolfenbüttel
no children
Sophia Hedwig13 June 15921613–164213 January 1642Wolfenbüttel
(at Spiegelberg)		Ernest Casimir I, Count of Nassau-Dietz
8 June 1607
Dillenburg
two children
Christian the Elder9 November 15661611-16338 November 1633Lüneburg
(with Grubenhagen from 1617)		UnmarriedAbsorbed Grubenhagen from Wolfenbüttel. As he left no descendants, the land passed to his brother, Augustus. Grubenhagen is definitively annexed to Lüneburg.
Augustus the Elder18 November 15681633–16361 October 1636Lüneburg (and Grubenhagen)UnmarriedNo legitimate issue. The land passed to his brother, Frederick IV.
George17 February 15821634–16412 April 1641CalenbergAnne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt
14 December 1617
Darmstadt
eight children		Younger son of William VI. Inherited Calenberg from his cousin Frederick Ulrich, who had left no descendants. Abdicated to his son in 1641.
Augustus the Younger10 April 15791634–166617 September 1666WolfenbüttelClara 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		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.
Frederick IV28 August 15741636–164810 December 1648LüneburgUnmarriedAs he left no descendants, the land passed to a nephew, Christian Louis, son of Frederick's brother George.
Christian Louis 25 February 1622 1641–1648 15 March 1665 Calenberg Sophia Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
9 October 1653
no children		 In 1648 inherited the Principality of Lüneburg from his uncle Frederick IV, he gave Calenberg to his younger brother George William, and instead ruled the larger territory of Lüneburg.
1648-1665Lüneburg
George William 26 January 1624 1648–1665 28 August 1705 Calenberg Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse
1676
one child		 When his brother, Christian Louis died childless in 1665, George William inherited Luneburg. He then gave Calenberg to his next brother, John Frederick. At his death without male descendants, the land passed to his son-in-law, the Elector of Hanover. Lüneburg is annexed to Hanover.
1665-1705Lüneburg
Lüneburg definitely annexed to Hanôver
Rudolf Augustus16 May 16271666–170426 January 1704WolfenbüttelChristiane Elizabeth of Barby-Mühlingen
1650
three children

Rosine Elisabeth Menthe
1681
(morganatic)
no children		 Sons of Augustus II, the eldest two ruled jointly from 1685 to 1702. The youngest, Ferdinand Albert, ruled from the town of Bevern. According to reports dating to 1677, Rudolf Augustus slashed a way through the Lechlum Forest, the Alten Weg ("Old Way"), later the "Barock Road" between the Lustschloss of Antoinettenruh via the little barock castle [later the Sternhaus] to the Großes Weghaus at Stöckheim; in 1671 captured the town and fortress of Brunswick. After the death of Rudolf Augustus, Anthony Ulrich returned to the throne and ruled alone. A politician, art lover and poet, he founded a museum named after him in Brunswick; he had also Salzdahlum Castle built.
Anthony Ulrich4 October 16331685-1702

1704–1714		27 March 1714WolfenbüttelElizabeth Juliana of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderburg-Nordborg
17 August 1656
thirteen children
Ferdinand Albert I22 May 16361666-168723 April 1687Wolfenbüttel
(at Bevern)		Christine of Hesse-Eschwege
25 November 1667
Eschwege
six children
John Frederick25 April 16251665–167918 December 1679CalenbergBenedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate
30 November 1668
Hanover
three children		Brother of Christian Louis and George William. As he left no male heirs, the land passed to his younger brother, Ernest Augustus.
Ernest Augustus I 20 November 1629 1679–1692 23 January 1698 Calenberg Sophia of the Palatinate
30 September 1658
Heidelberg
seven children		 Youngest son of George. Brother of Christian Louis, George William and John Frederick. In 1692, he was appointed Prince-elector by Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, thus raising the House of Welf to electoral dignity. The old Principality of Calenberg thus adopted the new name of Electorate of Hanover.
1692-1698Electorate of Hanover
George I Louis28 May 16601698–170511 June 1727Electorate of HanoverSophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg
22 November 1682
Celle
(annulled 1694)
two children		The electorship became effective under his rule. In 1705 reunited his father-in-law's princedom of Lüneburg to the Electorate. In 1714 was chosen for King of Great Britain, starting a personal union between Hanover and this new country. Lüneburg was definitely annexed to the Electorate. Thus the Wolfenbüttel was the remaining old land of Brunswick-Lüneburg that remained separate.
Augustus William8 March 16621714–173123 March 1731WolfenbüttelChristine Sophie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
1681
no children

Sophie Amalie of Holstein-Gottorp
1695
no children

Elisabeth Sophie Marie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderborg-Norburg
1710
no children		Son of Anthony Ulrich. Ruler of the only land that was still not in Hanoverian lands, to which it would never belong.
George II Augustus30 October / 9 November 1683O.S./N.S.1727–176025 October 1760Electorate of HanoverWilhelmina Charlotte Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach
22 August / 2 September 1705O.S./N.S.
Hanover
ten children		In personal union with Great Britain.
Louis Rudolph22 July 16711731–17351 March 1735WolfenbüttelChristine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen
22 April 1690
Aurich
three children		Left no male heirs, and his land passed to a collateral line.
Ferdinand Albert II29 May 16801687-1735

1735		2 September 1735Wolfenbüttel
(in Bevern)

Wolfenbüttel		Antoinette Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
15 October 1712
Brunswick
thirteen children		From the line of Brunswick-Bevern. Grandson of Augustus II.
Charles I1 August 17131735–177326 March 1780WolfenbüttelPhilippine Charlotte of Prussia
2 June 1733
Berlin
thirteen children		Founder of the Collegium Carolinum in Brunswick, the porcelain makers of Fürstenberg, the fire office; in 1753 the Residence was moved to Brunswick.
George III William Frederick4 June 17381760-181129 January 1820Electorate of HanoverCharlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
8 September 1761
London
fifteen children		In personal union with Great Britain.
Charles II William Ferdinand9 October 17351773–180610 November 1806WolfenbüttelAugusta of Great Britain
16 January 1764
London
seven children		Due to financial problems, was obliged to replace his father. He was the head of the Prussian Army; died in the Battle of Jena; because his son and heir died young, and two other sons were not eligible, rule passed to his youngest son.
With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the title of Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ceased to exist. However, its successor states continued.
Frederick William the Black Duke9 October 17711806–1807

1813–1815		16 June 1815Wolfenbüttel
(1813-15)

Brunswick
(1806-07)		Marie Elisabeth Wilhelmine of Baden
1 November 1802
Karlsruhe
three children		Duke of Oels/Silesia, the "Black Duke"; recruited a Freikorps (volunteer corps), the Black Brunswickers, at the outbreak of the War of the Fifth Coalition in Bohemia in 1809, and made his way via Brunswick to the North Sea and then on to Great Britain.
On the Eve of Napoleonic era, in 1807 the Duchy was briefly annexed to the Kingdom of France, to appear again in 1813 as Duchy of Brunswick.
George IV Augustus Frederick12 August 17621811–183026 June 1830Electorate of Hanover
(until 1814)
Kingdom of Hanover
(from 1814)		Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
8 April 1795
London
one child		In personal union with the United Kingdom. Named regent of his father due to his illness, succeeding him after his death in 1820. Left no male descendants. The land passed to his brother.
Regency of George IV of the United Kingdom (1815-1823) On the eve of the July Revolution of 1830, Charles was in Paris, and did not manage to keep the duchy for himself; his brother William took over with the agreement of the people and his international neighbours.
Charles II30 October 18041815–183018 August 1873BrunswickUnmarried
William Henry21 August 17651830–183720 June 1837Kingdom of HanoverAdelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
13 July 1818
London
four children		In personal union with the United Kingdom. Usually numbered IV as King of Hanover and the United Kingdom. As he left only illegitimate descendants, the land passed to his brother.
William25 April 18061830–188418 October 1884BrunswickUnmarriedBrother of Charles II.
Victoria24 May 18191837–190122 January 1901United KingdomAlbert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
10 February 1840
St James's Palace
nine children		 End of personal union with the United Kingdom, as in this country the successor in 1837 was Queen Victoria (in Hanover the Salic Law was still active).
Ernest Augustus5 June 17711837–185118 November 1851Kingdom of HanoverFrederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
29 May 1815
Neustrelitz
three children
George V Frederick27 May 18191851–186612 June 1878Kingdom of HanoverMarie of Saxe-Altenburg (I)
18 February 1843
Hanover
three children		He was the last king of Hanover, as his reign ended with the Unification of Germany.
Hanôver annexed to the German Empire
Regencies of Prince Albert of Prussia (1885-1906) and Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1906-1913) His regency came to an end on 1 November 1913 when Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover's son, was permitted to ascend to Duchy following his marriage to Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia. In 1918, with the abolition of the monarchy, all nobles titles were equally abolished.
Ernest Augustus17 November 18871913–191830 January 1953BrunswickVictoria Louise of Prussia
24 May 1913
Berlin
five children

Family trees

Welf family tree 12th century

Welf family tree 18th century to present

Some direct ancestors (fathers and sons) of the present generation are:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jones, B. (2013). Dictionary of World Biography. Canberra, Australia: Australian National University. p. 356. ISBN 9781922144492.
  2. ↑ Canduci, pg. 294
  3. ↑ Riedesel, Friedrich Adolf (1868). von Eelking, Max (ed.). Memoirs, and Letters and Journals, of Major General Riedesel During His Residence in America. Vol. 1. Translated by Stone, William L. Albany: J. Munsell. p. 29. I remain ever, Your affectionate Charles, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg. Brunswick, February 14, 1776. To Colonel Riedesel.
  4. ↑ "Sophia von Bayern. In: Genealogie Mittelalter: Mittelalterliche Genealogie im Deutschen Reich bis zum Ende der Staufer". Retrieved 2016-04-27.
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