William, Duke of Brunswick

For other people named William of Brunswick, see William of Brunswick (disambiguation).

William
Duke of Brunswick
Reign	9 September 1830 – 18 October 1884
Predecessor	Charles II
Successor	Prince Albert of Prussia (as Imperial Regent)
Born	(1806-04-25)25 April 1806 Brunswick, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Died	18 October 1884(1884-10-18) (aged 78) Sibyllenort, Silesia, Prussia
Names William Augustus Louis Maximilian Frederick German: Wilhelm August Ludwig Maximilian Friedrich
House	House of Brunswick-Bevern
Father	Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Mother	Princess Marie of Baden

William (German: Wilhelm August Ludwig Maximilian Friedrich; born 25 April 1806 in Brunswick, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel – died 18 October 1884 in Sibyllenort, Silesia, Prussia), Duke of Brunswick, was ruling duke of the Duchy of Brunswick from 1830 until his death.

William was the second son of Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and after the death of his father in 1815, was under the guardianship of King George IV of the United Kingdom. He became a Prussian major in 1823. When his brother, Charles, was deposed as ruling duke by a rebellion in 1830, William took over government provisionally. In 1831 a family law of the House of Guelph made William ruling duke permanently. William left most government business to his ministers, and spent most of his time outside of his state at his possessions in Oels.

While William joined the Prussian-led North German Confederation in 1866, his relationship to Prussia was strained, since Prussia refused to recognize Ernest Augustus, 3rd Duke of Cumberland, his nearest male-line relative, as his heir, because of the Duke of Cumberland's claim to the throne of Hanover. William died in 1884; he passed on his private possessions to the Duke of Cumberland. His death caused a constitutional crisis for Brunswick that lasted until the accession of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, the son of the Duke of Cumberland, in 1913.

William died unmarried, but had a number of illegitimate children.

References

• Meyers Konversationslexikon, 1889
• Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, vol. 43, p. 4-13

Family of William, Duke of Brunswick

16. Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 8. Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 17. Duchess Antoinette Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg 4. Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick 18. Frederick William I of Prussia 9. Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia 19. Sophia Dorothea of Hanover 2. Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 20. George II of Great Britain 10. Frederick, Prince of Wales 21. Caroline of Ansbach 5. Princess Augusta of Great Britain 22. Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg 11. Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha 23. Princess Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst 1. William, Duke of Brunswick 24. Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach 12. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden 25. Princess Amalia of Nassau-Dietz 6. Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden 26. Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 13. Landgravine Karoline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt 27. Countess Charlotte Christine Magdalene Johanna of Hanau-Lichtenberg 3. Princess Marie of Baden 28. Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (= 26) 14. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 29. Countess Charlotte Christine Magdalene Johanna of Hanau-Lichtenberg (= 27) 7. Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt 30. Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken 15. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken 31. Princess Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken