Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen

Ernest I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
Born	c. 1297
Died	9 March 1361
Noble family	House of Guelph
Spouse(s)	Adelheid of Everstein-Polle
Issue	Albert I Adelheid Agnes Anna Frederick I
Father	Henry I, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
Mother	Countess Agnes of Meissen

Ernest I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (Template:Lang-de; c. 1297 – 9 March 1361) was Prince of Brunswick-Grubenhagen.

Life

He was the son of Henry I, the Admirable and his wife Agnes, née Countess of Meissen. Henry the Admirable founded the Principality of Grubenhagen in 1291, after the Guelph princes had divided their inheritance. Ernest originally intended to follow a spiritual career, but after his father's death, he and his brothers Henry II and William jointly ruled the principality.

Grubenhagen was rather smaller than the other Guelph principalities. Because Henry the Admirable had many children (eight sons and eight daughters), it was difficult to supply all the descendants in style. His eldest son Henry II could therefore not take the undivided sovereignty over the principality. In 1324, Henry concluded an extensive pact with his brothers Ernest and William under which the territory should be governed jointly, but shortly afterwards the principality was divided. Ernest received the area around Einbeck, Grubenhagen Castle and Osterode. The towns of Duderstadt, Osterode and Einbeck were ruled jointly. In 1359 he made his son Albert I co-regent. His older brother Henry died 1351 and his sons lingered abroad and died without issue, so after the death of his childless younger brother William in 1360, Ernest ruled the entire principality of Grubenhagen. After his death, on 9 March 1361, he was succeeded by his son Albert I.

Marriage and issue

Ernst married in June 1335 Adelheid of Everstein-Polle (died after 29 September 1373), daughter of Count Henry II of Eberstein. The marriage produced nine children.

• Otto (born 1337, died young)
• Albert I (born: c. 1339; died 1383)

married in 1372 Agnes of Brunswick (d. 1410), daughter of Duke Magnus II of Brunswick.

• John II (died 1401), canon in Hildesheim, Einbeck and Mainz.
• Adelheid (born: c. 1341; died 1406)

married (circa 1362) Duke Bogislaw V of Pomerania (born: circa 1326; died 1374)

• Agnes (born: c. 1342; died 1394)

married in 1362 Count Ulrich of Hohnstein

• Anna (born: c. 1343; died 1409)

married in 1362 Count Henry VIII of Hohnstein

• Ernest (born: c. 1346; died 1400/02), abbot of Corvey (1369–1371)
• Frederick (born: c. 1350; died 1421)

married Adelheid of Anhalt

• Anna (born: c. 1360; died 1437), Abbess in Osterode

Ancestry

Ancestors of Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen

16. William of Winchester 8. Otto I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 17. Helena of Denmark 4. Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 18. Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg 9. Matilda of Brandenburg 19. Matilda of Lusatia 2. Henry I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 20. William VI, Marquess of Montferrat 10. Boniface II, Marquess of Montferrat 21. Berta di Clavesana 5. Adelheid of Montferrat 22. Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy 11. Margaret of Savoy 23. Marguerite of Burgundy 1. Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen 24. Dietrich I, Margrave of Meissen 12. Henry III, Margrave of Meissen 25. Jutta of Thuringia 6. Albert II, Margrave of Meissen 26. Leopold VI, Duke of Austria 13. Constantia of Austria 27. Theodora Angelina 3. Agnes of Meissen 28. Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor 14. Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor 29. Constance, Queen of Sicily 7. Margaret of Sicily 30. John, King of England 15. Isabella of England 31. Isabella of Angoulême

Further reading

• Ludwig Ferdinand Spehr (1877), "Ernst der Aeltere, Herzog von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 6, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 257–258
• Paul Zimmermann: Das Haus Braunschweig-Grubenhagen. Wolfenbüttel, 1911