Henry I, Duke of Brunswick

Henry the Middle, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Henry the Middle, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Born	(1468-09-15)15 September 1468
Died	(1532-02-09)9 February 1532 Wienhausen
Buried	Abbey of Wienhausen
Noble family	House of Guelph
Spouse(s)	Margarete of Saxony Anna von Campe
Issue	Elisabeth Otto I Ernest I the Confessor Apollonia Anna Francis
Father	Otto V of Lüneburg
Mother	Anna of Nassau

Henry the Middle, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (15 September 1468 – 19 February 1532) was Prince of Lüneburg from 1486 to 1520.

Life

Henry of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the son of Otto V of Lüneburg and Anna of Nassau, was born in 1468. In 1486, Henry took control of Lüneburg from his mother, who had been regent since the death of Henry’s grandfather, Frederick II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Henry’s reign was marked by the complications relating to the Hildesheim Prince-Bishopric Feud. Henry was on the side of the bishop, and was against the nobility of Hildesheim and the Welfs of Brunswick. In 1519, Henry was victorious in the Battle of Soltau, though the intervention of the newly elected Emperor Charles V transformed the victory achieved on the battlefield into a defeat. Henry was on the side of the French during the election, and so earned the enmity of Charles V. Henry’s two eldest sons became regents of the country, and Henry went into exile at the French king’s court. Henry returned in 1527 during the beginning of the Reformation in Lüneburg, and tried to regain control of the land with help from those opposed to the Reformation. His attempt failed, and Henry returned to France, only to return in 1530. He spent his last days in the princely house in Lüneburg, which had been given to him by his eldest son. After the death of his first wife, Margaret of Saxony, Henry married, unequally, Anna von Campe. He was buried in the abbey of Wienhausen where his gravestone can still be seen today.

Children

Henry and Margarete of Saxony (1469–1528) had the following children:

• Anne (1492–??)
• Elisabeth (1494–1572) m. Charles II, Duke of Guelders (1467–1538)
• Otto I (1495–1549)
• Ernest I the Confessor (1497–1546)
• Apollonia (1499–1571)
• Anna (1502–1568) m. February 2, 1525 Duke Barnim IX of Pomerania (1501–1573)
• Francis (1508–1549)

Ancestors

Family of Henry I, Duke of Brunswick

16. Magnus II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 8. Bernard I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 17. Catherine of Anhalt-Bernburg 4. Frederick II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 18. Wenceslas I, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg 9. Margaret of Saxony 19. Cecilia of Carrara 2. Otto V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 20. Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg 10. Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg 21. Elisabeth of Meissen 5. Magdalene of Brandenburg 22. Frederick, Duke of Bavaria 11. Elisabeth of Bavaria-Landshut 23. Maddalena Visconti 1. Henry I of Lüneburg 24. John I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg 12. Engelbert I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg 25. Margaretha van der Marck 6. John IV, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg 26. John III, Lord of Polanen 13. Johanna of Polanen 27. Odilia of Salm 3. Anna, Countess of Nassau-Dillenburg 28. Godfried III, Count of Loon and Heinsberg 14. John II, Count of Loon and Heinsberg 29. Philippa of Jülich 7. Maria of Loon-Heinsberg 30. Otto I, Count of Solms-Braunfels 15. Anna of Solms-Braunfels 31. Agnes of Falkenstein-Münzenberg

Literature

• Ferdinand Spehr: Heinrich der Mittlere. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Bd. 11, Leipzig 1880, S. 492–495.