John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick

John Frederick
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Prince of Calenberg
John Frederick, c. 1675, by Johann Hulsman
Born	(1625-04-25)25 April 1625 Herzberg am Harz
Died	18 December 1679(1679-12-18) (aged 54) Augsburg
Noble family	Hanover
Spouse(s)	Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate
Father	George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Mother	Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt

Funeral thaler for John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1679)

John Frederick (German: Johann Friedrich; 25 April 1625 in Herzberg am Harz – 18 December 1679 in Augsburg) was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, from 1665 until his death.

The third son of George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, John converted to the Roman Catholic Church as the only member of his family in 1651. He received Calenberg when his elder brother George William inherited the Principality of Lüneburg. In 1666, he had a palace built in Herrenhausen near Hanover that was inspired by the Palace of Versailles and is famous for its gardens, the Herrenhausen Gardens.

In 1676, John Frederick employed Leibniz as Privy Councillor and librarian of the important ducal library. Thus began Leibniz's 40-year association with the House of Hanover, which resulted in three generations of Hanovers being patrons to one of the most eminent philosophers and mathematicians of Europe.

He employed the Venetian architect Girolamo Sartorio as his master builder in 1667, who designed many buildings in the town including the Neustädter Kirche and was instrumental in the expansion of the Herrenhausen Gardens.

Children

His middle daughter, Charlotte Felicitas

John Frederick, ca. 1670, after Jean Michelin

John Frederick married Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate (14 March 1652 – 12 August 1730), daughter of Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern and Anna Gonzaga, on 30 November 1668. They had four daughters:

• Anne Sophie (10 February 1670 – 24 March 1672)
• Charlotte Felicitas (8 March 1671 – 29 September 1710), married Rinaldo III, Duke of Modena
• Henriette Marie (9 March 1672 – 4 September 1757)
• Wilhelmina Amalia (1673 – 10 April 1742), married Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor

Ancestry

Family of John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick

16. Henry I of Lüneburg 8. Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 17. Margaret of Saxony 4. William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 18. Henry V, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 9. Sophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 19. Ursula of Brandenburg 2. George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 20. Frederick I of Denmark 10. Christian III of Denmark 21. Anna of Brandenburg 5. Dorothea of Denmark 22. Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg 11. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg 23. Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 1. John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 24. Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse 12. George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 25. Christine of Saxony 6. Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 26. Bernhard VIII, Count of Lippe 13. Magdalene of Lippe 27. Catherine of Waldeck-Eisenberg 3. Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt 28. Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg 14. John George, Elector of Brandenburg 29. Magdalena of Saxony 7. Magdalena von Brandenburg 30. Joachim Ernest, Prince of Anhalt 15. Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst 31. Agnes of Barby-Mühlingen

References

• Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, vol. 14, p. 177-181
• At the House of Welf site