Augustus I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Encyclopedia
Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1568–1636) was the Lutheran Bishop of Ratzeburg from 1610 to 1636 and the Prince of Lüneburg
from 1633 to 1636.
and fought in the campaigns against France and Turkey. In 1610 Augustus became the evangelical Bishop of Ratzeburg. As a priest he was not allowed to marry, but lived with Ilse Schmidtchen in a 'marriage-like relationship.' and had 12 children by her. These were later elevated to the hereditary peerage under the name von Lüneburg. In 1633 Augustus followed his brother, Christian, who had died, as Prince of Lüneburg. During the Thirty Years War he continued the policy of neutrality started by his brother. He died in Celle
in 1636.
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
from 1633 to 1636.
Life
Augustus was born in 1564 as the fifth of fifteen children and the son of William the Younger and his wife Dorothea of Denmark. As a young man he was a colonel in the service of Rudolf IIRudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Hungary and Croatia , King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria...
and fought in the campaigns against France and Turkey. In 1610 Augustus became the evangelical Bishop of Ratzeburg. As a priest he was not allowed to marry, but lived with Ilse Schmidtchen in a 'marriage-like relationship.' and had 12 children by her. These were later elevated to the hereditary peerage under the name von Lüneburg. In 1633 Augustus followed his brother, Christian, who had died, as Prince of Lüneburg. During the Thirty Years War he continued the policy of neutrality started by his brother. He died in Celle
Celle
Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...
in 1636.
Source
- Geckler, Christa Die Celler Herzöge - Leben und Wirken 1371-1705 Georg Ströher Celle 1986,