Augustus I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
| Augustus the Elder | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg | |
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| Noble family | House of Welf |
| Father | William the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Mother | Dorothea of Denmark |
| Born | 18 November 1568 |
| Died |
1 October 1636 (aged 67) Celle |
Augustus the Elder, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (18 November 1568 – 1 October 1636) was the Lutheran Bishop of Ratzeburg from 1610 to 1636 and the Prince of Lüneburg from 1633 to 1636.
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 II and fought in the campaigns against France and Turkey. In 1610 Augustus became the Lutheran administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg.
In order to prevent hereditary aspirations the Ratzeburg cathedral chapter, the elective body, insisted that on ascending to power in the prince-bishopric (an elective monarchy), Augustus committed himself in his election capitulation not to marry. Nevertheless he 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 succeeded 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.
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