Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
| Augustus the Younger | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg | |
Duke Augustus, 1666 painting
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| Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | |
| Reign | 1635–1666 |
| Born |
10 April 1579 Dannenberg, Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Died | 17 September 1666 (aged 87) Wolfenbüttel, Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Noble family | House of Welf |
| Spouse(s) |
Clara Maria of Pomerania-Barth Dorothea of Anhalt-Zerbst Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg |
| Issue | |
| Father | Henry, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Mother | Ursula of Saxe-Lauenburg |
Augustus II (10 April 1579 – 17 September 1666), called the Younger (German: August der Jüngere), a member of the House of Welf was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In the estate division of the House of Welf of 1635, he received the Principality of Wolfenbüttel which he ruled until his death. Considered one of the most literate princes of his time, he is known for founding the Herzog August Library at his Wolfenbüttel residence, then the largest collection of books and manuscripts north of the Alps.
Augustus was born at Dannenberg Castle, the seventh child of Duke Henry of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1533–1598). His father had ruled over the Brunswick Principality of Lüneburg, jointly with his yonger brother William, since 1559. Ten years later, however, upon his marriage with Ursula, a daughter of the Ascanian duke Francis I of Saxe-Lauenburg, he had to waive all rights and claims and was compensated with the small Dannenberg lordship. Moreover, he received an annual payment and had reserved the inheritance right of his descendants should the Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel line become extinct.
Augustus was the seventh and youngest child from the marriage of Henry and Ursula. With little chance to take up any rule in the Brunswick lands, he concentrated on his studies in , Tübingen, and Straßburg. Afterwards, he travelled on a Grand Tour through Italy, France, the Netherlands, and England. Back in Germany at the age of 25, he took his residence in Hitzacker, where he spent the next three decades with a small court, continuing his studies.
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