Francis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Francis of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1508–1549) was the youngest son of Henry the Middle. Following a thirty-year joint reign of Brunswick-Lüneburg with his brother Ernest the Confessor, he ruled the newly founded Duchy of Gifhorn from Gifhorn Castle for over 10 years from 1539 until his death in 1549. He was given the duchy as an inheritance settlement by his brother Ernest.

Francis was born on 23 November 1508 in Uelzen. His father, Henry the Middle (1468–1532), had planned that Francis would later become the Bishop of Hildesheim, but that proved impossible due to the worsened political situation.

After his father (who had supported a losing French contender for the imperial elections) was exiled to Paris in 1521, his two elder brothers, Otto and Ernest the Confessor, ruled the severely indebted Duchy of Celle.

They arranged for their brother, Francis, who was too young to share power, to have a professional education and, at the age of 16, sent him to the University of Wittenberg. When he came of age in 1526, he spent another ten years at the court of the Electorate of Saxony.

There he was impressed by the extravagant courtly life at the royal court with its feasting, hunting and travelling. Not until 1536 did he return to Celle at the prompting of his elder brother, Ernest, who had since espoused the Lutheran doctrine.

On his return, Francis showed no interest in the royal responsibilities expected of him. Moreover, the relatively modest standard of living in the little Residenz at Celle was not to his liking. By way of settlement he insisted on his own dukedom and pressed for a division of the territory.

His demand for the whole eastern half of the duchy was unacceptable, not least due to the serious debts owed by the state. As a result, in 1539 he was only given the Ämter of Gifhorn, Fallersleben and Isenhagen Abbey near Hankensbüttel.

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