Henry III of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Henry III of Brunswick-Lüneburg
A drawing date 1787 of the lost grave stone of Henry III, flanked by the coats of arms of the Bishopric of Hildesheim and the Duchy of Brunswik and Lüneburg. In the corners, four of castles he acquired are shown: Marienburg Castle, Wiedelah, Schladen and Wohlenstein Castle
Noble family	House of Welf
Father	Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Mother	Rixa of Werle
Born	c. 1296
Died	6 February 1363(1363-02-06) Hildesheim
Buried	Hildesheim Cathedral

Henry III of Brunswick-Lüneburg (c. 1296 – 6 February 1363 in Hildesheim) was the ruling Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim from 1331 until his death.

Henry was a member of the House of Welf and was therefore entitled to use the title Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. His father was Duke Albert II of Brunswick-Göttingen. His mother was Rixa; she was the daughter of Lord Henry I of Werle. His brothers were Duke Otto of Brunswick-Göttingen, Bishop Albert II of Halberstadt, Duke Magnus of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Duke Ernest I of Brunswick-Göttingen.

In 1331, the majority of the cathedral chapter in Hildesheim elected Henry as their new bishop. However, his confirmation ran into considerable difficulties. His election had been confirmed by Baldwin of Luxemburg, who was administrator of Mainz at the time. However, the Pope had in the meantime appointed Henry III of Virneburg as the new Archbishop of Mainz, so that the confirmation by Baldwin lacked validity. Moreover, the previous bishop, Otto II had before his death handed over the reins of his bishopric to the Pope, so that the election by the cathedral chapter was of dubious validity. To add to the confusion, Pope John XXII had appointed Count Eric of Schaumburg and Holstein as the new bishop of Hildesheim.