William the Victorious, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg | |
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Spouse(s) |
Cecilia of Brandenburg Matilda of Holstein-Schauenburg |
Issue | |
Noble family | House of Welf |
Father | Henry the Mild, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
Mother | Sophie of Pomerania |
Born | c. 1392 |
Died | 1482 |
William KG (c. 1392 – 1482), called the Victorious (German: Wilhelm der Siegreiche), a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He was reigning prince of Lüneburg from 1416 to 1428 and of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel from 1428 to 1432, counted either as William III or William IV. From 1432 he ruled over the newly established Principality of Calenberg, from 1463 also over the Principality of Göttingen. In 1473 he stepped down in favour of his sons, to assume the rule in Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
William was the eldest son of the Brunswick duke Henry the Mild and his consort Sophia, daughter of the Griffin duke Wartislaw IV of Pomerania. Upon his father's death in 1416, he inherited the Principality of Lüneburg-Celle which he ruled jointly with his younger brother Henry the Peaceful. William turned out to be an energetic ruler; he soon entered into numerous feuds with neighbouring princes such as the Archbishop of Bremen and the Bishop of Hildesheim, and supported the Counts of Schauenburg and Holstein in their fight against King Eric of Denmark. He also fought with Margrave Frederick of Meissen defeating the Hussite forces in the 1421 Battle of Brüx.