George, Duke of Brunswick

George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (17 February 1582, in Celle (German Georg)– 12 April 1641, in Hildesheim), ruled as Prince of Calenberg from 1635. He was a member of the House of Welf, a prominent German noble family. George was part of a cadet branch of the family known as the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, which held territories in what is now Lower Saxony in Germany.

George
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
George, c. 1640
Born	(1582-02-17)17 February 1582 Celle
Died	12 April 1641(1641-04-12) (aged 59) Hildesheim
Spouse	Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt ​ ​ (m. 1617)​
Issue Detail	Christian Louis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Sophie Amalie, Queen of Denmark Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover Duchess Anna Marie
House	Welf (birth) Hanover (founder)
Father	William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Mother	Dorothea of Denmark

George was the sixth son of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1535–1592) and Dorothea of Denmark (1546–1617). His mother was the daughter to King Christian III of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. She acted as a regent during the early years of his reign, keeping power from the Councillors who had mismanaged the estates during his father's fits of insanity.

In the 1635 re-division of the territories of the House of Welf, after the death of Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, he received the Principality of Calenberg, which included the former Principality of Göttingen, since 1495, while his elder brother, Augustus the Elder, retained the Principality of Lüneburg. George was the first duke to move his residence to Hanover, where he built the Leineschloss as his residence in 1636, a palace situated by the river Leine. After his death, he was succeeded by his son, Christian Louis.

Children

George married Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt, daughter of Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Magdalene of Brandenburg, in 1617. They had the following known children:

• Christian Louis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1622–1665), Prince of Calenberg from 1641-1648, and Prince of Lüneburg from 1648-1665.
• George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1624–1705), Prince of Calenberg from 1648-1665, and Prince of Lüneburg from 1665-1705. He was the father of Sophia Dorothea of Celle, wife of the future King George I of Great Britain.
• John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1625–1679), Prince of Calenberg from 1665-1679.
• Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1628–1685), who married King Frederick III of Denmark.
• Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover (1629–1698), Prince of Calenberg from 1679-1698, husband of Electress Sophia, and father of King George I of Great Britain.

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