George, Duke of Brunswick
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (17 February 1582, in Celle – 12 April 1641, in Hildesheim), ruled as Prince of Calenberg from 1635.
George | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg | |
George, c. 1640 | |
| Born | 17 February 1582 Celle |
| Died | 12 April 1641 (aged 59) Hildesheim |
| Noble family | Hanover (founder) |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt |
| Issue | 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 |
| 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 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.