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William the Younger, Duke of Brunswick

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William
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Prince of Lüneburg
Reign1559–1592
PredecessorErnest I
SuccessorErnest II
Born(1535-07-04)4 July 1535
Died20 August 1592(1592-08-20) (aged 57)
SpouseDorothea of Denmark
IssueSophie
Ernest II
Elisabeth
Christian
August I
Dorothea
Clara
Anne
Margaret
Frederick IV
Marie
Magnus
George
John
Sybille
HouseWelf
FatherErnest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
MotherSophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

William (4 July 1535 – 20 August 1592), called William the Younger (German: Wilhelm der Jüngere), was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Prince of Lüneburg from 1559 until his death. Until 1569 he ruled together with his brother, Henry of Dannenberg.

William was the third son of Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.[1] On 12 October 1561 he married Dorothea of Denmark (29 June 1546 Kolding–6 January 1617 Winsen),[2] daughter of Christian III of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg.

In 1582, William began suffering from fits of insanity. These fits caused his wife to flee him in 1584 for her own safety.

After William's death, his wife became regent for their son George.

Marriage and Issue

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William and Dorothea had:

Ancestors

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References

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Sources

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  • Pastrnak, Patrik (2023). Dynasty in Motion: Wedding Journeys in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Routledge.
  • Ward, A.W.; Prothero, G.W.; Leathes, Stanley, eds. (1934). The Cambridge Modern History. Vol. XIII. Cambridge at the University Press.
William the Younger, Duke of Brunswick
Born: 4 July 1535 Died: 20 August 1592
German nobility
Preceded by Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Prince of Lüneburg

1559–1592
Succeeded by