- Calenberg
Calenberg was a dynastic division of the Duchy of
Brunswick-Lüneburg in theHoly Roman Empire . It existed as a separate entity from 1485 until 1705, when it was merged withLüneburg-Celle to form the state of Hanover.Dukes of Calenberg
Eric I was the younger son of William , who ruled the territories of Wolfenbüttel and Göttingen in Brunswick-Lüneburg. In 1491, he turned the government of Wolfenbüttel over to his sons Henry IV and Eric; in 1494 they divided the territory among themselves. The western portion, taken by Eric, became the Duchy of Calenberg, named after Calenberg Castle near
Pattensen .House of Calenberg
* Eric I 1494-1540, son. Eric acquired the
Principality of Göttingen in 1495 and it remained part of the Calenberg lands thereafter.
* Eric II 1545-1584, sonOn Eric II's death, Calenberg was acquired by the descendents of Henry IV who ruled in Wolfenbüttel:
House of Wolfenbüttel
* Julius 1584-1589, grandson of Henry IV
* Henry Julius 1589-1613, son
* Frederick Ulrich 1613-1634, sonUpon Frederick Ulrich's death, his lands were divided between the houses of Lüneburg and Dannenberg, the former gaining Calenberg and the latter Wolfenbüttel.
House of Lüneburg
* George of Lüneburg-Celle, 1635-1648
* Christian Louis 1641-1648, son. InheritedLüneburg-Celle from his uncle in 1648, and turned Calenberg over to his next younger brother, a pattern that repeated with each successive brother in this family.
* George William 1648-1665, brother
* John Frederick 1665-1679, brother
* Ernest Augustus 1679-1698, brother (designated as the first newprince-elector )
* George Louis 1698-1705, son — became George I of Great Britain.:Subsequently, underGeorge III in the aftermath of theNapoleonic wars , both the lands and titles were enlarged and became theKingdom of Hanover .George Louis inheritedLüneburg-Celle from his uncle in 1705. The merged Calenberg and Celle contained all of the territory ofBrunswick-Lüneburg except forBrunswick-Wolfenbüttel . This territory became known initially as the "Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg" under Ernest Augustus who also abandoned the divisions of property underSalic law and adopted male-line primogeniture with the Emperor's permission. When the dignity was confirmed, it became known (popularly but unofficially) as theElectorate of Hanover , an indivisible territory passing by male-line primogeniture.
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