Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg
|
Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
Ernest Augustus (
German:
Ernst August;
Latin:
Ernestus Augustus;
20 November 1629,
Herzberg am Harz â€"
23 January 1698,
Herrenhausen) was duke of
Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the
Calenberg (or Hanover) subdivision of the duchy. He was appointed
prince-elector, but died before the appointment became effective. He was also
bishop of Osnabrück.
Ernest Augustus was the son of
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and
Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt. In
1658 he married
Sophia of the Palatinate in
Heidelberg. As the fourth son, he had little chance of succeeding his father as ruler, and so, in
1662, his relatives appointed him bishop of Osnabrück; according to the
Peace of Westphalia, every second bishop of Osnabrück was to be appointed by the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. However, after two of his elder brothers had died without sons, Ernest Augustus inherited part of his father's territories in
1679, namely Calenberg (including
Göttingen).
In
1683, against the protestations of his five younger sons, Ernest Augustus installed
primogeniture, so that his territory would not be further subdivided after his death, and also as a pre-condition for obtaining the coveted electorship. He participated in the
Great Turkish war on the side of
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. In
1692 he was appointed
prince-elector by the Emperor; however, the electorship did not come into effect until
1708. Ernest Augustus died in
1698 and was succeeded as duke by his eldest son
George Louis, who would later also become
king of Great Britain.
*
George Louis (1660-1727)
* Frederick Augustus (1661-1690)
* Maximilian William (1666-1726)
*
Sophia Charlotte (1668-1705), married King
Frederick I of Prussia * Charles Philipp (1669-1690)
* Christian Henry (1671-1703)
*
Ernest Augustus (1674-1728)
* A half sister to the above was Sophia Charlotte von Platen-Hallermund, Countess of Darlington (1675-1725). {See
Earl of Darlington. A grandmother of
Viscount Howe brothers.
