Christian (Braunschweig-Lüneburg)

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Christian the Elder

Christian the Elder , Duke of Braunschweig and Lüneburg , (* November 9, 1566 ; † November 8, 1633 ) was administrator of the diocese of Minden and from 1611 to 1633 Prince of Lüneburg .

origin

Christian is the second-born son of Duke Wilhelm von Braunschweig-Lüneburg and the Danish Princess Dorothea . He was brought up by his parents in the spirit of the Lutheran Reformation , which his grandfather Ernst the Confessor had enforced and which his father completed with the introduction of church regulations in 1561.

Bishop in Minden

After his older brother Ernst had assumed the reign of Prince of Lüneburg after his father's death in 1592 , Christian initially sought a clerical career. He was elected coadjutor of the Minden monastery in 1597 . When Prince Bishop Anton died in 1599, the Minden cathedral chapter elected Christian on February 7, 1599 as his successor. When he was elected bishop elect of the diocese of Minden , he also became regent in the Minden monastery . Because he lacked priestly ordinations, his election was not confirmed by the Pope; So Christian “only” remained an administrator . In Minden he granted freedom of religion. But when Catholic canons wanted to settle Jesuits at the Mindener Johanniskirche in 1604 , he did not break the resistance of the Protestant-minded citizens and failed to enforce the religious freedom granted. Here his closeness to Protestantism was evident. So after the occupation of the city by Tilly in 1625, the zealous counter-reformer Franz Wilhelm von Wartenberg was placed at his side as coadjutor from 1629 onwards. If the occupation of the city did not already prevent Christian from freely exercising his office, it was Franz Wilhelm's appointment that ultimately amounted to Christian's disempowerment in Minden. In 1630 the coadjutator began implementing the edict of restitution in the diocese. Without major resistance from Christian, Franz Wilhelm was appointed by the Pope as the new bishop in 1630. As a result, however, he did not succeed in implementing the Counter Reformation in Minden.

Prince in Lüneburg

After the death of his older brother Ernst II (1611), in addition to his duties in Minden, he took over the government of the Lüneburg region and in 1617 acquired the principality of Grubenhagen . When the Thirty Years War broke out , he held with Duke Friedrich III. from Holstein to the emperor's party, became a colonel of the Lower Saxony district troops and tried with great prudence to keep the scene of the war as far away from the Stiftsland as possible; but in 1623 the imperial rulers under Tilly nevertheless took possession of it. When the estates of Lower Saxony prepared for defense, Christian resigned from his position as district colonel. It was not until 1629, after the Edict of Restitution was issued , that he joined the Protestant party, for which he had probably already felt sympathy before, but for the sake of state reasons did not openly show it - as he avoided it anyway, relying too clearly on the Protestant or Catholic party Side to ask.

Duke Christian was buried in the royal crypt in the town church of St. Mary in Celle.

literature

Web links

Commons : Christian the Elder  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ NN : The princely crypt and the grave slabs of the dukes of Braunschweig-Lüneburg in the city church of St. Marien Celle , with photos by Dietrich Klatt, Friedrich Kremzow and Ralf Pfeiffer. Illustrated leaflet in A5 format (4 pages, o. O., o. D.), designed by Heide Kremzow, based on: Dietrich Klatt: Kleiner Kunstführer Schnell & Steiner No. 1986 , 2008.
predecessor Office successor
Ernst II Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneburg,
Prince of Lüneburg
1611–1633 		August
Anton von Schauenburg Bishop of Minden
1599–1625 		Franz Wilhelm von Wartenberg
personal data
SURNAME Christian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Christian the Elder
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneburg and Bishop of Minden
DATE OF BIRTH November 9, 1566
DATE OF DEATH November 8, 1633