Duchy of Gifhorn
The Duchy of Gifhorn , based in Gifhorn Castle , was founded in 1539 and existed for only 10 years until the death of its ruler, Duke Franz von Braunschweig-Lüneburg in 1549. It consisted of the offices of Gifhorn , Fallersleben and Isenhagen Abbey .
founding
The duchy was founded when Duke Franz von Braunschweig-Lüneburg returned in 1536 from his long stay at the Electoral Saxon court in Wittenberg . From his older brother, Duke Ernst von Braunschweig-Lüneburg , the confessor (because of his advocacy of Lutheran doctrine ), he demanded his own duchy as an inheritance compensation and pushed for the country to be divided. Since his demands (also because of the over-indebtedness of the duchy) for the entire eastern half were unacceptable, he received the offices of Gifhorn , Fallersleben and the Isenhagen monastery near Hankensbüttel in 1539 . Although Franz tried to enforce the full sovereignty of his domain, essential sovereign rights remained with the ducal house in Celle. Celle continued to be responsible for foreign policy matters, and the Gifhorn nobility remained part of the Lüneburg state.
expansion
The Duchy of Gifhorn was a small, manageable domain. Duke Franz was able to freely develop his noble self-image and princely representation in him. This lifestyle had shaped him during his long stay at the court of the Saxon Elector in Wittenberg. From 1525 he had Gifhorn Castle expanded into his residence. Court life was marked by the splendor of the grand royal courts, he served in expensive Venetian glasses, organized knightly tournaments and princely hunts, employed a court jester and a court chancellor. At the same time he expanded Fallersleben Castle as a rural aristocratic residence.
The End
His marriage to Klara von Sachsen-Lauenburg in Ratzeburg, which he entered into in 1547, lasted only three years, as the Duke died in 1549 at the age of 41 of a wound infection. He was buried in the Gifhorn Castle Chapel, where a carved tomb figure still adorns his sarcophagus . His wife, Duchess Clara , received Fallersleben Castle as a widow's residence as compensation . Since Duke Franz left no male successor, the Duchy of Gifhorn reverted to the Principality of Lüneburg .
literature
- Ingrid Eichstädt: The history of the Gifhorn-Wolfsburg area , Gifhorn 1996