Wilhelm August (Braunschweig-Harburg)

Wilhelm August von Braunschweig-Lüneburg-Harburg

Wilhelm August von Braunschweig-Lüneburg-Harburg (born March 15, 1564 in Harburg ; † March 30, 1642 ibid) was the owner of the Harburg estate .

Life

Wilhelm August was a son of Duke Otto II of Braunschweig-Harburg (1528–1603) from his second marriage to Hedwig (1535–1616), daughter of Count Enno II of East Friesland .

Wilhelm August was regarded as extremely learned and, like his father, a strict adherent of Lutheran teaching. In 1575 he became rector of the University of Rostock and later continued his studies at the University of Leipzig . In 1582 he made a cavalier tour to France and England and then went with his brothers to the University of Helmstedt . In 1594 he went on trips again, which took him all over Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, Livonia and Denmark. Wilhelm August kept a diary of his travels.

After the death of his father, he and his brothers Christoph and Otto III took over. the government over Harburg, after whose death he ruled alone.

Wilhelm August began building the castle in Moisburg in 1618 . After the death of Duke Friedrich Ulrich von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel , he received the Upper County of Hoya from his estate. Wilhelm August died unmarried and childless. His inheritance fell to the dukes of Friedrich von Celle and August von Wolfenbüttel .

Funeral procession for the dukes Georg and Wilhelm

Partial view of the funeral procession for the funeral of Dukes Georg and Wilhelm on May 16, 1643 in Celle

Duke Georg von Calenberg died on April 2, 1641 . The burial planned for June 1641 was postponed due to the turmoil during the Thirty Years' War . Only after the death of Duke Wilhelm von Harburg on March 30, 1642 and the "Goslar Peace" concluded on January 16, 1642 (the Guelph Dukes Friedrich IV , August II and Christian Ludwig promised to obey and support Emperor Ferdinand III ) a double burial was decided. The funeral ceremony took place on May 16, 1643. From Celle Castle to City Church , a funeral procession was formed which was attended by 1,100 people. They were divided into 15 departments, so-called orders, according to a special ranking. The funeral service that followed was followed by the burial of the two dukes in the royal crypt under the church choir.

literature

• August B. Michaelis, Julius Wilhelm Hamberger: Introduction to a complete history of the Chur and Princely Houses in Germany. Meyer, 1759, Volume 1, p. 121.
• Patriotic archive for Hanover-Braunschweig history. Herold & Wahlstab, 1835, p. 243 ff. ( Digitized version )
• Ralf Busch : The funeral procession for the dukes Georg and Wilhelm of Braunschweig and Lüneburg 1643. Helms-Museum, Hamburg-Harburg 1992, ISBN 3-87166-022-1 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ See the entry of Wilhelm August von Braunschweig-Lüneburg's matriculation in the Rostock matriculation portal
2. ↑ NN : The princely crypt and the grave slabs of the dukes of Braunschweig-Lüneburg in the city church of St. Marien Celle. Leaflet illustrated with photos by Dietrich Klatt, Friedrich Kremzow and Ralf Pfeiffer , in DIN A5 format (4 pages, n.d., n.d.) designed by Heide Kremzow, after: Dietrich Klatt: Kleiner Kunstführer Schnell & Steiner No. 1986 . 2008.

predecessor	Office	successor
Otto II.	Owner of the lordship of Harburg 1603–1642	Line extinguished