William the Younger, Duke of Brunswick
16th-century Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
See also: William the Younger and William of Brunswick (disambiguation)
William (4 July 1535 – 20 August 1592), called William the Younger (German: Wilhelm der Jüngere), was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Prince of Lüneburg from 1559 until his death. Until 1569 he ruled together with his brother, Henry of Dannenberg.
Quick Facts Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgPrince of Lüneburg, Reign ...
William | |
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Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Prince of Lüneburg | |
Reign | 1559–1592 |
Predecessor | Ernest I |
Successor | Ernest II |
Born | (1535-07-04)4 July 1535 |
Died | 20 August 1592(1592-08-20) (aged 57) |
Spouse | Dorothea of Denmark |
Issue | Sophie Ernest II Elisabeth Christian August I Dorothea Clara Anne Margaret Frederick IV Marie Magnus George John Sybille |
House | Welf |
Father | Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
Mother | Sophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
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William was the third son of Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. On 12 October 1561 he married Dorothea of Denmark (29 June 1546 Kolding–6 January 1617 Winsen), daughter of Christian III of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg.
In 1582, William began suffering from fits of insanity. These fits caused his wife to flee him in 1584 for her own safety.
After William's death, his wife became regent for their son George.