Dukes of Brunswick and Lüneburg

The duchy of Brunswick (Braunschweig) can trace its origin back to the wedding between duke Heinrich the Proud and Gertrud the daughter of emperor Lothar 1127, that meant that Heinrich who already was duke of Saxony and Bavaria came in possession with large estates in Saxony. When his son Heinrich the Lion lost Bavaria and Saxony 1180 where these estates the only lands that remained in the house of Welf's control. The son of Heinrich the Lion, Otto, became Holy Roman Emperor 1209 in struggle with the Hohenstaufen dynasty and his son Otto the Child was elevated to duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, i.e. the estates that since 1127 had been in the possession of the house of Welf.

As shown in the diagram above the Brunswick lands were repeatedly partitioned and merged through inheritance by members of the house of Welf. Most of these states were short lived but two of them would be long lasting and their regents are listed in separate pages. The two states are Hanover (the pink boxes) and Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (the light green boxes).

1127-1139	Heinrich der Stoltze (the Proud)
1139-1195	Heinrich der Löwe (the Lion)
1195-1218	Otto
1195-1213 1195-1227 1213-1252 1252	Wilhelm Heinrich Otto das Kind (the Child) Partitioned in Braunschweig and Lüneburg
Braunschweig-Braunschweig
1252-1279 1279 1279-1292 1292	Albrecht I Magnus Partitioned in Grubenhagen, Göttingen, Braunschweig Wilhelm Divided between Grubenhagen and Göttingen
Braunschweig-Celle
1527-1546 1546-1559 1546-1569 1546-1569 1569	Ernst I (B-Lüneburg 1521-1527) Franz Otto Heinrich X (B-Dannenberg 1569-1598) Wilhelm V (B-Lüneburg 1569-1592) Partitioned in Dannenberg and Lüneburg
Braunschweig-Einbeck
1373-1400 1400	Friedrich II United with Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
Braunschweig-Grubenhagen
1279-1322 1322 1322-1351 1351-1376 1361-1384 1384-1427 1427-1463 1463-1526 1526	Heinrich I der Wunderliche (the Peculiar) Partitioned in B-Grubenhagen and B-Osterode Heinrich II Otto V Albrecht II Erich I Heinrich III Heinrich IV United with Braunschweig-Osterode
Braunschweig-Göttingen
1279-1318 1318-1344 1318-1345 1318-1367 1345 1367-1394 1394-1442 1442	Albrecht II der Fette (the Fat) Otto III der Milde (the Mild) Magnus I der Fromme (the Pious) Ernst I Partitioned in B-Wolfenbüttel and B-Göttingen Otto VI Otto VII United with Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
Braunschweig-Harburg
1527-1549 1549-1603 1603-1619 1603-1642 1604-1606 1606-1641 1641	Otto III (B-Lüneburg 1521-1527) Otto II Johann Friedrich Wilhelm August Christopher August Otto III United with Braunschweig-Celle
Braunschweig-Lüneburg (older line)
1252-1277 1277-1330 1330-1352 1330-1369 1369	Johann Otto II Otto IV Wilhelm III United with Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
Braunschweig-Lüneburg (younger line)
1373-1434 1434-1446 1434-1457 1457-1464 1464-1471 1471-1521 1471-1478 1521-1527 1521-1527 1521-1527 1527	Bernhard I Otto I Friedrich III der Fromme (the Pious) Bernhard II Otto II der Siegreiche (the Victorious) Heinrich VII der Mittlere (the Intermediate) Friedrich III (restored) Otto III Ernst I der Bekenner (the Confessor) Franz (Braunschweig-Gifhorn 1527-1549) Partitioned in Harburg, Celle and Gifhorn
Braunschweig-Kalenberg
1495-1540 1540-1584 1584	Erich II der Ältere (the Elder) Erich III der Jüngere (the Younger) United with Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
Braunschweig-Osterode
1322-1361 1361-1420 1420-1452 1427-1486 1486-1551 1551-1567 1551-1557 1551-1595 1551-1596 1596	Ernst I Friedrich I Otto VIII Albrecht IV Philipp I Ernst II Johann Wolfgang Philipp II United with Braunschweig-Lüneburg
Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (äldre linjen)
1345-1369 1369-1373 1373 1373-1416 1416-1482 1416-1473 1482-1495 1482-1485 1495 1495-1514 1514-1568 1568-1589 1589-1613 1613-1634	Magnus I der Fromme (the Pious) Magnus II Partitioned in Einbeck, Lüneburg and Wolfenbüttel Heinrich III der Milde (the Mild) Wilhelm III der Siegreiche (the Victorious) Heinrich IV der Ältere (the Elder) Wilhelm IV der Jüngere (the Younger) Friedrich IV Partitioned in Wolfenbüttel and Kalenberg Heinrich VIII Heinrich IX (Exile 1542-1547) Julius Heinrich Julius Friedrich Ulrich