Welfian Germany

British Germany

The original House of Welf was closely related to the Carolingian dynasty. Its core territory was in Upper Swabia, but it controlled countries as dispersed as Burgundy (in modern France), Carinthia (in modern Austria) and Verona (in modern Italy) before dying out in 1055.

 

A new Welfian dynasty emerged from Italy, which ruled Bavaria and Saxony in the 11th and 12th centuries. By the time it acquired sovereignty over the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1235, however, that was its only remaining territory. That duchy was legally indivisible, but was nevertheless functionally divided many times. The principalities into which it was divided, however, had to maintain the fiction that the original Duchy remained intact if the princes wanted to retain the title of “duke”. To accomplish that, the official name of each principality was (with one exception noted below) always preceded by the name of the Duchy. I have chosen to ignore that convention because it is (a) cumbersome and (b) redundant with “Welfian Germany” during the period covered by the data base.

 

The first split was between the Brunswick and Lüneburg lines in 1269. Although each line continued using both names, I recognize only the relevant line in my fully-specified names. The Lüneburg line died out in 1369 and the Brunswick line fragmented into five principalities. By the end of the Holy Roman Empire, those principalities had consolidated into two countries—the Electorate of Hannover (which became a kingdom in 1815), and the the Principality of Wolfenbüttel (which became the Duchy of Brunswick in 1815)

 

In 1291, Brunswick lands were partitioned to create the Principalities of Brunswick and Grubenhagen. (The latter was not actually called that until 1617, but the previous name has been lost.  The Principality of Göttingen split off from Brunswick in 1345, and in 1432, the Principality of Calenberg (which had only been consolidated under Brunswick sovereignty in 1400) also split off. In the same year, the seat of the Brunswick principality moved to Wolfenbüttel, and the principality was renamed to reflect that. To acknowledge that these four principalities all emerged from the Principality of Brunswick, I retain “Brunswick” in their fully-specified names (e.g. Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel). I do not retain “Brunswick” in the simplified names, however. Including it would make it difficult to recognize combinations of spinoffs, administrative outsourcing, and personal unions using no more than three parts in a hyphenated name.

 

After the Lüneburg line died out, there was a war of succession between the Brunswick line of Welfs and the Ascanians which was not settled in favor of the Welfs until 1388. I recognize the resulting Principality of Lüneburg as the successor to the original, even though it was ruled by a member of the Brunswick line.

 

The four Brunswick principalities each spent time as independent country, but all were either absorbed back into Wolfenbüttel or administered by it by 1596. The previously independent counties of Hoya and Diepholz were acquired by the Welfs in the late 16th century and also landed in Wolfenbüttel. Lüneburg remained independent and even entered into a temporary personal union with Grubenhagen in 1617. It also generated several nonsovereign spinoffs that were eventually reintegrated into the country.

 

In 1635, the Wolfenbüttel line died out and its territory was divided. The core territory survived as an independent entity until the end of the Holy Roman Empire. The restored Principality of Calenberg (which also included Göttingen, Hoya, and Diepholz) formed the core of another independent entity that survived until the end of the Holy Roman Empire. That entity acquired Grubenhagen from Lüneburg in 1665 and began calling itself the Electorate of Hannover in 1692. The Electorate added Lüneburg (which had already entered into a personal union with the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg) in 1705 and the Danish territories of Bremen and Verden in 1715. The previous year, it had entered into a personal union with the United Kingdom, making it British Germany instead of Welfian Germany.

 

Welfian Germany

 

Early countries lost before 1235

 

  • Duchy of Bavaria (1070-1180)
  • Duchy of Saxony (1137-1180)
  • County Palatine (1195-1214)

 

Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg and its successors (with partitions, spin-offs, and outsourcings)

 

  • Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1235-1269)
    • Principality of Lüneburg(-Celle) (1269-1369; 1388-1527-1705)
      • Principality of Lüneburg-Harburg (1527-1642)
      • Principality of Lüneburg-Gifhorn (1539-1549)
      • Principality of Lüneburg-Dannenberg (1569-1671)
        • administered by Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1636-1671)
        • Principality of Lüneburg-Dannenberg-Hitzacker (1598-1636)
          • administered by Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1634-1636)
    • Principality of Brunswick (1269-1432)
      • Principality of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1291-1526-1665)
        • portions administered by Stolberg-Wernigerode (1564-1574)
        • administered by Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1596-1617)
        • in personal union with Lüneburg (1617-1665)
        • Landesteil of Calenburg/Hannover (1665-1806)
      • Principality of Brunswick-Göttingen (1345-1463)
      • Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1432-1473; 1495-1806)
        • portions administered by the County of Schaumburg (1584-1635)
        • portions administered by the Count of Tattenbach (1651-1671)
        • Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern (1667-1806-1809)
        • County/Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Blankenburg (1690-1731)
      • Principality of Brunswick-Calenberg (1432-1540-1584; 1635-1692)
        • portions administered by the County of Schaumburg (1495-1512; 1535-1584; 1635-1647)
        • Landesteil of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1584-1635)
      • Condominium Harz (58/42 split between Calenberg & Wolfenbüttel) (1635-1692)
      • Principality of Brunswick-Blankenburg (in personal union with the Principality of Wolfenbüttel) (1731-1806)
  • County of Hoya (1582-1635)
    • in personal union with Brunswick-Calenberg (1582-1584; 1635-1692)
    • in personal union with Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1584-1635)
    • Landesteil of Hannover (1692-1806)
  • County of Diepholz (1585-1692)
    • in personal union with Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1585-1635)
    • in personal union with Brunswick-Calenburg (1635-1692)
    • Landesteil of Hannover (1692-1806)
  • Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (1689-1714)
    • in personal union with Lüneburg (1689-1705)
    • in personal union with Hannover (1705-1714; British)
  • Electorate/Kingdom of Hannover (1692-1714; British; 1837-1866)
    • Condominium Harz (58/42 split between Hannover & Wolfenbüttel) (1692-1714)
  • Duchy of Brunswick (1815-1918)

 

British Germany

 

  • Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (1714-1803-1837)
    • portions administered by the Peasant Republic of Hadeln (1731-1801)
  • Electorate/Kingdom of Hannover (1714-1806-1837)
    • portions administered by the Imperial City of Bremen (1741-1803)
  • Condominium Harz (58/42 split between Hannover & Wolfenbüttel) (1714-1788)