Henry II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Henry II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, (before 1296 – after 1351), also called de Graecia ("of Greece") or Henry the Peaceful, was the eldest son of Henry I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

On their father's death in 1322, his sons agreed to rule the Principality of Grubenhagen jointly; but they finally divided up the territory, and Henry did not receive a part, and instead took over the administration of the brothers' joint property.

In 1327, Henry joined Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, when Louis traveled to Rome for his coronation. Henry continued to travel to Greece and Constantinople, visiting his brother-in-law Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos, and on to Jerusalem. Loaded with relics, he returned home in 1331. Apart from his travels, little is known about his life. Those of his sons who did not join the church obtained careers in southern European kingdoms; most notably Otto, who married Queen Joan I of Naples.

Family

Firstly, Henry married Jutta (born before 1302, died before 1330), daughter of Henry I, Margrave of Brandenburg. They had the following children:

• Riddag (daughter; died c. 1366)
• Agnes (born c. 1318, died before or in 1371), married Barnim III, Duke of Pomerania
• Otto (1320–1399)
• John (c. 1321 – c. 1371), canon of Halberstadt
• Louis (born c. 1323, died after or in 1373), canon of Cammin

Secondly, Henry married Heloise (died 1347/48), daughter of Philip d'Ybelin, Seneschal of Jerusalem. They had the following children:

• Philip (born c. 1332, died between 1370 and 1380), Constable of Jerusalem
• Balthazar (c. 1336 – c. 1385), Despot of Romania
• Thomas (c. 1338 – c. 1384), joined the Augustinians
• Melchior, Bishop of Osnabrück and Schwerin (c. 1341 – 6 June 1381)

References

• Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, vol. 11, p. 485-486

Ancestry