Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Henry IV
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Reign 1491–1514
Born (1463-06-14)14 June 1463
Died 23 June 1514(1514-06-23) (aged 51)
Leerort, Leer
Noble family House of Welf
Spouse(s) Catherine of Pomerania

Issue

Christopher
Catherine
Henry V
Francis
George
Father William IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Mother Elizabeth of Stolberg-Wernigerode

Henry IV (14 June 1463 – 23 June 1514), called the Elder (German: Heinrich der Ältere), a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruling Prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1491 until his death.

Life

Henry's father, Duke William IV of Brunswick-Lüneburg retired in 1491, leaving government of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel with Caleneberg to his two sons Henry the Elder and Eric, and only kept the Principality of Göttingen for himself. In 1494, the brothers divided their territories between them: Henry received the eastern part of the state, with the cities of Brunswick and Wolfenbüttel, while Eric took over the Calenberg estates.

Starting in 1492, Henry laid siege to the City of Brunswick for a year and a half to enforce tax payments; the siege ended with a compromise. On 24 November 1498 Henry IV, Magnus and the latter's father John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg allied in order to conquer the Land of Wursten, a de facto autonomous region of free Frisian peasants in a marsh at the Weser estuary, under the loose overlordship of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen.[1] Henry obliged to send 3,000 lansquenets to the Land of Hadeln, the Lauenburgian exclave serving as beachhead, with the lansquenets meant to gain their payment by looting and plundering the free peasants of Wursten, once successfully subjected.[2]

On 16 November, Prince-Archbishop Johann Rode of Bremen had prepared for this by concluding a defensive alliance with Hamburg, fearing for its military outpost Ritzebüttel at the Outer Elbe protecting free navigation from and to the city.[1] Rode gained more allies on 1 August 1499 (Bremen city, Buxtehude, Ditmarsh, and Stade), providing 1,300 warriors and equipment to defend Wursten and / or invade Hadeln, and waged a pre-emptive feud on John V and his allies on 9 September 1499.[3] Rode's allied forces easily conquered the Land of Hadeln.[4]

By 20 November 1499 Magnus hired the so-called Great or Black Guard of ruthless and violent Dutch and East Frisian mercenaries, commanded by Thomas Slentz, recapturing Hadeln in early 1500.[4][5] By early December 1499 Rode had addressed Duke Henry IV for help, who was actually allied with Magnus.[6] In return Rode offered to appoint Henry's 12-year-old son Christopher as his coadjutor, a position usually (as coadiutor cum iure succedendi), and in this case indeed, entailing the succession to the respective see.[6] This exactly accomplished Henry's own expansionist ambitions, so he converted to Rode's column.[7]

Henry IV and his troops were then hunting the Black Guard. Mediated by Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Prince of Calenberg and Henry IV, Rode and Magnus concluded peace on 20 January 1500.[7] Hadeln was restored to Magnus, thus no substantial change as compared with the status quo ante.[8]

On 1 February Rode and Bremen's cathedral chapter officially appointed Christopher as coadjutor.[8] Rode and chapter had agreed to pay for Christopher's necessary papal dispensation from the canon-law age limit, as he was too young to be coadjutor, while Henry IV guaranteed military support for the prince-archbishopric.[8] In 1501, Henry attacked Frisian Butjadingen, in order to subject it to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, but he had to abort the campaign. On 7 May 1501 Pope Alexander VI dispensed Christopher from being underage, which cost the Bremian see 1,500 Rhenish guilders.[8] Alexander VI confirmed Christopher as coadjutor under the proviso that he should only ascend to office having come of age (27 years), which was in 1514.[8] However, Christopher de facto assumed the rule in 1511, after Rode's death.

In 1509 Magnus and Henry's daughter Catherine married, which sealed the reconciliation of Henry and Magnus. In 1511, Henry, together with the other members of the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg, conquered the County of Hoya, which had refused to recognize Brunswick-Lüneburg as its liege lord. A second attack on East Frisia in 1514—in the course of the Saxon Feud—led to Henry's death; his head was shot off during the siege of Leerort Castle (today part of Leer).

Family

Henry married Catherine, daughter of Eric II, Duke of Pomerania, in 1486. They had the following children:

Ancestors

Notes

  1. 1 2 Michael Schütz, "Die Konsolidierung des Erzstiftes unter Johann Rode", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 263–278, here p. 266. ISBN 978-3-9801919-8-2.
  2. ↑ Elke Freifrau von Boeselager, "Das Land Hadeln bis zum Beginn der frühen Neuzeit", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 321–388, here p. 332. ISBN 978-3-9801919-8-2.
  3. ↑ Michael Schütz, "Die Konsolidierung des Erzstiftes unter Johann Rode", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 263–278, here pp. 267 seq. ISBN 978-3-9801919-8-2.
  4. 1 2 Karl Ernst Hermann Krause, "Johann III., Erzbischof von Bremen", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. 14, pp. 183–185, here p. 184.
  5. ↑ Michael Schütz, "Die Konsolidierung des Erzstiftes unter Johann Rode", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 263–278, here p. 267. ISBN 978-3-9801919-8-2.
  6. 1 2 Karl Schleif, Regierung und Verwaltung des Erzstifts Bremen, see references for bibliographical details, p. 20.
  7. 1 2 Michael Schütz, "Die Konsolidierung des Erzstiftes unter Johann Rode", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 263–278, here p. 268. ISBN 978-3-9801919-8-2.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Michael Schütz, "Die Konsolidierung des Erzstiftes unter Johann Rode", in: see references for bibliographical details, vol. II: pp. 263–278, here p. 269. ISBN 978-3-9801919-8-2.

References

Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Cadet branch of the House of Este
Born: 24 June 1463 Died: 23 June 1514
Regnal titles
Preceded by
William the Younger		 Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Prince of Calenberg
jointly with his brother Eric I
1491–1494 		Succeeded by
Eric I
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
jointly with his brother Eric I
1491–1494 		Succeeded by
himself, alone
Preceded by
himself and Eric I		 Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
1494–1514 		Succeeded by
Henry V
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