Rudolph Augustus, Duke of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
| Rudolph Augustus | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg | |
 Portrait by Hans Hinrich Rundt, c. 1700 | |
| Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | |
| Reign | September 17, 1666 – January 26, 1704 |
| Born |
May 16, 1627 Hitzacker, Principality of Lüneburg |
| Died |
January 26, 1704 (aged 76) Hedwigsburg (now part of Kissenbrück), Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
| Noble family | House of Welf |
| Spouse(s) | Christine Elizabeth of Barby-Mühlingen |
| Father | Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Mother | Dorothea of Anhalt-Zerbst |
Rudolph Augustus (May 16, 1627 – January 26, 1704), a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled as Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel from 1666 until his death. In 1685 he made his younger brother Anthony Ulrich co-ruler.
Life
He was born in Hitzacker, then the residence of his father Duke Augustus the Younger of Brunswick-Lüneburg and his second wife Princess Dorothea of Anhalt-Zerbst. His father assumed the rule in the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, after his Welf cousin Duke Frederick Ulrich had died childless in 1634.
Rudolph Augustus succeeded his father as ruling Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in 1666. More interested in his studies and hunting, he soon after appointed his politically astute younger brother Anthony Ulrich governor. In 1671 both besieged and finally occupied the city of Braunschweig, ending about 250 years of local autonomy.
During his reign, Rudolph Augustus concentrated on the Baroque expansion of his ducal residence, including the Alter Weg ("Old Way"), a road connecting the cities of Brunswick and Wolfenbüttel. He died in 1704 at the Hedwigsburg hunting lodge.
Marriage and issue
In 1650 Rudolph Augustus married Christine Elizabeth (1634–1681), daughter of Count Albert Frederick of Barby and Mühlingen. They had two daughters that reached adulthood:
- Dorothea Sophia (1653–1722), married Duke John Adolphus of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
- Christine Sophia (1654–1695), married her cousin Duke Augustus William of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the son of Duke Anthony Ulrich who succeeded his father as Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in 1714.
Upon the death of his first wife, Rudolph Augustus entered into a morganatic marriage with Rosine Elisabeth Menthe (1663–1701), which remained childless.
Ancestry
References
External links
Media related to Rudolph Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel at Wikimedia Commons
| Rudolph Augustus, Duke of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel Cadet branch of the House of Este Born: 16 May 1627 in Hitzacker Died: 26 January 1704 in Hedwigsburg | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Augustus |
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel with his brother Anthony Ulrich between 1685 and 1702 1666–1704 |
Succeeded by Anthony Ulrich |