John I | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg | |
| Prince of Lüneburg | |
| Reign | 1269 – 1277 |
| Born | c. 1242 |
| Died | 13 December 1277 (aged 34–35) |
| Buried | St. Michael's Church,Lüneburg |
| Noble family | House of Welf |
| Spouse | Liutgard of Holstein |
| Issue | Otto II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Father | Otto I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Mother | Matilda of Brandenburg |
John (c. 1242 – 13 December 1277), a member of theHouse of Welf, wasDuke of Brunswick-Lüneburg from 1252 until his death. He initially reigned jointly with his brother,Albert the Tall, until the partition of the duchy in 1269, when John became the first ruler of the newly createdPrincipality of Lüneburg.
John's father,Otto the Child, was the first Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, having received the Welf allodial possessions inSaxony from the hands of EmperorFrederick II. After his death in 1252, John ruled the duchy jointly with his elder brother Albert. As the brothers could not agree who should govern the duchy, in 1267 they decided to divide their possession. In 1269 John received the right to choose his part. He chose the northernLüneburg estates with the city ofHanover, forming the Principality of Lüneburg. Albert received the southern estates ofBrunswick-Wolfenbüttel with further lands aroundCalenberg andGöttingen.
John thus founded the Old Line of Lüneburg[1] and his brother the Old Line of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Nevertheless, the two principalities continued to form the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg which remained undivided according toImperial law and all the princes of the various Welf lines carried the title of Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
In a fierce feud with CountGunzelin III of Schwerin, John was able to acquire the settlement ofUelzen, whose residents he vested withtown privileges in 1270. He tried in vain to gain control of theLüneburg Saltworks and finally granted theLüneburg citizens amonopoly to control thesalt trade in his principality, mainly along theOld Salt Route toLübeck and theBaltic Sea.
John died on 13 December 1277 and was buried in the cloister of St. Michael's Church at his Lüneburg residence. His son and heir,Otto II the Strict, was still a minor upon his father's death and remained under the tutelage of his uncles Duke Albert the Tall and Bishop Conrad of Verden until 1282.
In 1265 John married Liutgard (d. after 28 February 1289), a daughter of CountGerhard I of Holstein-Itzehoe. The marriage produced had five children:
His illegitimate son, Henry of Brunswick (d. 23 August 1324), was a canon inWalsrode.
John, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Cadet branch of theHouse of Este Born: about 1242 Died: 13 December 1277 | ||
| German nobility | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg jointly withAlbert I 1252–1269 | Partitioning among the rulers |
| Principality of Lüneburg partitioned from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg | Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Prince of Lüneburg 1269–1277 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| People | |
