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| Louis Rudolph | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Prince of Wolfenbüttel | |
 Portrait byJohann Conrad Eichler | |
| Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | |
| Reign | 23 March 1731 – 1 March 1735 |
| Predecessor | Augustus William |
| Successor | Ferdinand Albert II |
| Born | (1671-07-22)22 July 1671 Wolfenbüttel,Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Died | 1 March 1735(1735-03-01) (aged 63) Brunswick, Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| House | House of Welf |
| Father | Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
| Mother | Elisabeth Juliane of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg |
Louis Rudolph (German:Ludwig Rudolf; 22 July 1671 – 1 March 1735), a member of theHouse of Welf, wasDuke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and rulingPrince of Wolfenbüttel from 1731 until his death. Since 1707, he ruled as an immediatePrince of Blankenburg.
Louis Rudolph was the maternal grandfather ofEmpress Maria Theresa,Emperor Peter II of Russia andCharles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
Louis Rudolph was the youngest son of DukeAnthony Ulrich of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and his consortPrincess Elisabeth Juliane of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg, daughter of DukeFrederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg. He became amajor general in the service of theHabsburg emperorLeopold I in 1690 and was promptly captured in theBattle of Fleurus by the forces of KingLouis XIV of France. After being released the same year, his father gave him the BrunswickCounty of Blankenburg as a present, with the consent of his eldest sonAugustus William, insofar violating theprimogeniture principle laid down by the late DukeHenry V.
When in 1707 Prince Anthony Ulrich managed to betroth Louis Rudolph's daughterElisabeth Christine to the Habsburg archdukeCharles VI, his elder brother EmperorJoseph I raised the County of Blankenburg to animmediate principality. Louis Rudolph's status as anImperial prince (Reichsfürst), however, was limited as his vote in theImperial Diet was not hereditary and depending on the WelfElectorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Calenberg line).
On the death of brother Augustus William in 1731, Louis Rudolph also inherited Wolfenbüttel, thus ruling both principalities inpersonal union. He relocated his residence toWolfenbüttel, the capital of the inherited bigger principality. In the few years of his rule, Louis Rudolph managed to restore the finances, after Augustus William had almost ruined the state.
Louis Rudolph died without male issue in 1735. He was succeeded by his first cousin, DukeFerdinand Albert II, who had married Louis Rudolph's youngest daughter, Antoinette Amalie.
Louis Rudolph marriedChristine Louise, daughter of Albert Ernest I, Prince ofÖttingen-Öttingen, atAurich in 1690. They had four daughters, but only three reached adulthood:
Many members ofmodern andcontemporary European royalty are descendants of Louis Rudolph. In particular, with the exception ofAlbert II, Prince of Monaco, Louis Rudolph is an ancestor of all current sovereigns ofhereditary European monarchies.
| Ancestors of Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick |
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Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick Cadet branch of theHouse of Este Born: 22 July 1671 Died: 1 March 1735 | ||
| German nobility | ||
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| Preceded by | Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg; Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 1731–1735 | Succeeded by |
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