Duchy of Brunswick Herzogtum Braunschweig (German) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1815–1918 | |||||||||
.svg)  Top: Flag (1815–1830) Bottom: Flag (1830–1918)  Coat of arms | |||||||||
.svg) The Duchy of Brunswick within theGerman Empire | |||||||||
 Duchy of Brunswick (orange) in 1914 | |||||||||
| Status | State of theGerman Confederation, theNorth German Confederation, and theGerman Empire | ||||||||
| Capital | Braunschweig | ||||||||
| Common languages | |||||||||
| Religion | Evangelical Lutheran State Church in Brunswick | ||||||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||||||
| Duke | |||||||||
• 1813–1815 | Frederick William(first) | ||||||||
• 1913–1918 | Ernest Augustus(last) | ||||||||
| Legislature | Landesversammlung | ||||||||
| Historical era | Modern era | ||||||||
| 1815 | |||||||||
| 8 November 1918 | |||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 1910[1] | 3,672 km2 (1,418 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1910[1] | 494,339 | ||||||||
| Currency | Thaler 1842–1856 vereinsthaler 1858–1871 Goldmark 1873–1914 Papiermark 1914–1918 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Germany | ||||||||
TheDuchy of Brunswick (German:Herzogtum Braunschweig) was a historical German state that ceased to exist in 1918. Itscapital was the city ofBrunswick (Braunschweig). It was established as thesuccessor state of thePrincipality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by theCongress of Vienna in 1815. In the course of the19th-century history of Germany, the duchy was part of theGerman Confederation, theNorth German Confederation and from 1871 theGerman Empire. It was disestablished after the end ofWorld War I, its territory incorporated into theWeimar Republic as theFree State of Brunswick.
The title "Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg" (German:Herzog zu Braunschweig und Lüneburg) was held, from 1235 on, by various members of theWelf (Guelph) family who ruled several small territories in northwest Germany. These holdings did not have all of the formal characteristics of a modern unitary state, being neither compact nor indivisible. When several sons of a duke competed for power, the lands often became divided between them; when a branch of the family lost power or became extinct, the lands were reallocated among surviving members of the family; different dukes might also exchange territories. The unifying element of all these territories was that they were ruled by male-line descendants of DukeOtto I (ruled 1235–1252).
After several early divisions, Brunswick-Lüneburg re-unified under DukeMagnus II (d. 1373). Following his death, his three sons jointly ruled the duchy. After the murder of their brotherFrederick I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, brothers Bernard andHenry redivided the land, Henry receiving the territory of Wolfenbüttel.
From 1432 forward the Principality of Wolfenbuettel became the capital of the Duchy of Brunswick and Luneburg. It is widely understood and confirmed that from the year 1546 forward there became two dynastic lines of the house of Este-Guelph Brunswick: "the senior", from Brunswick-Wolfenbuettel, and one called "the younger branch" from Calenburg-Hanover.The ruling monarchs of Brunswick and Lunenburg continued to govern the greater Duchy from the Wolfenbuettel principality till 1754, when temporarily the Brunswick principality was used as a capital to mitigate[clarification needed] while the Brunswick[clarification needed] wished to become an Imperial free city.
The territory of Wolfenbüttel was recognized as a sovereign state by theCongress of Vienna in 1815. It had been a portion of the medieval Duchy ofBrunswick-Lüneburg. The northern principality known as Lüneburg remained fragmented and largely under control of Wolfenbuettel. However, in 1702, thePrince of Calenberg andCelle averted the extinction of the line through a marriage with the low-born Eleonore d'Esmier d'Olbreuse, who from 1705 passed to her successors a united Lüneburg to said princes, later i.e. theElector of Hanover.[clarification needed] The princes of Wolfenbüttel maintained their supremacy over the subject vassal state of Lüneburg, but recognized its semi-sovereignty.
The Wolfenbüttel principality had from 1807 to 1813 been held as part of theKingdom of Westphalia. The Congress turned it into an independent country as theDuchy of Brunswick. These acts were protested by the de facto and de jure Duke Charles II in annual protests until his death. His grandson Ulric de Civry (brother ofFrédéric de Civry) continued in full ducal regalia and claim maintaining these protests (against Prussia, Hanover, and even some parts of the Council of Vienna) until his assassination in 1935 at Geneva Switzerland.
The underage DukeCharles, the eldest son of DukeFrederick William (who had been killed in action), was put under the guardianship ofGeorge IV, the Prince Regent of the United Kingdom and Hanover.
First, the young duke had a dispute over the date of his majority. Then, in 1827, Charles declared some of the laws made during his minority invalid, which caused conflicts. After theGerman Confederation intervened, Charles was forced to accept those laws. His administration was considered corrupt and misguided.[2]
In the aftermath of theJuly Revolution in 1830, Charles had to leave the country. Hisabsolutist governing style had alienated the nobility andbourgeoisie, while the lower classes were disaffected by the bad economic situation. During the night of 7–8 September 1830, theducal palace in Braunschweig was stormed by an angry mob, set on fire and destroyed completely. Charles fled the country, but without abdicating.[3]
When Charles' brotherWilliam VIII arrived in Brunswick on 10 September, he was received joyfully by the people. William originally considered himself only his brother's regent, but after a year declared himself ruling duke. Charles made several desperate attempts, unsuccessfully, to depose him.
William left most government business to his ministers, and spent most of his time outside of his state at his possessions inOels. After the revolution of 1830, liberal reforms were made and a new constitution was adopted on 12 October 1832. While the number of voters was limited by a system ofcensus suffrage to about 40% of Brunswick's male population, the parliament of Brunswick was granted more rights than in most other German states at the time and the duke's budget and powers were significantly limited.[4]
While William joined the Prussian-ledNorth German Confederation in 1866, his relationship to Prussia was strained, since Prussia refused to recognizeErnest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, his nearest male-line relative, as his heir.
While theKingdom of Hanover was annexed byPrussia in 1866, the Duchy of Brunswick remained sovereign and independent. It joined first the North German Confederation and in 1871 theGerman Empire.
In the 1870s, it became obvious that the then-senior branch of the rulingHouse of Welf would die with Duke William. By house law, a member of the House of Hanover would have ascended the ducal throne. However, the Hanoverians still refused to accept the Prussian annexation of their kingdom. As a result, Prussia was unwilling to letGeorge V of Hanover or his son, Ernest Augustus, succeed to Brunswick. Berlin would only agree to the Hanoverians becoming dukes of Brunswick under severe conditions, including swearing allegiance to the German constitution and renouncing all claim to Hanover.
By a law of 1879, the Duchy of Brunswick established a temporary council of regency to take over at the duke's death. If Ernest Augustus–who had been created the Duke of Cumberland in the British peerage–were unable to succeed, the council would also be empowered to appoint a regent. With William's death in 1884, the Wolfenbüttel line came to an end. The Duke of Cumberland then proclaimed himselfErnest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick. However, since he still claimed to be the rightful King of Hanover, theFederal Council ruled that he would violate the peace of the German Empire if he succeeded to Brunswick. Lengthy negotiations ensued, but were never resolved.
Two regents were appointed: first,Prince Albert of Prussia until his death in 1906, and thenDuke John Albert of Mecklenburg.[5]
The need for a regent ended in 1913. The Duke of Cumberland's eldest sonGeorge having died in 1912, the elderly duke renounced Brunswick in favor of his youngest son,Ernest Augustus, who marriedEmperor Wilhelm II's daughter, swore allegiance to the German Empire and renounced all claims to Hanover. Accordingly, he was allowed to ascend the throne of the duchy in November 1913.
In the midst of theGerman revolutions of 1918, the duke had to abdicate, and theFree State of Brunswick was founded as a member state of theWeimar Republic.
.jpg)
.jpg)
The Duchy of Brunswick consisted of several non-connected parts - three larger and seven smaller ones. The biggest and most populous of those was the area surrounding the cities ofBraunschweig,Wolfenbüttel andHelmstedt as well as theElm, which extended from the riverAller in the north to theHarz mountains in the south. The western part with the town of Holzminden extended from the riverWeser in the east to the Harz Foreland in the west. The southern part with the town ofBlankenburg was located in the Harz mountains. The Duchy's smallerexclaves wereThedinghausen nearBremen,Harzburg,Calvörde,Bodenburg andÖstrum,Ostharingen nearGoslar, Ölsburg nearPeine and a small woodland near theFallstein. The Duchy of Brunswick was almost entirely surrounded by the Prussian Provinces ofHanover andSaxony, in the south-east it also bordered theDuchy of Anhalt and in the west thePrincipality of Waldeck-Pyrmont and the PrussianProvince of Westphalia.
The western part of the Duchy lay in theWeser Uplands, the central and southern parts in the northern Harz Foreland and the Harz mountains. The northern part was located on the border between theNorth German Plain and theCentral Uplands of Germany. The Duchy's highest peak was theWurmberg at 971 metres (3,186 ft). The major rivers that ran through Brunswick were the Weser, Aller,Leine,Oker,Bode andInnerste.
| Region or exclave[6] | Area in square kilometers | Shared borders with |
|---|---|---|
| Main part with Braunschweig, Wolfenbüttel, Helmstedt | 1808 | Province of Hanover, Province of Saxony |
| Western part with Holzminden, Seesen, Gandersheim | 1107 | Province of Hanover, Province of Westphalia, Waldeck |
| Lower Harz with Blankenburg, Braunlage | 475 | Province of Hanover, Province of Saxony, Anhalt |
| Harzburg | 125 | Province of Hanover |
| Calvörde | 102 | Province of Saxony |
| Thedinghausen | 56 | Province of Hanover |
| Bodenburg and Östrum | 10 | Province of Hanover |
| Ostharingen | 4 | Province of Hanover |
| Ölsburg | 3 | Province of Hanover |
The Duchy of Brunswick was subdivided into sixdistricts (Kreise) in 1833. The districts were further subdivided into cities or towns (Städte) and more rural townships (Ämter).
| District | Area in square kilometers (1 Dec 1910)[1] | Population (1 Dec 1910)[1] | Cities andÄmter[7] |
|---|---|---|---|
| District ofBlankenburg | 474,67 | 35,989 | Blankenburg,Hasselfelde andWalkenried |
| District ofBraunschweig | 543,87 | 191,112 | Braunschweig,Riddagshausen,Thedinghausen (since 1850) andVechelde |
| District of Gandersheim | 533,92 | 50,435 | Gandersheim,Seesen,Lutter am Barenberge andGreene |
| District ofHelmstedt | 799,56 | 78,514 | Helmstedt,Schöningen,Königslutter,Vorsfelde andCalvörde |
| District ofHolzminden | 584,11 | 51,756 | Holzminden,Stadtoldendorf,Eschershausen,Ottenstein andThedinghausen (until 1850) |
| District ofWolfenbüttel | 735,92 | 86,533 | Wolfenbüttel,Salder,Schöppenstedt andHarzburg |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1831 | 245,798 | — |
| 1836 | 258,309 | +5.1% |
| 1843 | 267,563 | +3.6% |
| 1849 | 270,085 | +0.9% |
| 1855 | 269,213 | −0.3% |
| 1858 | 273,394 | +1.6% |
| 1861 | 281,708 | +3.0% |
| 1864 | 292,708 | +3.9% |
| 1867 | 302,801 | +3.4% |
| 1871 | 311,764 | +3.0% |
| 1875 | 327,493 | +5.0% |
| 1885 | 372,452 | +13.7% |
| 1890 | 403,773 | +8.4% |
| 1900 | 464,333 | +15.0% |
| 1905 | 485,958 | +4.7% |
| 1910 | 494,339 | +1.7% |
In 1910, the Duchy of Brunswick had a population of 494,339 people.
According to the 1885 census, 84.90% (316,208 people) of the Duchy's inhabitants held citizenship of Brunswick, while 54,738 people (14.70%) werecitizens of other German states. 1506 people (0.40%) were foreign nationals, among those 785 came fromAustria-Hungary, 133 from the United Kingdom, 112 from the United States, 91 from Italy, 83 from theRussian Empire, and 81 from Switzerland.[8]
In 1905, 450,760 people or 92.5% of the population adhered to theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick. 26,504 (5.5%) people wereCatholic, 4720 (0.97%) adhered toReformed churches. 1815 (0.39%) people were ofJewish faith.[9]
| City or town | Population (1 Dec 1910)[1] |
|---|---|
| Braunschweig | 143,552 |
| Wolfenbüttel | 18,934 |
| Helmstedt | 16,421 |
| Blankenburg am Harz | 11,487 |
| Holzminden | 10,249 |
| Schöningen | 9,773 |
| Seesen | 5,381 |
| Harzburg | 4,728 |
| Oker | 3,984 |
| Stadtoldendorf | 3,728 |
| Langelsheim | 3,611 |
| Schöppenstedt | 3,226 |
| Königslutter | 3,126 |
| Bündheim | 2,982 |
| Braunlage | 2,811 |
| Gandersheim | 2,711 |
| Hasselfelde | 2,649 |
In 1905, out of 1,000 residents 455 were working in theindustrial sector,mining orconstruction, 289 were working inagriculture andforestry, 121 incommerce, 57.3 were employed in thecivil service and 70 were working in miscellaneous other professions.[9]
TheDuchy of Brunswick State Railway was the firststate railway in Germany. The first section of itsBrunswick–Bad Harzburg railway line connecting Braunschweig and Wolfenbüttel opened on 1 December 1838, as the first railway line in Northern Germany.[10] In the 1870s, the Duchy of Brunswick State Railway merged with theRoyal Prussian State Railways. Some other railways of secondary importance were operated by theBrunswick State Railway Company, founded in 1884.
In 1847,MTV Braunschweig was founded as the firstsports club in Brunswick.[11]
Brunswick also played a pioneering role in the history ofassociation football in Germany:Konrad Koch, a school teacher from Braunschweig, was the first to write down a German version of therules of football, and, together withAugust Hermann, also arguably organized the first football match in Germany between pupils from his schoolMartino-Katharineum in 1874.[12][13]
TheDuchy of Brunswick Football Association (German:Fußballbund für das Herzogtum Braunschweig) was founded in May 1904.[14]Eintracht Braunschweig, founded in 1895, quickly became one of the leading football clubs in Northern Germany. To this day, the team plays in the colours blue and yellow, derived from the flag of Brunswick.
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg was formed out of the possessions of senior branch of the House of Brunswick. The House of Brunswick originated from the ItalianHouse of Este. This family acquired the inheritance of the Guelph family by marriage — around the year 1000 — ofAzzo II withKunigunde of Altdorf, daughter ofWelf II. Again important possessions were gained in (Lower)Saxony by the marriage ofHenry the Black toWulfhilde of Saxony (d 1126), daughter of the last member of the House ofBillung, who had been Dukes of Saxony for five generations. They were made Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1235. In 1269 the house of Brunswick-Lüneburg divided into the branches ofLüneburg and Brunswick (later Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, the later Duchy of Brunswick). In 1432 thePrincipality of Calenberg, the later Electorate of Hanover, split from Brunswick(-Wolfenbüttel), and in 1705 acquired the territory of Lüneburg.
Both branches used in their arms the two lions of Brunswick, the blue lion of Lüneburg and thewhite steed of Saxony. The use of the lion as aheraldic animal in the House of Guelph goes back toHenry the Lion in the 12th century at least. However, Henry used only a single lion as his symbol. Later accounts by medieval writers that the two golden lions of Brunswick were granted to Henry by the English king, his father-in-law, are deemed fictional by modern historians.[15] It was Henry's sons from his marriage withMatilda of England, the futureHoly Roman EmperorOtto IV andHenry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine, who adapted theRoyal Arms of England to display their royal lineage. While Otto's coat of arms showed the three golden lions of England, Henry used only two. The two lions of Henry V then went on to become the symbol of the House of Guelph.[16] The blue lion of Lüneburg was adopted byJohn I of Lüneburg, who based his coat of arms on thecoat of arms of Denmark to emphasise his kinship with the Danish kings.[17] The dukes of Brunswick later added the blue lion to their arms as well, to show their own claim to the territory of Lüneburg.
The white steed was said to be the emblem of the eighth century Saxon dukeWidukind, who according to legend rode a black horse before his baptism and a white horse afterwards. In truth, the use of the horse as a symbol for Saxony only goes back to the 14th century, when the House of Guelph, after the ducal title of Saxony had fallen to theHouse of Ascania, adopted the fictional "ancient" symbol to represent themselves as the true descendants of the old Saxon dukes.[18] Due to the legend associated with it, the white horse became a very popular symbol among the population of Brunswick, even more so than the lions.[19]
Over time, the arms of smaller territories that had been acquired by the Dukes of Brunswick were added to the coat of arms. The coat of arms of the Duchy of Brunswick eventually consisted of a crown and shield, supported by twowild men, on which the blue lion of Lüneburg, the two golden lions of Brunswick, the Saxon steed and the arms of various counties were displayed. The lesser coat of arms of the Duchy of Brunswick showed a crowned shield with the white horse on a red background. The Saxon steed was dropped from the coat of arms during the reign of William VIII.[20] The greater coat of arms of the Duchy of Brunswick, as adopted in 1834, shows a shield with a ducal crown on top and surrounded by the insignia of theOrder of Henry the Lion. Displayed on the shield are, from left to right, the blue lion of Lüneburg, the two lions of Brunswick, and the arms of the Counts of Eberstein, Homburg, Diepholz (upper half), Lauterberg, Hoya and Bruchhausen, Diepholz (lower half), Honstein, Regenstein, Klettenberg and Blankenburg.[21] The new lesser coat of arms introduced under William VIII was a return to the arms of Brunswick-Lüneburg, displayed on a crowned shield supported by two lions. The Latin inscriptions readIMMOTA FIDES ("unswerving faithfulness") andNEC ASPERA TERRENT ("they are not afraid of difficulties").
The flag of the Duchy of Brunswick was blue over yellow,[21] and is remarkably similar to theflag of Ukraine. The standard of the dukes of Brunswick given bySiebmachers Wappenbuch, Nuremberg 1878, shows the white horse on a red cloth - this, however, is today assumed to have been in error.[22] Thestate flag introduced in 1912 was blue over yellow, with a crowned shield with the white horse on a red background in the center.[22]
States of the German Confederation (1815–1866) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empires |  | ||||||||
| Kingdoms | |||||||||
| Electorates | |||||||||
| Grand duchies | |||||||||
| Duchies |
| ||||||||
| Principalities |
| ||||||||
| Free cities | |||||||||
| |||||||||
States of the North German Confederation (1866–1871) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kingdoms |  | |
| Grand Duchies | ||
| Duchies | ||
| Principalities | ||
| City-states | ||
States of the German Empire (1871–1918) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kingdoms |
| -en.png) |
| Grand Duchies | ||
| Duchies | ||
| Principalities | ||
| City-states | ||
| Imperial Territories | ||
| Other | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
