William II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

William II, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg ( * 1300, † November 23, 1369 ) was from 1330 to 1369 Prince of Lüneburg.

Life

William was born around the year 1300 as the fourth child of Otto the austerities and his wife Matilda of Bavaria. The father's wish not following, who had desired a division of the country after his death, William took over after his death in 1330 together with his brother Otto III. the government. Focus their rule in the early years was the territorial consolidation of the Principality. They were thus able to increase their ownership in the room Gifhorn significantly through the acquisition of the village Faller life, the county Papenheim and betting Mars Hagen. Another focus was the political support of the economically developing cities. In particular, benefited the Lüneburg trade of the navigability of the river Ilmenau between Lüneburg and Uelzen and economic agreements between the Lüneburg princes and the dukes of Saxe- Lauenburg.

After the death of his brother Otto III. William's attention was directed increasingly to the succession in Lüneburg country. As the son of his brother having died as a child, and he had only not entitled to inherit daughters, he chose his grandson, Albert of Saxe- Wittenberg, the son of his daughter Elizabeth, as his successor. Although he already asked Emperor Charles IV to a Eventualbelehnung his grandson, took over the following years, however, again distance, fearing the influence of the uncle Albrecht Wenzel and Rudolf. Another is in the Brunswick- Lüneburg investiture agreement of 1235 and concluded by Wilhelms father with the braunschweiger line of the Welf dynasty inheritance contracts after the principality, must be as long as there are male heirs in the overall house, inherited by this finding. To achieve his desire to allow a descendant of his inheritance, he married his younger daughter Matilda with Ludwig of Brunswick- Lüneburg. Since this was also heir to the Brunswick country, shared possessions of the Dukes had been reunited in a hand with this. Regardless of Emperor Charles IV had meanwhile completed the Eventualbelehnung Albrecht of Saxony -Wittenberg and his two uncles and thus laid the foundation for the beginning after William 's death Lüneburg War of Succession.

Further problems were to come through William 's niece Matilda, the daughter of his brother Otto III. . Her husband Otto von Waldeck also made ​​claims. From imperial Hofgericht this 100,000 marks were, this corresponded to about half of the principality, granted. In response to the refusal to pay this William, was first of the Empire and have been for another futile attempt at mediation, pronounced the night But over him by the Emperor and commissioned the Bishop of Minden with their enforcement. Whether it came to this, however is not known. Finally view his death he handed Magnus von Braunschweig -Lüneburg, who had been appointed after the death of his brother Louis as heir, the government before he died in the Principality, in Lüneburg on November 23, 1369.

Progeny

William had one daughter from the first two of his four marriages.

From his first marriage with Hedwig of Ravens mountain ( † after 1387 ):

From his second marriage to Marie: