George, Duke Of Brunswick-Lüneburg

George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was born on 17 February 1582 in Celle, Germany, and died on 12 April 1641 in Hildesheim. He belonged to the House of Welf, a significant noble family in German history. Specifically, he was part of a cadet branch known as the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, which held territories in present-day Lower Saxony.

He was the sixth son of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1535–1592), and Dorothea of Denmark (1546–1617). His mother was the daughter of King Christian III of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. During the early years of his rule, Dorothea served as regent, maintaining authority against Councillors who had mismanaged the family estates during William’s periods of insanity.

In 1635, following the death of Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, a territorial re-division among the House of Welf took place. George received the Principality of Calenberg, which encompassed the area formerly known as the Principality of Göttingen, established in 1495. His elder brother, Augustus the Elder, retained control of the Principality of Lüneburg. Upon acquiring Calenberg, George chose to establish his residence in Hanover, where he constructed the Leineschloss palace by the river Leine in 1636.

George's marriage was to Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1617. She was the daughter of Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, and Magdalene of Brandenburg. They had several children, including:

- Christian Louis (1622–1665), who served as Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Prince of Calenberg from 1641 to 1648, and Prince of Lüneburg from 1648 until his death in 1665.

- George William (1624–1705), who was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Prince of Calenberg from 1648 to 1665, and Prince of Lüneburg from 1665 until 1705. He was the father of Sophia Dorothea of Celle, who married the future King George I of Great Britain.

- John Frederick (1625–1679), who served as Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Prince of Calenberg from 1665 to 1679.

- Sophie Amalie (1628–1685), who married King Frederick III of Denmark.

- Ernest Augustus (1629–1698), who became Elector of Hanover; he was Prince of Calenberg from 1679 to 1698, married Electress Sophia, and was the father of King George I of Great Britain.

George moved his residence to Hanover, where he commissioned the construction of the Leineschloss palace in 1636. His reign as Prince of Calenberg began in 1635, and he was succeeded by his son Christian Louis after his death.

References include entries from the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie and the House of Welf website.