Ferdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Ferdinand Albert (German Ferdinand Albrecht; 22 May 1636, Brunswick – 23 April 1687, Bevern), Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was a relative of the princes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Life

Ferdinand Albert was the third son of Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. After the father's death in 1666, the three sons quarreled about the heritage, and Ferdinand Albert received a palace in Bevern, some feudal rights, and a certain amount of money in exchange for his claims to the government of Wolfenbüttel, which was to be ruled jointly by his elder brothers.

Ferdinand Albert grew more and more eccentric, and at some point his brothers had to send a military force to restore order at his palace. He collected many works of art, which later became part of the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum. He died in 1687; his son, Ferdinand Albert, inherited the Principality decades later.

Family

Ferdinand Albert married Christine (30 October 1648 - 18 March 1702), daughter of Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege, in 1667. They had the following children that reached adulthood:

• Sophia Eleanora (1674–1711), died childless
• Augustus Ferdinand (1677–1704), died childless
• Ferdinand Albert (1680–1735)
• Ferdinand Christian (1682–1706), died childless
• Ernest Ferdinand (1682–1746)
• Henry Ferdinand (1684–1706), died childless

Ancestors

References

• At the House of Welf site
• Allgemeine Deutsche Bibliographie, vol. 6, p. 679-681