William, Duke of Brunswick

For other people named William of Brunswick, see William of Brunswick (disambiguation).
William
Duke of Brunswick
Reign 9 September 1830 – 18 October 1884
Predecessor Charles II
Successor Prince Albert of Prussia
(as Imperial Regent)
Born (1806-04-25)25 April 1806
Brunswick, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Died 18 October 1884(1884-10-18) (aged 78)
Sibyllenort, Silesia, Prussia
Full name
William Augustus Louis Maximilian Frederick
German: Wilhelm August Ludwig Maximilian Friedrich
House House of Brunswick-Bevern
Father Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Mother Princess Marie of Baden

William (German: Wilhelm August Ludwig Maximilian Friedrich; born 25 April 1806 in Brunswick, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel – died 18 October 1884 in Sibyllenort, Silesia, Prussia), Duke of Brunswick, was ruling duke of the Duchy of Brunswick from 1830 until his death.

William was the second son of Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and after the death of his father in 1815, was under the guardianship of King George IV of the United Kingdom. He became a Prussian major in 1823. When his brother, Charles, was deposed as ruling duke by a rebellion in 1830, William took over government provisionally. In 1831 a family law of the House of Guelph made William ruling duke permanently. William left most government business to his ministers, and spent most of his time outside of his state at his possessions in Oels.

While William joined the Prussian-led North German Confederation in 1866, his relationship to Prussia was strained, since Prussia refused to recognize Ernest Augustus, 3rd Duke of Cumberland, his nearest male-line relative, as his heir, because of the Duke of Cumberland's claim to the throne of Hanover. William died in 1884; he passed on his private possessions to the Duke of Cumberland. His death caused a constitutional crisis for Brunswick that lasted until the accession of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, the son of the Duke of Cumberland, in 1913.

William died unmarried, but had a number of illegitimate children.

References

William, Duke of Brunswick
Cadet branch of the House of Welf
Born: 25 April 1806 Died: 18 October 1884
German royalty
Preceded by
Charles II
Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
1830-1884
Vacant
Title next held by
Ernest Augustus
Prince Ernest Augustus(titler)
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