George, Duke of Brunswick-Calenberg

George was the sixth son of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Dorothea of Denmark, daughter of King Christian III. His mother acted as regent in his early years, holding off councillors who had badly run the estates during his father's bouts of insanity. In 1635, after the death of Frederick Ulrich, the Welf territories were redivided: George received the Principality of Calenberg, which included Göttingen, while his elder brother Augustus the Elder kept Lüneburg. George became the first duke to move his residence to Hanover, building the Leineschloss by the river Leine in 1636. He died…