Calenberg

Calenberg was a dynastic division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a separate entity from 1485 until 1705, when it was merged with Lüneburg-Celle to form the state of Hanover.

Dukes of Calenberg

Eric I was the younger son of William , who ruled the territories of Wolfenbüttel and Göttingen in Brunswick-Lüneburg. In 1491, he turned the government of Wolfenbüttel over to his sons Henry IV and Eric; in 1494 they divided the territory among themselves. The western portion, taken by Eric, became the Duchy of Calenberg, named after Calenberg Castle near Pattensen.

House of Calenberg

• Eric I 1494-1540, son. Eric acquired the Principality of Göttingen in 1495 and it remained part of the Calenberg lands thereafter.
• Eric II 1545-1584, son

On Eric II's death, Calenberg was acquired by the descendents of Henry IV who ruled in Wolfenbüttel:

House of Wolfenbüttel

• Julius 1584-1589, grandson of Henry IV
• Henry Julius 1589-1613, son
• Frederick Ulrich 1613-1634, son

Upon Frederick Ulrich's death, his lands were divided between the houses of Lüneburg and Dannenberg, the former gaining Calenberg and the latter Wolfenbüttel.

House of Lüneburg

• George of Lüneburg-Celle, 1635-1648
• Christian Louis 1641-1648, son. Inherited Lüneburg-Celle from his uncle in 1648, and turned Calenberg over to his next younger brother, a pattern that repeated with each successive brother in this family.
• George William 1648-1665, brother
• John Frederick 1665-1679, brother
• Ernest Augustus 1679-1698, brother (designated as the first new prince-elector)
• George Louis 1698-1705, son — became George I of Great Britain.

Subsequently, under George III in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars, both the lands and titles were enlarged and became the Kingdom of Hanover.

George Louis inherited Lüneburg-Celle from his uncle in 1705. The merged Calenberg and Celle contained all of the territory of Brunswick-Lüneburg except for Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. This territory became known initially as the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg under Ernest Augustus who also abandoned the divisions of property under Salic law and adopted male-line primogeniture with the Emperor's permission. When the dignity was confirmed, it became known (popularly but unofficially) as the Electorate of Hanover, an indivisible territory passing by male-line primogeniture.