by the emperor, in having forsaken and aban- | est son William, surnamed Longsword, who doned him in Lombardy, although he well knew may be considered as the immediate ancestor that his enemies, by exciting the Veneds, had of his late majesty George III. rendered that step imperative upon him. Henry was therefore placed by the emperor under the ban of the empire*. In consequence of this terrible sentence, the dominions of Henry were occupied by the first person who thought proper to seize upon them. The event of this affair was, that although Henry left nothing undone which a brave and valiant man could perform, and although whoever presumed to attack him, found ample employment for their swords, yet in the end, he was stripped of almost all his possessions. Not less than seventeen princes of the empire, both temporal and ecclesiastical, joined in this unjust enterprize, and divided as many provinces amongst them, as would have made several kingdoms. The present kingdoms of Bavaria and Saxony, the duchy of Holstein and Westphalia, since incorporated with other states, formed a part of Henry's dominions, and by their villanies the illustrious ancestor of George III. was plundered in a manner unprecedented*. Henry, oppressed by his enemies, consented at last to a three years' exile, and he chose England as the place of his residence. This event took place in 1182. In 1184 he resided at Winchester, at which place his princess Maud, or Matilda, was delivered of her young On his return from exile, his enemies sought his friendship, and he was named as a candidate for the imperial throne, when the emperor Henry VI., son of Frederick, was confined by illness in Italy. The posterity of Henry has flourished from one age to another to this day. One of his sons became Emperor of Germany, and the descendant of his youngest son,' William, born at Winchester, now, by divine providence, rules over this kingdom, where his great ancestor was obliged to take refuge from the rage and malice of his enemies in the court of Henry II. of England, his father-in-law, | about 580 years ago. The origin of the three lions on the armorial bearings of our royal family, is to be traced to this period. Richard I., of England, the uncle of Henry, had five leopards, or lions, in his coat of arms, two of which he gave to his nephew, and kept three. Henry added them to his arms, and they are now borne by the house of Brunswick to this day. Henry died at Brunswick in 1195, and in the 66th year of his age. He left three sons, Henry the Long-Otho, who was chosen Emperor of Germany by the name of Otho IV., on the death of Henry VI.: he was likewise Earl of York; and William, surnamed Longsword; the latter The ban of the empire is analogous to our outlawry. They who had the misfortune to be put under it lost all their dominions, their houses, and their life. The rigor of it extended even to ecclesiastics, with this difference only, that on account of the sacredness of their order, their life was spared. †The memorable partition of so many fine provinces, was the origin of the picture at present in the possession of George IV., as King of Hanover, and the decyphering of which has puzzled many antiquaries. It represents a mettlesome horse, on one side of which appear several ravenous beasts, signifying the secular princes who invaded Henry's property, and on the other side as many birds of prey, denoting his ecclesiastical enemies. Each of them has a part of the mangled horse in his mouth; one the head-the other the foot-a third the tongue-a fourth a leg-a fifth an eye-a sixth the milt-a seventh a horse-shoe, &c.-nothing remained but the heart, which signified Brunswick and Lunenburg, the only being his late majesty's immediate and direct | took delight in dashing the brains of the chrisancestor, his history falls within the immediate tian children against the walls, and driving their scope of this work; the lives and histories of the collateral and other branches of the family being foreign to the purpose. He obtained the appellation of Longsword, from either wearing or having carried before him a sword of an immense size. He was one of the hostages for King Richard of England, at the court of Leopold Duke of Austria, who voluntarily set him at liberty. He was the only one of three brothers who left male issue, and dying in 1213 was succeeded by his only son Otho, whom he had by Helen, daughter of Waldemar, King of Denmark. Otho, surnamed the Infant, either on account of his little stature, or to distinguish him from his uncle, Otho, the emperor, was no more than fifteen years of age at his father's death: he, however, proved to be a prince of most superior endowments, and was the ornament of his race and society. He was the first duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg, that title having been given to him by the Emperor Frederick II. on account of Otho having espoused his cause against the pope, during the absence of the emperor in the Holy Land. The Brunswick family at this period dropped the title of Dukes of Saxony and Bavaria. The Prussians at this time were heathens, and their barbarity was so enormous, that they parents, like beasts, into slavery. The knights of the Teutonic order*, then famous for their bravery throughout the world, were invited by Conrad, Duke of Masovia in Poland, where these barbarous people had burnt 250 churches, to his assistance. Hermon de Seltza, grand master of the order, persuaded Otho to accompany him in this meritorious undertaking, which he accordingly did in 1237. Otho, by a masterstroke of generalship, defeated the Prussians, and brought their territory under the subjection of the Teutonic order. He married his daughter Elizabeth to the Emperor William, and died in 1252, leaving issue four sons: Albert, who was Duke of Brunswick, and John, Duke of Lunenburg; and this was the principal division which took place in the house of Brunswick. Otho and Conrad, the two younger sons were made bishops. Albert, the eldest son of Otho, was surnamed the Great, on account of his courage. He began his reign during the great interregnum of the empire, and supported with all his interest his near kinsman Richard, Earl of Cornwall, younger son of John, and brother of Henry III., King of England, and by his influence and courage placed him on the imperial throne of Germany. Richard maintained his ground for two years, but perceiving the confused state * The Teutonic order, like the Knights Templar, had its origin in the Holy Land in 1190, and, like them, was instituted to protect the pilgrims, and fight against the enemies of the cross. The knights of this order slept upon straw, without any covering, and no more than a pillow was allowed them to lay their heads upon. They practiced great abstemiousness, and observed the strictest celibacy, not being permitted to salute even their own mother. The first knights were principally Getmans, from which the order was called Teutonic, from the word Teutonis, by which name the ancient Germans were distinguished. After the loss of the Holy Land, they retired to Venice, and thence they were called by the Poles to their assistance against the barbarities of the Prussians. Fifty years and upwards passed before the Prussians were entirely conquered, and during that period sixteen expeditions were undertaken by different christian nations, who came to the assistance of the Teutonic knights, and for the most part settled in Prussia: and from this motley crew and mixture of nations, are descended the present Prussians, who now make so conspicuous a figure on the political stage of Europe. of Europe, he returned to his native coun- | burgh for his share, and died without issue; try. Albert fought the memorable battle against Bela, king of Hungary, who disputed the succession of the duchy of Austria with the king of Bohemia. The enemy had an army of 200,000 men; Albert had scarcely half that number, yet he engaged them, and the two armies fought for nine days successively, without intermission. Bela was at last taken prisoner, and Albert pursued the fugitives, and drove nearly 13,000 into the river Moraw. Albert was only sixteen years of age when he performed this celebrated action. Albert died in 1729, and left behind him the character of a valiant, eloquent, and prudent prince. He left issue six sons. The three younger entered the Teutonic order, and the three elder divided his estates, and founded three lines. Henry, who was surnamed the Wonderful, at Grubenhagen, which line subsisted 317 years, and became extinct in 1596. Albert, surnamed the Gross, or Fat, at Göttingen: and William, who died without issue, at Brunswick; after whose death, the two elder brothers disputed the succession with each other; but the inhabitants unanimously declaring themselves for Albert, he took possession of that city, and from him all the princes of the house of Brunswick are descended. Albert died in 1318, and left seven sons by his wife Ricca, daughter of Henry prince of Gustrow, in Mecklenburgh. Otho, his eldest son, surnamed the Liberal, succeeded his father at Brunswick, and dying without male issue, in 1344, he was succeeded in that duchy by his brother Magnus, surnamed the Pious. Magnus was in great esteem with the emperor Lewis, whose cause he heartily espoused against the pope. He lived to 1368, and left three sons; Lewis, who had Lunen Magnus II., and Albert, who succeeded to the archbishoprick of Bremen. He was, however, nearly losing his archiepiscopal see, by a very singular incident. Although a virtuous man, he had a number of enemies, amongst whom was one Zesterflete, who was dean of Bremen, and who wished to supplant Albert in his office. The dean fell upon the singular expedient of circulating a report that Albert was an hermaphrodite, and the tale was actually believed to be true. The archbishop gave orders for the apprehension of the dean, but he escaped. The report, however, still gained credit, and the archbishop was obliged, either to vacate his see, or to expose himself naked in the most public place of Bremen. He chose the latter, and actually appeared before the assembled population of Bremen, in a state of complete nudity. The calumny was thereby refuted, and the dean was deprived of his ecclesiastical dignities. Magnus II., surnamed Torquatus, from a gold or silver chain which he wore about his neck, succeeded his father at Brunswick. But his character was very dissolute. He, however, had the good fortune to lay the foundation for the recovery of the duchy of Saxe Lunenburg, which took its rise from the following curious circumstance. He was one day playing at draughts with Erich, at that time duke of Saxe Lunenburg, and the game was a drawn one, each having only one king on the board. Having moved their king backwards and forwards for some time, neither being willing to relinquish the victory, it was proposed by Magnus, by way of settling the important point, that a solemn compact should be entered into between them, that upon the extinction of either of their houses, the surviving family should succeed the other in its possessions. The posterity of Erich failed in 1689, when | second principal division in this family. Bern George William, duke of Zell, inherited that duchy. Magnus Torquatus soon after finished his days in a most unfortunate manner. Otho, count of Schoumburg, having married the widow of Lewis, brother to Magnus, a quarrel arose between them from the following cause. His equipage being attacked on the road, some domestics belonging to Magnus were charged with it, and this gave occasion to a disturbance. Both parties took up arms, and a battle ensued between them near the Leine: Magnus, who was by no means deficient in courage, engaged Otho personally, and unsaddled him, on which he alighted from his horse with a design of taking him prisoner. The count lay groveling on the ground, and whilst Magnus was examining whether he were dead or alive, one of the count's soldiers came up, and in the most cowardly manner pierced him through the body. This happened in 1377. He left four sons: Frederick, afterwards emperor of Germany; Bernhard, who continued the line; and Henry and Otho. 4 hard was a warlike prince, and he caused a piece of ordnance of an extraordinary size to be cast, which was called the Faule Mette; it weighed nine tons, discharged a ball above 16 cwt., and required 52lbs. of powder to load it. This remarkable piece is preserved in the arsenal of Brunswick. He died in 1434, leaving two sons Otho and Frederic, who both succeeded him in their turns. Otho was much beloved on account of his impartial love of justice, and dying without issue in 1445, he was succeeded by his brother Frederick, surnamed the Pious. Frederick the Pious had a natural propensity to great and good actions; he used to say, that it was beneath the dignity of a man to live to himself alone, and that none should neglect any opportunity of being serviceable to his fellow-creatures. He was taken prisoner in assisting the inhabitants of Munster against the hap-sisting encroachments of their archbishops, and his captivity lasted for a considerable time before he was ransomed. He then retired to a monastery, giving up the government of his states to his son Bernard II. This prince ruled for five years, and died without issue in 1464. He died in 1471, in the 32d year of his age, and was succeeded by his only son Henry, who being under age, his grandfather Henry the Pious was obliged to quit his convent, and resume the regency, in which he continued to his death, which happened in 1478. Henry, surnamed the younger, was no more than ten years of age when his grandfather Frederick died; his mother, who was Ann, daughter of John count of Nassau, kept the administration till he came of age. The beginning of his reign was auspicious, the middle and end were unfortunate; for, entering into an alliance with John bishop of Hildesheim, who was then en Frederick the elder son of Magnus Torquatus, succeeded his father in 1373, and on the deposition of the emperor Wincelaus for his scandalous behaviour, he was unanimously chosen emperor of Germany. He may with justice be called the Titus Vespasian of the German empire; but not long after his election he was assassinated by a gang of ruffians in Hesse, on his return to Brunswick, at the instigation of Henry count of Waldec, and the bishop of Mentz. Dying without issue in 1400, he was succeeded by his two brothers Bernhard and Henry, who reigned jointly for nine years, but afterwards they made a partition; Henry had Brunswick, where his posterity remained till 1634; Bernhard possessed Lunenburg for his share, and continued the line. This was the gaged in a war with duke Erich, and his nephew | a state of complete exhaustion, in the 48th year Henry of the line of Wolfenbuttel, he gave of his age, in 1546. He had four sons by Sophia, umbrage to the emperor Charles V., who was daughter of Henry duke of Mecklenburgh. the bishop's enemy. Henry was consequently put under the ban of the empire; but to prevent the effects of it, he surrendered his dominions to his sons, and retired to France in 1521, where he resided till 1527, when he returned to Germany. The ban was repealed in 1530, and he died two years after in 1532. By Margaret daughter of Ernest, elector of Saxony, he had three sons; Otho, who founded the line of Harburg, which became extinct in 1642; Ernestus, who founded that of Zell, and Francis of the line of Giffhorn, who died without male issue. Ernestus distinguished himself from all his predecessors, on being the first of his family who embraced the Protestant religion. When When his father Henry was put to the ban of the empire, Otho as his elder son should have succeeded to the chief government of the duchy of Lunenburg, but contenting himself with Harburg, he ceded his right to Ernestus, which was attended with circumstances of the most important nature; for, on his being present at the diet of Worms, to which the emperor Charles V. had summoned Luther in the year 1521, he embraced the Protestant religion, and adopted also the most effectual means of introducing it into his dominions. His brothers Otho and Francis followed his example by turning Protestants, not from worldly motives, but from the sincerest conviction of the truth and purity of the reformed religion. He was most indefatigable in his zeal for the Protestant cause, which evidently tended to undermine his health, and he was himself so convinced of it, that to express his industry, he chose the emblem of a burning candle, with the Latin motto "I serve Francis Otho, his elder son succeeded, who reigned but a short time, and died without issue. Frederick, his second son was killed at the battle of Sivershausen; Henry, who founded the present house of Brunswick Wolfenbuttel, and William the younger son, who founded the line of Lunenburg, from whom came the present royal family of Great Britain. Thus Providence seems to have distinguished the posterity of this good prince Ernest the Confessor, for the extraordinary zeal which he had displayed in the promotion of the Protestant religion, by elevating him to the highest pitch of human grandeur; to which may be added, that as five other branches of the family failed, that of Ernest was the only one that remained; and he was not only the first Protestant of his house, but likewise the patriarch and father of all the princes of the house of Brunswick now existing in Europe. William of Lunenburg died in 1592, leaving issue fifteen children, seven sons, and eight daughters, by Dorothy, daughter of Christian III., king of Denmark. On account of the prudence and moderation with which he governed his subjects, he obtained the epithets of the Pious, the Just, and the Pacific. History has now to record one of the most extraordinary acts to be found in its annals, and which was committed by the seven sons of William the Pious, viz., Ernest, Christian, Augustus, Frederick, Magnus, George, and John. Being resolved to keep up the splendour of their house, they came to an agreement that but one of them should marry; that the elder should have the sole regency of the Lunenburg dominions, and be succeeded by the next surviving 1 |