Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

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Silver coin of Charles I, dated 1764

Charles (German: Karl; 1 August 1713, Brunswick – 26 March 1780, Brunswick), Duke of Brunswick-Bevern, was prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1735 until his death.

Charles was the eldest son of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He fought under Prince Eugene of Savoy against the Ottoman Empire before inheriting the Principality of Wolfenbüttel from his father in 1735. On the suggestion of his priest, Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Jerusalem, in 1745 he founded the Collegium Carolinum, an institute of higher education which is today known as the Technical University of Brunswick. He also hired Gotthold Ephraim Lessing as the librarian for the Bibliotheca Augusta, the ducal library.

Charles attempted to promote the economic development of his state; for example, he founded the Fürstenberg Porcelain Company, and he installed mandatory fire insurance. However, he did not manage to keep the state finances in check. As a consequence, in 1773 his eldest son Charles William Ferdinand took over government.

[edit] Family

In 1733, Charles married Philippine Charlotte, daughter of King Frederick William I of Prussia. They had the following children that reached adulthood:

Charles William Ferdinand (1735-1806)
Sophie Caroline Mary (1737-1817), married Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Anna Amalia (1739-1807), married Ernest Augustus II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Frederick Augustus (1740-1805)
Albert Henry (1742-1761), died childless
William Adolf (1745-1770), died childless
Elizabeth Christine Ulrike (1746-1840), married King Frederick William II of Prussia (divorced)
Augusta Dorothea, Abbess of Gandersheim (1749-1803)
Maximilian Jules Leopold (1752-1785), died childless