Editing Principality of Calenberg (section)

=== Under Eric I, Elisabeth and Eric II ===
[[File:Erich Elisabeth.jpg|thumb|right|Eric I with his second wife, [[Elisabeth of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Calenberg-Göttingen|Elisabeth]] ca. 1530]]
The younger son, [[Eric I of Brunswick-Calenberg-Göttingen|Eric I]] received Calenberg and Göttingen and thus founded the Calenberg line of the [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg|House of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]. In the new territory so formed, the name Calenberg was increasingly used for both parts of the state. For the period under Eric I and his son, [[Eric II of Brunswick-Calenberg-Göttingen|Eric II]], however, the name "Principality of Calenberg-Göttingen" was also used a lot. The principality had separate parliamentary Estates and separate councils for each part. The chancellery for ''Unterwald'' was established in Neustadt on Rübenberge and that for ''Oberwald'' in Münden.  There were also separate residences,  lordly castles or manor houses and palaces in each town as well as separate repositories for their records.

Under Eric I, [[Calenberg Castle]] was expanded into a strong fortress. Another heavily fortified castle, which he had built, was the [[Erichsburg]] near [[Dassel]] on which construction began in 1527. In the [[Hildesheim Diocesan Feud]] in 1519 he was initially defeated militarily in the [[Battle of Soltau]]. Diplomatically, however, he was able to win a ruling from the Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] that saw a large part of the [[Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim]] added to his domain.

Eric I was hostile to the emerging [[Protestant Reformation]]. His second wife, [[Elisabeth of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Calenberg-Göttingen|Elisabeth of Brandenburg]], however, whom he married in 1525, switched over to the new doctrine in 1535 and promoted it at the court, which then resided at [[Hann. Münden|Münden]]. After Eric's death in 1540 she took over the government for their underage son, Eric II, and implemented the Reformation in the principality with the state superintendent [[Anton Corvinus|Antonius Corvinus]] she had appointed. Eric II, however, converted to Roman Catholicism in 1547 even though he was raised as an Evangelical by his mother. He was not able to reverse the Reformation in the principality however. His power in the principality was already very weak. He spent most of his time as a mercenary leader abroad, and was financially dependent on the towns. In 1553 he had to secure the financial aid of his towns by approving evangelical preaching. From 1574 he had [[Neustadt am Rübenberge]] developed as a fortified town and built [[Landestrost Castle]] within its walls as a Renaissance chateau, integrated into a bastion fortress based on the Italian model.

In 1582 when the [[County of Hoya|counts of Hoya]] died out, the larger part of the county went to Calenberg. In 1584 Calenberg also acquired the [[County of Diepholz|Diepholz]].