About the Exhibition
The Mad Princes of Brunswick and Lüneburg is an online exhibit showcasing the portraits and stories of some of the members of the Brunswick-Lüneburg dynasty who, in their time, were considered "mad." It highlights changing understandings of madness and reason over time, and offers a sneak peak into one of the most fascinating aristocratic families in medieval and early modern Europe.
Here, you can read about Elizabeth of Brandenburg and her "hysteria," Anna Maria of Brunswick-Lüneburg's "choleric madness," William the Younger's fits , Friedrich Ulrich's alcoholism, and Friedrich III's imprisonment at the hands of his brother.
We welcome you to visit Wolfenbüttel Palace to visit the complete exhibition of the Dukes of Brunswick and Lüneburg. You can find more portraits and information about the family at Schloss Celle and in other public ducal residences in the region.
A Note on "Madness"
This exhibit draws inspiration from H. C. Erik Midelfort's book, Mad Princes of Renaissance Germany. However, the curators acknowledge the inappropriate use of the word "mad" in relation to modern Western notions of mental ill-health and disability. We have chosen to retain the use of the word "mad" in order to recognise the way people in early modern Europe understood behaviours that they perceived to be strange or unusual. No assertions are made regarding exhibition subjects' mental health, medical diagnoses, or (dis)ability. Indeed, it would be anachronistic to apply modern labels and ideas to early modern subjects for whom these ideas did not exist.