Christian the Younger of Brunswick

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Herzog Christian von Braunschweig-Lüneburg
Portrait of Christian of Brunswick-Lüneburg by Jan Anthonisz van Ravesteyn, 1620.
Born	(1599-09-20)20 September 1599 Gröningen Priory
Died	June 16, 1626(1626-06-16) (aged 26) Wolfenbüttel
Education	University of Helmstedt
Occupation(s)	nobleman and soldier
Parent(s)	Henry Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Elizabeth

Christian the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (20 September 1599 – 16 June 1626), known as der tolle Halberstädter^[1] (the daredevil from Halberstadt), was a German Protestant military leader during the early years of the Thirty Years' War. Christian fought in support of Frederick V of the Palatinate during the "Palatinate Phase" (1620-1623) of the war; his opponents were the forces of the Imperial House of Habsburg (led by Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II), Habsburg Spain, and the Catholic League. Christian was a member of the House of Welf, titular Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Halberstadt

According to the historian Herfried Münkler, Christian´s military exploits were motivated less by any deep attachment to the Protestant cause than by a love of adventure, a romantic imagination in which he saw himself in the chivalric tradition and a disdain for every form of traditional authority. Likewise his frequent mockery of his Catholic opponents stemmed from a cynical distance from Catholic belief, rather than Protestant conviction.^[2]