Background
Augustus was born in 1564 as the fifth of fifteen children and the son of William the Younger and his wife Dorothea of Denmark.
Augustus was born in 1564 as the fifth of fifteen children and the son of William the Younger and his wife Dorothea of Denmark.
As a young man he was a colonel in the service of Rudolf II and fought in the campaigns against France and Turkey. In 1610 Augustus became the Lutheran administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg. In order to prevent hereditary aspirations the Ratzeburg cathedral chapter, the elective body, insisted that on ascending to power in the prince-bishopric (an elective monarchy), Augustus committed himself in his election capitulation not to marry.
Nevertheless he lived with Ilse Schmidtchen in a "marriage-like relationship." and had 12 children by her.
These were later elevated to the hereditary peerage under the name von Lüneburg. He died in Celle in 1636.