BRITNSWICK, DUCHY OF (Ger. Braunschweig), a state of northern Germany, consist ing of three larger and five smaller distinct parts, and lying mostly within lat. 51° 38 'to 52 28' n., and long, 9' 23' to 11° 30' cast. Its entire area amounts to about 1425 sq. miles. Pop. in 1875, 327,493. For administrative purposes, B. is divided into six circles—viz., Brunswick, Wolfenbrittel, Helmstedt, Gandersheim, Holzminden, and Blankenburg. Of the three larger parts, the principal one, forming the circle of Wolfenbuttel, and includ ing the capital, lies between Prussia and Hanover; the second, extending e. and w. from Prussia to the Weser, divides Hanover into two parts; and the third, forming the circle of Blankenburg, lies to the s.e. between Hanover, Anhalt, and Prussia. The smaller parts are the isolated bailiwicks of Calvorde in the e., Thedinghausen in the w. (not far from Bremen), and some very small demesnes in the Hanoverian boundaries. B. belongs mostly to the basin of the IN eser, which serves as a boundary on the west. The surface is mostly mountainous, particularly in the southern portions of the country, but B. has nevertheless level tracts of considerable extent. The rivers, with the exception of the Weser, are comparatively unimportant, though advantage is taken of•one or two for the transport of timber. The climate in the low lauds resembles the general climate of northern Germany; but in the Harz district it is so much colder, that harvest is gener ally a month later than in the plains.
The mines and quarries of B. produce marble, alabaster, limestone, gypsum, alum, iron, copper, lead, sulphur, and salt in large quantities, with some portions of gold and silver. Agriculture, which is carried on with intelligence and energy, constitutes the chief wealth of the duchy. The products include, beside the ordinary cereals, large qualities of leguminous plants, potatoes, tobacco, and hops. The pasture-land is exten sive, and great attention is paid to the rearing of cattle, and especially to the breeding of sheep, wool being au important article of commerce. A large number of persons are
employed in the cutting and preparation of timber. The chief manufactures of B. are of linen, stockings, woolen cloth, metals, porcelain, paper, sugar, glass, beer, etc.
The inhabitants are mostly Saxons, and, with the exceptions of about 3000 Reformed, 7000 Roman Catholics, and 1100 Jews, all adhere to the Lutheran church. The people in the rural districts speak a very broad low-German dialect; but good high-German is spoken by the educated classes. Education is well looked after by the government, which is a limited monarchy, the duke being head of the state, and his power restricted by the legislature, which is partly hereditary and partly elective. As a state of the German empire, B. has two votes in the Bundesrath (confederate council), and sends three deputies to the Reichstag or parliament.
Taxes are voted triennially in Brunswick. The revenue for the three ending 1878 was 7,700,133k marks (£385,006) a year. The public debt in 1876 amounted to 91,874,442 marks (£4,593,722), of which a large portion was borrowed for the construc tion of railways. The civil list of the duke is not comprised in the budget, being paid out of a special fund consisting of the revenues of the state domains, which amount to 729,166 marks, and other receipts amounting to about 70,000 marks.
B. was included, as a part of Saxony, under the empire of Charlemagne. In 1235, B., with Luneburg, was made a duchy under Otto, who died in 1252, and was succeeded, in 1267, by his son Albrecht, founder of the older line of Wolfenbilttel. John, another son of Otto, was the founder of the older Luneburg line, which became extinct with William of Luneburg in 1369. In 1569, Henry, who styled himself duke of Brunswick Lilneburg-Dannenberg, founded the new house of Brunswick-Wolfenblittel; and his brother William founded the new line of Brunswick-Luneburg, which, in 1815, became the kingdom of Hanover. See HANOVER.