
The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel (1269-1815) was a subdivision of Brunswick-Luneburg, with its history plagued by divisions and reunifications. Ruled by the Welfs, it was ruled by the Holy Roman Empire until 1806. Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel provided Hessians for service in the American Revolutionary War, and its leader Ferdinand of Brunswick would lead the army of the Holy Roman Empire during the first stages of the French Revolutionary Wars. Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel was overrun by the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars due to its alliances with Austria and Prussia, and it was recreated as Brunswick as a result of the 1815 Congress of Vienna.