sed to Otto the Mild (d. 1344), who ruled over both the "Principality of G�ttingen" (German: F�rstentum G�ttingen) and the territory of Brunswick. These dukes joined G�ttingen and surrounding towns in battles against aristocratic knights in the surroundings of G�ttingen, in the course of which the citizens of G�ttingen succeeded in destroying the fortress of Grone between 1323 to 1329 AD, as well as the fortress of Rosdorf. Since Otto the Mild died without leaving any children, his brothers Magnus and Ernest divided the land between themselves. Ernest I received G�ttingen, the poorest of all the Welf principalities, which was to remain separate from Brunswick for a long time to come. At this time, the territory consisted of the regions formerly owned by Northeim, the towns of G�ttingen, Uslar, Dransfeld, M�nden, Gieselwerder and half of Moringen. Not much is known about the rule of Duke Ernest I, but it is generally assumed that he continued to fight against aristocratic knights.
Ernest I was succeeded after his death in 1367 by his son Otto I of G�ttingen (the Evil; German: der Quade) (d. 1394), who initially lived in the city's fortress and attempted to make it a permanent Welf residency. The epithet the Evil came from Otto I's incessant feuds. Breaking with the policies of his predecessors, he frequently aligned himself with the aristocratic knights of the neighbourhood in battles against the cities, whose growing power disturbed him. Under Otto the Evil, G�ttingen gained a large degree of independence. After losing control of the provincial court at the Leineberg to G�ttingen in 1375, Otto finally tried to impose his influence on G�ttingen in 1387 AD, but with little success. In April 1387, G�ttingen's citizens stormed and destroyed the fortress within the city's walls. In retaliation, Otto destroyed villages and farms in the town's surroundings. However, G�ttingen's citizens gained a victory over the Duke's army in a battle between the villages of
