List of counts of East Frisia
The counts and princes of East Frisia from the noble East Frisian family Cirksena descended from a line of East Frisian chieftains from Greetsiel. The county came into existence when Emperor Frederick III raised Ulrich I the son of a local chieftain to the status of Imperial Count in 1464.
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East Frisian coat of arms
The most important ruler from the House of Cirksena was Edzard the Great (1462–1528), under whose leadership the Imperial County of East Frisia reached its greatest extent. During his reign the Reformation spread throughout East Frisia.
In 1654 the Cirksena were elevated to princes by the emperor. Charles Edzard, the last ruler from the House of Cirksena, died without issue during the night of 25/26 May 1744 (reportedly from a glass of buttermilk, which is said to have drunk after a hunt). Immediately thereafter, the county passed to King Frederick II of Prussia.
Medieval chieftains in East Frisia
Tom Brok family
- 1347-1376: Keno I tom Brok
- 1376-1389: Ocko I tom Brok
- 1389-1399: Widzeld tom Brok
- 1399-1417: Keno II tom Brok (under regency of his mother Foelke Kampana)
- 1417-1427: Ocko II tom Brok (under regency of his grandmother, Foelke); deposed, died 1435
Attena family
- ?-1410: Hero Attena
- ?-1410: Lutet Attena (in Norderburg)
- ?: Eger Attena (in Westerburg)
- ?-1433: Sibet I Attena
- 1433-1473: Sibet II Attena
Emden
- Abdena family
Faldern
- Aildesna family
Cirksena family
- ?-1430: Liudward
- 1430-1450: Enno Edzardisna, son-in-law
- 1450-1466: Ulrich, son, in 1464 was raised to Count.
Innhausen / Östringen
- Tjarksena family
Langwarden / Innhausen / Knyphausen
- Onneken, later named of Innhausen and Knyphausen family
Lütetsburg / Pewsum
- Manninga
Ukena family
- Benno
- Uko
- 1427-1436: Focko Ukena and his son Uko Fockena (1427-1432)
Allena family
- ?-1406: Folkmar Allena
Rüstringen / Bant
- Wiemken (Papinga)
Wirdum
- Beninga family
Counts of East Frisia
Table of rulers
| Ruler | Born | Reign | Death | Ruling part | Consort | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulrich I |  | 1408 | 1464-1466 | 26 September 1466 | East Frisia | A first wife no children Theda Ukena 1455 six children | First Count of East Frisia. Emperor Frederick III raised Ulrich to the status of Imperial Count in 1464. |
| Regency of Theda Ukena (1466-1480) | Had no descendants. The county went to his brother. | ||||||
| Enno I | .png.webp) | 1 June 1460 | 1466-1491 | 19 February 1491 | East Frisia | Unmarried | |
| Edzard I the Great |  | 15 January 1462 | 1491-1528 | 14 February 1528 | East Frisia | Elisabeth of Rietberg (1470-1512) 1498 three children | Second son of Ulrich I and Theda Ukena. |
| Enno II |  | 1505 | 1528-1540 | 24 September 1540 | East Frisia | Anna of Oldenburg 1530 six children | Eldest son of the previous. He had a brother:
|
| Regency of Anna of Oldenburg (1540-1561) | Sons of Enno II, ruled together, until 1561 under regency of their mother. This coregency implies that the primogenture law issued by their grandfather, Edzard the Great, may have been revoked. | ||||||
| Edzard II |  | 24 June 1532 | 1540-1599 | 1 March 1599 | East Frisia | Catherine of Sweden 1 October 1559 Stockholm ten children | |
| Johan II | 29 September 1538 | 1540-1591 | 29 September 1591 | East Frisia | Unmarried | ||
| Catherine of Sweden |  | 6 June 1539 | 1599-1610 | 21 December 1610 | East Frisia (at Berum and Norden) | Edzard II 1 October 1559 Stockholm ten children | Inherited from her husband some towns in East Frisia, which she ruled autonomously. After her death, her domains were reabsorbed in the county. |
| Enno III |  | 30 September 1563 | 1586-1600 1599-1625 | 19 August 1625 | Rietberg East Frisia | Walburgis, Countess of Rietberg 28 January 1581 three children Anna of Holstein-Gottorp 28 January 1598 three children | Probably inherited Rietberg from his first wife. The Treaty of Berum (1600) formally divided the inheritance of Walburga between her daughters, and Sabina Catharina got the County of Rietberg. |
| Sabina Catharina | 11 August 1582 | 1600-1618 | 31 May 1618 | Rietberg | John III, Count of Rietberg 3 March 1601 eleven children | Daughter of Walburgis and Enno III, inherited Rietberg from her mother. Married her paternal uncle, so the county stayed in the family. | |
| John III | 1566 | 1618-1625 | 31 May 1618 | Rietberg | Sabina Catharina, Countess of Rietberg 3 March 1601 eleven children | Brother of Enno III, ruled Rietberg after the death of his wife and niece. | |
| Rudolph Christian |  | 2 June 1602 | 1625-1628 | 17 April 1628 | East Frisia | Unmarried | Son of Enno III, and half-brother of Sabina Catharina. Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother. |
| Ernest Christopher | 1 April 1606 | 1625-1640 | 31 December 1640 | Rietberg | Albertine Marie of St. Martin 10 November 1626 no children | Son of Sabina Catharina and John III. Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother. | |
| Ulrich II |  | 6 July 1605 | 1628-1648 | 1 November 1648 | East Frisia | Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt 5 March 1631 three children | Brother of Rudolph Christian. |
| John IV | 31 May 1618 | 1640-1660 | 7 August 1660 | Rietberg | Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid 1647 five children | Brother of Ernest Christopher. | |
| Regency of Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt (1648-1651) | In 1654, the county was raised to a principality. Had no male descendants, and the principality passed to his brother. | ||||||
| Enno Louis |  | 29 October 1632 | 1648-1660 | 4 April 1660 | East Frisia | Juliana Sophia of Barby-Mühlingen (14 April 1636 - 12 August 1677) 7 November 1656 two children | |
| Regency of Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid (1660-1666) | Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother. | ||||||
| Frederick William | 16 September 1650 | 1660-1677 | 7 October 1677 | Rietberg | Unmarried | ||
| George Christian |  | 6 February 1634 | 1660-1665 | 6 June 1665 | East Frisia | Christine Charlotte of Württemberg 14 May 1662 three children | Brother of Enno Louis. |
| Regency of Christine Charlotte of Württemberg (1665-1690) | |||||||
| Christian Everhard the Peaceable |  | 1 October 1665 | 1665-1708 | 30 June 1708 | East Frisia | Eberhadine Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen (16 August 1666-30 October 1700) 7 November 1656 ten children Anna Juliana of Kleinau (1674-1727) 1701 one child | |
| Francis Adolph William | 13 November 1651 | 1677-1680 | 15 March 1690 | Rietberg | Unmarried | Brother of Frederick William, abdicated to become a canon, but remained regent for his younger brother (despite he was already an adult), and would return for the regency if his niece. | |
| Regency of Canon Francis Adolph William, Count of Rietberg (1680-1685) | |||||||
| Ferdinand Maximilian | 8 May 1653 | 1680-1687 | 10 June 1687 | Rietberg | Johannetta Elizabeth Franziska of Manderscheid-Blankenheim (26 September 1663-29 April 1704) 4 October 1685 Blankenheim one child | ||
| Regencies of Canon Francis Adolph William, Count of Rietberg (1687-1690) and Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg and Hermann Werner von Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht (1690-1702, imperial appointment) | Daughter of Ferdinand Maximilian, after her death the county was inherited by the Kaunitz family. | ||||||
| Maria Ernestina Franziska |  | 1 August 1686 | 1687-1758 | 1 January 1758 | Rietberg | Maximilian Ulrich von Kaunitz 6 August 1699 sixteen children | |
| George Albert | .jpg.webp) | 13 June 1690 | 1708-1734 | 12 June 1734 | East Frisia | Christine Louise of Nassau-Idstein (31 March 1691 – 13 April 1723) 24 September 1709 Idstein five children Sophie Caroline of Brandenburg-Kulmbach 8 December 1723 Berum no children | |
| Charles Edzard |  | 18 June 1716 | 1734-1744 | 25 May 1744 | East Frisia | Sophie Wilhelmine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (8 July 1714 - 7 September 1749) 25 June 1734 one child | The son of Georg Albrecht and the last Fürst of East Frisia of the House of Cirksena. He died without issue.After the death of the last Prince of East Frisia, the state was conquered by King Frederick II of Prussia. |
| East Frisia annexed to Prussia | |||||||
See also
Literature
- Tielke, Dr. Martin (Hrsg.): Biographisches Lexikon für East Frisia, Bd. 1 ISBN 3-925365-75-3 (1993), Bd. 2 ISBN 3-932206-00-2 (1997), Bd. 3 ISBN 3-932206-22-3 (2001) Ostfries. Landschaftliche Verl.- u. Vertriebsges. Aurich
- Martin Jhering: Hofleben in East Frisia. Die Fürstenresidenz Aurich im Jahre 1728, Hannover 2005
- Heinrich Reimers: East Frisia bis zum Aussterben seines Fürstenhauses, Bremen 1925
- Ernst Esselborn: Das Geschlecht Cirksena, Berlin 1945
- F. Wachter: Das Erbe der Cirksena. Ein Stück ostfriesischer Geschichte und des Kampfes um die Vorherrschaft in Norddeutschland., Aurich 1921
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