The County of East Frisia (German: Grafschaft Ostfriesland; Dutch: Graafschap Oost-Friesland; East Frisian Low Saxon: Gróófskup Oostfräisland; Saterland Frisian: Groafskup Aastfräislound), also known as the County of Emden or the County of Norden, Emden and Emisgonien in East Frisia, was an imperial county of the Holy Roman Empire in the region of East Frisia in the northwest of the present-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany.
At the beginning of the fifteenth century the chieftain families tom Brok and Ukena fought each other for power in East Frisia. Both subsequently damaged the privileges and freedoms that the citizens of East Frisia had enjoyed for centuries under the system of Frisian freedom. Under the leadership of the Cirksena dynasty, in cooperation with the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, Focko Ukena was expelled in 1433. While the south of East Frisia was occupied by Hamburg, the Cirksena's consolidated the northern part of the area. The Hamburgers were finally expelled in 1453 and Ulrich I laid the legal foundation for the foundation of a new imperial county; Emperor Frederick III raised Ulrich to the status of imperial count in 1464.
This new county was far from consolidated. Surrounding areas such as Friedeburg, Harlingerland and Jeverland were not yet part of the county and a bitter rivalry arose with the counts of Oldenburg. Under the leadership of Edzard 'the Great', the most famous ruler of the Cirksena dynasty, Groningen and the Ommelanden were conquered. This resulted in the Saxon feud (1514–1517). This seriously endangered his rule in East Frisia and he could barely maintain himself as imperial count. He made renewed attempts to conquer the lordships of Esens, Stedesdorf, Wittmund and Jever.
Around 1520 the Reformation began in East Frisia. Inactivity of the counts Edzard I and his successor Enno II led to a chaotic religious situation in which all kinds of Protestant denominations could take root in East Frisia. In the east, Enno II made a renewed attempt to take over the lordship of Jever. However, he did not honor his marriage treaty with Maria of Jever, after which she managed to free herself from the East Frisian counts through stubborn resistance. In 1575, East Frisia therefore definitively lost the Jeverland to Oldenburg. In the north, Balthasar Oomkens, with the help of the Duchy of Guelders, offered strong resistance, which also kept this area out of the hands of the Cirksena dynasty. Financial problems of the East Frisian counts increased the power of the East Frisian estates. This institution would play an increasingly important role in the history of the county. The rest of the sixteenth century was mainly characterized by religious division and fratricidal strife between Edzard II and Johan II. This even led to a temporary split of the county and further weakening of the count's authority. At the end of the sixteenth century this resulted in the Emden Revolution in which the East Frisian counts definitively lost their authority over Emden and East Frisia increasingly came under the influence of the Dutch Republic.
In the midst of the struggle between the East Frisian counts and the city of Emden, an important event took place in the history of the county of East Frisia. The lordships of Esens, Stedesdorf and Wittmund were permanently bound to East Frisia by the Treaty of Berum of 1600. In exchange for 300,000 Thalers, the sisters Sabina Catharina and Agnes sold the Harlingerland to their father Enno III of East Frisia. However, the area remained outside the power of the East Frisian estates and was only connected to East Frisia in a personal union. In the meantime, the struggle between the East Frisian estates and the city of Emden on the one hand and the counts of East Frisia on the other hand flared up again in all its intensity. This resulted in the Accord of Osterhusen in 1611. As a result, the highest sovereignty in East Frisia now lay with the estates and not with the count. East Frisia also became de facto a vassal state of the Dutch Republic. Dutch garrisons were stationed in Emden and Leerort. Attempts to have East Frisia included in the Dutch confederation failed several times, however.
The Thirty Years' War also didn't leave East Frisia untouched. East Frisia was ravaged by military occupation several times. Sometimes by troops of the Protestant Union and another time by troops of the Catholic League. This led to plundering and destruction throughout the county. Military leaders such as Ernst von Mansfeld tried to gain a position in East Frisia themselves and the county was increasingly exploited by the Dutch Republic. Meanwhile, the counts of East Frisia excelled in administrative incompetence. They were unable to resolve the internal divisions and were only guided by personal profit. Enno Louis of East Frisia succeeded in having himself elevated to the status of Imperial prince in 1654. After the unfortunate rule of him and his brother George Christian of East Frisia, Christine Charlotte of Württemberg, the widow of George Christian, succeeded her husband as ruler of East Frisia. Her efforts to establish an absolute monarchy led to fierce conflicts with the East Frisian estates and the city of Emden. As a result, they decided in 1682 to secretly enter into an alliance with Frederick William of Brandenburg, the powerful ruler of Brandenburg–Prussia.
In 1690, the rule in East Frisia was transferred to Christian Everhard. The Pietist Prince reconciled himself with the East Frisian estates and was even warmly welcomed in Emden. He tried to curb the influence of the House of Hohenzollern by concluding an inheritance treaty with Duke Ernest Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, however, blocked this treaty and in 1694 recognized the claim of Frederick III of Brandenburg on East Frisia. Brandenburg took possession of the castle in Greetsiel and increased its influence on the city of Emden. From then on, Emden became Brandenburg's most important naval base and the starting point for establishing overseas colonies.
In 1708, George Albert took over the rule of his father. He too reconciled with the East Frisian estates, which meant that his rule initially remained peaceful. However, due to his illness, the East Frisian chancellor Enno Rudolph Brenneysen gained increasing power and he chose a confrontational attitude towards the East Frisian estates. This attitude, as well as the consequences of the Christmas Flood of 1717, caused increasing tensions in the county. This erupted in the Appeal War of 1726–1727. George Albert achieved a Pyrrhic victory and the mutual relations and divisions reached a low point. George Albert was succeeded by his son Charles Edzard. He grew up in a stifling climate in which he enjoyed no freedom and when he had to succeed his father in 1734 he was absolutely unprepared for this. All kinds of forces in the background began preparations to transfer the county of East Frisia into Prussian hands. On 14 March 1744 the Emden Convention was signed to regulate the transition and only two months later Charles Edzard died as the last male descendant of the Cirksena dynasty. This put an end to the rule of this family over East Frisia that had lasted almost 300 years.
History
Foundation of the county (until 1464)
Rise of the chieftains of Greetsiel
The establishment of East Frisia as an imperial county began with the chieftains of Greetsiel. Enno Edzardisna (c. 1380 – c. 1450) was chieftain of Norden, Greetsiel, Berum, Manslagt and Pilsum. His second wife was Gela Syardsna of Manslagt. After Gela's only son from her first marriage, Liudward Cirksena, had died, Gela and her cousin, Frauwa Cirksena, were the sole heirs to the rich Cirksena inheritance. Enno Edzardisna managed to secure this rich inheritance by marrying Gela and marrying off his son from his first marriage, Edzard, to Frauwa Cirksena. Enno and Edzard then took the name Cirksena, which laid the foundation for this later so powerful dynasty. The coat of arms of this family, the yellow harpy on a black background, was also adopted. Enno himself had come into possession of Pilsum and Manslagt through his marriage to Gela, while his son Edzard became ruler of Berum. At the beginning of the fifteenth century, a brother of Enno initially resided at the ancestral castle in Greetsiel; Haro Edzardisna. However, he died in 1409 without heirs, causing his property to pass to his younger brother Enno. In 1441, Enno's first son Edzard Cirksena too died without leaving any heirs, causing the entire inheritance to pass to Enno's son from his marriage with Gela: Ulrich.Ubbo Emmius: Friesische Geschichte, Frankfurt am Main, 1980-1982Eggerik Beninga: Historie van Oost-Frieslant, Emden, 1723
Struggle in the East Frisian lands
Enno Edzardisna, together with his sons Edzard and Ulrich, watched with dismay as power in East Frisia was seized by ambitious chieftain families who completely ignored the rights of the local chieftains and peasants. First it was the Tom Brok family who established their rule over East Frisia. Then it was the turn of Focko Ukena who had turned against his former comrade in arms and had himself developed aspirations to establish a dynasty in the lordless East Frisia; a system called Frisian freedom. Initially, Enno joined Focko in his fight against Ocko II tom Brok. To his great disappointment, however, Focko did not restore the traditional freedoms to the many chieftains; he strove for power himself. The Cirksena family responded by uniting the free peasants and chieftains of East Frisia in the so-called "Freedom League of the Seven East Frisian lands". They cornered Focko Ukena. However, to give this chieftain from the Moormerland the final blow, they needed help from outside: the free imperial city of Hamburg. The intervention of this powerful Hanseatic city was decisive in the struggle for power in East Frisia.Nirrnheim, H. (1890). Hamburg und Ostfriesland in der ersten Hälfte des 15. Jahrhunderts. Ein Beitrag zur hansisch-friesischen Geschichte. Hamburg
Intervention of Hamburg
The lawlessness and permanent state of war in East Frisia led to unrest in the surrounding areas. The trading interests of the Hanseatic cities were seriously damaged by the theft of merchandise. The city of Hamburg was therefore keen to restore peace to this coastal region on the North Sea. In 1433, Hamburg and the Cirksena family jointly captured the important city of Emden. In the battle of Bargebur, Focko Ukena was finally defeated, which finally put an end to the violence that East Frisia had been suffering from for decades. The price that had to be paid for this was the end of the system of Frisian freedom that had been cherished for centuries. While the Cirksena family secured its possessions and power in the north of East Frisia, troops from Hamburg occupied Emden and the entire south of East Frisia. This occupation of Hamburg and the lawlessness that had prevailed in the previous decades made the East Frisian population realise that without central authority there could be no peace, freedom and rule of law. This insight was of great benefit to the Cirksena family. They had set themselves up as protectors of the freedoms that the East Frisian peasants had enjoyed for centuries. The fear of falling under the influence of a foreign ruler from a distant country also ensured that loyalty to the Cirksena dynasty was strong among the local population.