List of counts of East Frisia
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The counts and princes of East Frisia from the East Frisian noble House of 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.
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
=Broke / [[Marienhafe]]=
==[[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
=[[Dornum]] / [[Nesse (Dornum)|Nesse]]=
==[[Attena family|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
=[[Greetsiel]] / [[Norden (East Frisia)|Norden]]=
==[[Cirksena]] family==
- ?-1430: Liudward
- 1430-1450: Enno Edzardisna, son-in-law
- 1450-1466: Ulrich, son, in 1464 was raised to Count.
=[[Innhausen Castle|Innhausen]] / [[Östringen (Gau)|Östringen]]=
- Tjarksena family
=[[Langwarden]] / [[Innhausen Castle|Innhausen]] / [[Barony of Kniphausen|Knyphausen]]=
- Onneken, later named of Innhausen and Knyphausen family
=[[Lütetsburg Castle|Lütetsburg]] / [[Manningaburg|Pewsum]]=
=[[Neermoor]] / [[Leer (East Frisia)|Leer]]=
=={{ill|Ukena family|lt=Ukena|de|Ukena (Adelsgeschlecht)|vertical-align=sup}} family==
- Benno
- Uko
- 1427-1436: Focko Ukena and his son Uko Fockena (1427-1432)
=[[Osterhusen]]=
==[[Allena]] family==
- ?-1406: Folkmar Allena
=[[Rüstringen]] / [[Bant]] =
- Wiemken (Papinga)
=[[Beningaburg (Wirdum)|Wirdum]]=
- Beninga family
Counts of East Frisia
=[[House of Cirksena]]=
==Table of rulers==
{{Sticky header}}
| class="wikitable sticky-header"
! colspan=2 | Ruler!!Born!!Reign!!Ruling part/ | ||||
| style="background:#fff
| Ulrich I | 100px
|align=center|1408 |align=center|1464 – 26 September 1466 | County of East Frisia | A first wife no children Theda Ukena 1455 six children |align=center|26 September 1466 | First Count of East Frisia. Emperor Frederick III raised Ulrich to the status of Imperial Count in 1464. |
| style="background:#fff
|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Theda Ukena (1466-1480) |rowspan="2"| Had no descendants. The county went to his brother. | ||||
| style="background:#fff
| Enno I | 100px
|align=center|1 June 1460 |align=center|26 September 1466 – 19 February 1491 | County of East Frisia | Unmarried
|align=center|19 February 1491 | |
| style="background:#fff | 100px
|align=center|15 January 1462 |align=center|19 February 1491 – 14 February 1528 | County of East Frisia | Elisabeth of Rietberg 1498 three children |align=center|14 February 1528 | |
| style="background:#fff
| Enno II | 100px
|align=center|1505 |align=center|14 February 1528 – 24 September 1540 | County of East Frisia | Anna of Oldenburg 1530 six children |align=center|24 September 1540 | Eldest son of the previous. He had a brother:
|
| style="background:#fff
|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Anna of Oldenburg (1540-1561) |rowspan="3"| 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. | ||||
| style="background:#fff | 100px
|align=center|24 June 1532 |align=center|24 September 1540 – 1 March 1599 |rowspan="2"|County of East Frisia | Catherine of Sweden 1 October 1559 Stockholm ten children |align=center|1 March 1599 | ||
| style="background:#fff
| Johan IICounted II after his uncle Johan I, who didn't reign. | |align=center|29 September 1538 Aurich Second son of Enno II and Anna of Oldenburg |align=center|24 September 1540 – 29 September 1591 | Unmarried
|align=center|29 September 1591 | ||
| style="background:#eff | 100px
|align=center|6 June 1539 |align=center|1 March 1599 – 21 December 1610 | County of East Frisia (at Berum and Norden) | Edzard II 1 October 1559 Stockholm ten children |align=center|21 December 1610 | Inherited from her husband some towns in East Frisia, which she ruled autonomously. After her death, her domains were reabsorbed in the county. |
| style="background:#fff
|rowspan="2"| Enno III |rowspan="2"|100px |rowspan="2" align=center|30 September 1563 |align=center style="background:#edf|26 May 1586 – 28 January 1600 |style="background:#edf|County of Rietberg |rowspan="2"| Walburgis, Countess of Rietberg |rowspan="2" align=center|19 August 1625 |rowspan="2"| Probably inherited Rietberg from his first wife, or ruled it in name of his daughter. The Treaty of Berum (1600) formally divided the inheritance of Walburga between her daughters, and Sabina Catharina got the County of Rietberg. | ||||
| style="background:#fff
|align=center|1 March 1599 – 19 August 1625 | County of East Frisia | |||
| style="background:#edf | |align=center|11 August 1582 Esens Daughter of Enno III and Walburgis, Countess of Rietberg |align=center|28 January 1600 – 31 May 1618Nominally ruling since the death of her mother in 1586. | County of Rietberg
|rowspan=2| 3 March 1601 |align=center|31 May 1618 | Inherited Rietberg from her mother, and ruled it apparently in name only (she was a minor by the time of her mother's death) until 1600. The county was only awarded to her by the Treaty of Berum (1600). | |
| style="background:#edf
| John III | |align=center|1566 Aurich Second son of Edzard II and Catherine of Sweden |align=center|31 May 1618 – 23 January 1625 | County of Rietberg
|align=center|23 January 1625 | Brother of Enno III, ruled Rietberg after the death of his wife and niece. | |
| style="background:#edf | |align=center|1 April 1606 First son of John III and Sabina Catharina |align=center|23 January 1625 – 31 December 1640 | County of Rietberg | Albertine Marie of St. Martin 10 November 1626 no children |align=center|31 December 1640 | Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother. |
| style="background:#fff | 100px
|align=center|2 June 1602 |align=center|19 August 1625 – 17 April 1628 | County of East Frisia | Unmarried
|align=center|17 April 1628 | Half-brother of Sabina Catharina, inherited the main county of East Frisia. Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother. |
| style="background:#fff | 100px
|align=center|6 July 1605 |align=center|17 April 1628 – 1 November 1648 | County of East Frisia | Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt 5 March 1631 three children |align=center|1 November 1648 | |
| style="background:#edf
| John IV | |align=center|31 May 1618 Rietberg Second son of John III and Sabina Catharina |align=center|31 December 1640 – 7 August 1660 | County of Rietberg | Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid 3 March 1647 five children |align=center|7 August 1660 | |
| style="background:#fff
|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt (1648-1651) |rowspan="2"| In 1654, the county was raised to a principality. Had no male descendants, and the principality passed to his brother. | ||||
| style="background:#fff | 100px
|align=center|29 October 1632 |align=center|1 November 1648 – 4 April 1660 | County of East Frisia (until 1654) Principality of East Frisia (from 1654) | Justina Sophia of Barby-Mühlingen 7 November 1656 two children |align=center|4 April 1660 | |
| style="background:#fff | 100px
|align=center|6 February 1634 |align=center|4 April 1660 – 6 June 1665 | Principality of East Frisia | Christine Charlotte of Württemberg 14 May 1662 three children |align=center|6 June 1665 | Brother of Enno Louis. |
| style="background:#edf
|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid (1660-1666) |rowspan="2"| Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother. | ||||
| style="background:#edf | |align=center|16 September 1650 Rietberg First son of John IV and Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid |align=center|7 August 1660 – 7 October 1677 | County of Rietberg | Unmarried
|align=center|7 October 1677 | |
| style="background:#fff
|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Christine Charlotte of Württemberg (1665-1690) |rowspan="2"| | ||||
| style="background:#fff | 100px
|align=center|1 October 1665 |align=center|6 June 1665 – 30 June 1708 | Principality of East Frisia | Eberhadine Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen 7 November 1656 ten children Anna Juliana of Kleinau 1701 (morganatic) one child |align=center|30 June 1708 | |
| style="background:#edf | |align=center|13 November 1651 Rietberg Second son of John IV and Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid |align=center|7 October 1677 – 15 March 1680 | County of Rietberg | Unmarried
|align=center|15 March 1690 | 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. |
| style="background:#edf
|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Canon Francis Adolph William, Count of Rietberg (1680-1685) |rowspan="2"| | ||||
| style="background:#edf | |align=center|8 May 1653 Rietberg Third son of John IV and Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid |align=center|15 March 1680 – 10 June 1687 | County of Rietberg | Johannetta Elizabeth Franziska of Manderscheid-Blankenheim (26 September 1663-29 April 1704) 4 October 1685 Blankenheim one child |align=center|10 June 1687 | |
| style="background:#edf
|align="center"colspan="7"| Regency of Canon Francis Adolph William, Count of Rietberg (1687-1690) |rowspan="2"| Ascended as a minor. After her death the county was inherited by the Kaunitz family. | ||||
| style="background:#edf | 100px
|align=center|1 August 1686 |align=center|10 June 1687 – 1 January 1758 | County of Rietberg | Maximilian Ulrich von Kaunitz 6 August 1699 sixteen children |align=center|1 January 1758 | |
| style="background:#edf
|colspan=8 align=center|Rietberg inherited by the Kaunitz family | ||||
| style="background:#fff | 100px
|align=center|13 June 1690 |align=center|30 June 1708 – 12 June 1734 | Principality of East Frisia | Christine Louise of Nassau-Idstein 24 September 1709 Idstein five children Sophie Caroline of Brandenburg-Kulmbach 8 December 1723 Berum no children |align=center|12 June 1734 | |
| style="background:#fff | 100px
|align=center|18 June 1716 |align=center|12 June 1734 – 25 May 1744 | Principality of East Frisia | Sophie Wilhelmine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth 25 June 1734 one child |align=center|25 May 1744 | Last Prince of East Frisia of the House of Cirksena. He died without issue. After his death , the state was conquered by King Frederick II of Prussia. |
| style="background:#fff
| colspan="8" align="center"| East Frisia annexed to Prussia |
See also
{{Portal|Germany}}
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