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List of counts of East Frisia

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East Frisian coat of arms

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

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Broke / Marienhafe

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Tom Brok family

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Attena family

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Faldern

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  • Aildesna family

Cirksena family

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  • ?-1430: Liudward
  • 1430-1450: Enno Edzardisna, son-in-law
  • 1450-1466: Ulrich, son, in 1464 was raised to Count.

Ukena [de] family

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Allena family

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Counts of East Frisia

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Table of rulers

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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 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:
  • Johan I of East Frisia: their father, Edzard I had introduced primogeniture in the county of East Frisia, so that Enno II inherited the county alone. Johan had to hold back. Despite his ambitions, he always acknowledged his brother's rights and did not dispute the inheritance. Despite this, Johan is counted as I.
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 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

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Literature

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  • 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