Ats Bonninga (''fl.'' 1494) was Frisian noble, known for her defence of a fortress in

Warns The Varini, Warni or Warini were one or more Germanic peoples who originally lived in what is now northeastern Germany, near the Baltic sea. They are first named in the Roman era, and appear to have survived into the Middle Ages. It is proposed ...

in Gaasterland during the conflict between the

Schieringer The Vetkopers and Schieringers ( fry, Fetkeapers en Skieringers) were two opposing Frisian factional parties from the medieval period. They were responsible for a civil war that lasted for over a century (1350–1498) and which eventually led to t ...

s and the

Vetkoper The Vetkopers and Schieringers ( fry, Fetkeapers en Skieringers) were two opposing Frisian factional parties from the medieval period. They were responsible for a civil war that lasted for over a century (1350–1498) and which eventually led to t ...

s party in 1494.Martha Kist, Bonninga, Ats, in: Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland. URL: http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/vrouwenlexicon/lemmata/data/AtsBonninga 3/01/2014/ref> Her story appears mostly in old Frisian histories. She was described as the daughter of Louw van Bonninga, and his wife Hylck van Harinxma. Ats' family supported the Schieringers, as did her husband, Jelmer Sytsma. When her spouse was captured by the Vetkopers in 1494, she defended the fortress until she could have her spouse released and receive a promise of free evacuation. Bonninga was the subject of many publications from 1522 and forward and played an important role in the national romanticism of Friesland in the 19th century.

References

* http://www.inghist.nl/Onderzoek/Projecten/DVN/lemmata/data/AtsBonninga Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Medieval Dutch nobility Medieval Dutch women People from Gaasterlân-Sleat Women in medieval European warfare Women in war in the Netherlands Women in 15th-century warfare 15th-century women from the Holy Roman Empire Medieval West Frisians Frisians {{Netherlands-bio-stub