Enno I of East Frisia,

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of East Frisia (1 June 1460 –

Friedeburg Friedeburg is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 14 km southeast of Wittmund, and 20 km west of Wilhelmshaven. About 4 kilometers east of the main village of Friedeburg, ...

, 19 February 1491) was the eldest son of Ulrich I of East Frisia and Theda Ukena, of a chiefly East Frisian family.

Life

Enno I was not particularly interested in succeeding his father as count, so his mother Theda stayed in power. Enno took part in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

he was dubbed

Knight of the Holy Sepulchre The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under ...

. During his absence from the county, his sister Almut fell in love with the noble Engelmann von Horstell, drost of

. They made plans to marry, but they were prevented from marrying by Almut's mother Theda. Undeterred, Almut moved with her betrothed to

and took the family jewels with her. When Enno returned to East Frisia, he thought his sister had been kidnapped, and he pursued the drost to his castle. As it was winter, the moat around the castle was frozen over and Enno believed he could cross it. Unfortunately, his armour was too heavy. Enno sank through the ice and drowned. Enno I was only 30 years old when he died. His mother Theda had a memorial shield made in his honor, which is still on display in the Great Church, today the Johannes-a-Lasco Library in Emden, on a wall close to the crypt of the Lords of East Frisia.

External links

Biographical Dictionary of East Frisia

1460 births 1491 deaths Counts of East Frisia Medieval Knights of the Holy Sepulchre {{EastFrisia-stub