Enno I of East Frisia, count of

East Frisia East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...

(1 June 1460 – Friedeburg, 19 February 1491) was the eldest son of

Ulrich I of East Frisia Ulrich I of East Frisia, first count of East Frisia (1408 in Norden – 25 or 26 September 1466, in Emden) was a son of the chieftain Enno Edzardisna of Norden and Greetsiel, and Gela of Manslagt. Biography His father Enno had inherited Norde ...

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 The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

, and in Jerusalem he was dubbed Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. During his absence from the county, his sister Almut fell in love with the noble Engelmann von Horstell,

drost Drost is a Dutch occupational surname. A ''drost'' or '' drossaard '' was a kind of bailiff in the Low countries (see landdrost and seneschal). Notable people with the surname include: *Epi Drost (1945–1995), Dutch footballer * Erik Drost (born 1 ...

of Friedeburg. They made plans to marry, but they were prevented from marrying by Almut's mother Theda. Undeterred, Almut moved with her betrothed to Friedeburg 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 Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of E ...

, 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