Hero Oomkens von Esens (c. 1455 – 1522) was a Frisian

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

, the Earl of

Harlingerland The Harlingerland is a strip of land on the North Sea coast of East Frisia. While today the whole of the district of Wittmund is usually described as Harlingerland, historically it specifically refers to the northern part of the present district, ...

. He inherited the title upon the death of his father, Sibet Attena von Esens, in 1473.

Other names

He is usually referred to as Hero Oomkens "the Younger" to distinguish him from his maternal grandfather, Hero Oomkens the Elder. As with most names of this period, Hero Oomkens von Esens is referred to by a plethora of variations in contemporary texts (e.g. Hero, Here, Heer, Her; Omken, Omcken, Oemkens, Omkens). Moreover, given that he had held various lordships, he is also referred to, in addition to von or zu Esens, as von Wittmund, von Harlingerland, von Stedesdorf, etc.

Family

The Oomkens family was established in East Frisia (now part of Niedersachsen in Germany) and in the Frisian Oldambt, in the Groninger Ommelanden (now part of

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

). The family prided itself on its direct descent from

Radbod, King of the Frisians Redbad or Radbod (died 719) was the king (or duke) of Frisia from c. 680 until his death. He is often considered the last independent ruler of Frisia before Frankish domination. He defeated Charles Martel at Cologne. Eventually, Charles prevaile ...

. Hero Oomkens von Esens' marriage to Irmgard, daughter of

Gerhard VI, Count of Oldenburg Gerhard VI, Count of Oldenburg (; 1430 – 22 February 1500) was a Count of Oldenburg and regent of Bad Zwischenahn in 1440–1482. Biography Gerhard was the third son of Dietrich of Oldenburg and his wife, Helvig of Schauenburg. His eldest broth ...

in 1489 helped to cement the alliance of the old Frisian aristocracy with the

Counts of Oldenburg 120px, Shield of the Counts of Oldenburg 120px, Shield of the Counts of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst This is a list of the counts, dukes, grand dukes, and prime ministers of Oldenburg. Counts of Oldenburg * 1088/1101–1108 Elimar I * 1108–1143 ...

in their struggle against the rise of the

Cirksena The House of Cirksena () was the name of the ruling family of Ostfriesland. They descended from a line of East Frisian chieftains from Greetsiel. East Frisia In 1439, in the wake of clashes between different lines of chieftains, the town of Em ...

family. Hero Oomkens von Esens had five sons, Balthasar, Melchior, Caspar, Johann and Sibo. They had two daughters. Onna (or Anna) married Otto von Rietberg, and Adelaide married her distant cousin Eppo Hayo Heres Oomkens van Ommeland of the Oldambt in the Groninger Ommeland. Balthasar Oomkens von Esens succeeded his father on the latter's death in 1522. Sibo and Caspar joined their cousin, the

King of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe ...

, and died on active service with the

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

, with Caspar dying during the storming of

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...

in 1521.

Heraldic crest

Hero Oomkens von Esens'

heraldic crest A crest is a component of a heraldic display, consisting of the device borne on top of the helm. Originating in the decorative sculptures worn by knights in tournaments and, to a lesser extent, battles, crests became solely pictorial after the ...

consisted of two crossed tournament lances (sometimes incorrectly referred to as whips or scourges), which were incorporated into the arms of the city of

Wittmund (district) Wittmund is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the northwestern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in East Frisia, on the North Sea coast. Neighboring districts are (from the east clockwise) Friesland, Leer and Aurich. Geography The distri ...

, and are also featured in the arms 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 ...

References

Ubbo Emmius Ubbo Emmius (5 December 15479 December 1625) was a German historian and geographer. Early life Ubbo Emmius was born on 5 December 1547 in Greetsiel, East Frisia. From the ages of 9 to 18 Emmius studied in a Latin school, before having to leave on ...

, Rerum Frisicarum Historia, Leiden 1616 * H. Perizonius, Geschichte Ostfrieslands, Weener 1868 * G.A. von Halem, Geschichte des Herzogtums Oldenburg, Bremen 1794 * Allgemeine/Neue Deutsche Biographie * Biographisches Lexikon für Ostfriesland * Anonymous, Chronika van den Groten Daden der Graven van Oldenborch, circa 1537, published by Isensee Verlag, Oldenburg, 1993. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oomkens von Esens, Hero 1450s births Year of birth uncertain 1522 deaths People from East Frisia East Frisians

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

Dutch nobility