Maria of Jever, known in

Jeverland Jeverland refers to the northern part of the present-day district of Friesland in northern Germany with the town of Jever as the seat of its local government. The Jeverland was formed in the 15th century from the Barony of Jever, which itself desc ...

as ''Fräulein Maria'', (5 September 1500 – 20 February 1575) was the last ruler of the

Lordship of Jever Friesland is a district (''Landkreis'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the southeast and clockwise) the districts of Wesermarsch, Ammerland, Leer and Wittmund, and by the North Sea. The city of Wilhelmshaven is enclosed by—bu ...

from the Wiemken family. She ruled from 1517 to her death.

Early life

Maria was the third child of the

East Frisian chieftain The East Frisian chieftains (german: Häuptlinge, Low German: ''hovetlinge / hovedlinge'') assumed positions of power in East Frisia during the course of the 14th century, after the force of the old, egalitarian constitution from the time of Frisi ...

, Edo Wiemken the Younger, and his second wife, Heilwig. Her mother was sister of Count

John V John V may refer to: * Patriarch John V of Alexandria or John the Merciful (died by 620), Patriarch of Alexandria from 606 to 616 * John V of Constantinople, Patriarch from 669 to 675 * Pope John V (685–686), Pope from 685 to his death in 686 * J ...

of Oldenburg. Her mother died when she was one year old and her father about 10 years later. After her father's death, a council of five village elders took up the

regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

and guardianship of his children. Her brother Christopher was given a suitable education to become the next Lord of Jeverland. Maria and her two sisters were raised to marry economically and politically favorable prospects.

Succession Problems

However, Lord Christopher suddenly died at the age of 18. This drastically changed the situation. Since there was no male heir, Maria inherited the Jeverland.

Edzard I, Count of East Frisia Edzard I, also Edzard the Great (15 January 1462 in Greetsiel – 14 February 1528 in Emden) was count of East Frisia from 1491 until his death in 1528. Edzard succeeded his brother Enno in 1492. He fought with George, Duke of Saxony over ...

, demonstrated his military strength at the common border. With the approval of the regents, he concluded a marriage contract, which made him protector of Jeverland. Maria seemed destined to marry one of Edzard's sons. However, the future counts Enno and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

couldn't wait until the marriage and occupied Jever Castle in 1527, exposing her to severe humiliation. The East Frisian

Landdrost {{Use dmy dates, date=December 2020 ''Landdrost'' was the title of various officials with local jurisdiction in the Netherlands and a number of former territories in the Dutch Empire. The term is a Dutch compound, with ''land'' meaning "region" and ...

Boing of Oldersum, who was probably in love with Maria, drove the invaders out of Jeverland. However, he died during a siege of

Wittmund Wittmund is a town and capital of the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Geography Wittmund is a town of 21,000 inhabitants located in Germany's historic coastal district of East Frisia, between the towns of Aurich and Jever. The ...

and Maria never married.

Lady of Jeverland

In 1531, in order to defend her rule against local rivals and enemies, Maria made the unusual decision of requesting assistance from Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...

, to assert her independence and secure her role against her neighbors. As Count of Holland and Duke of Brabant, he took possession of Jeverland and then gave it back to her as a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

. Thus, while the Emperor protected her right to rule, she ended the

imperial immediacy Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular pri ...

Jeverland had enjoyed since 1417. Due to this, however, she was finally able to gain sole control over Jever. In the subsequent years, Maria managed to defend her father's inheritance and gradually got a grip on the business of government. Some sources state that this was due to her ''strong will and growing desire for independence''. Initially opposed to the Reformation, she introduced Lutheranism in Jever in 1532. Maria has been described as a good ruler who did much for her territory. She benefitted trade and made sure that the justice system and law and order was respected. She stimulated the administration of justice and gave Jever

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

in 1536. She expanded her castle and enlarged her territory by creating new

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

s and

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

, which allowed

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and

commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

to flourish. In 1556, Maria converted the choir of the city church, which had been damaged several times, into a grave chapel. Between 1561 and 1564, a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

grave monument for her father was erected in the chapel. This monument still exists.

Death

Maria died in 1575, after nearly fifty years in government. Her death was initially kept secret for fear that the Counts of East Frisia might grab power. Her room was sealed and food was placed outside her door. A servant is said to have secretly eaten the food so no suspicion would arise until Maria's rightful heir, Count John VII of

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

, had arrived.

References

* August Mahr: ''Die Hexe'', in the series ''Friesland Bücherei'', vol. I, Friesen Verlag Heine, Wilhelmshaven, 1921 * Wolfgang Petri: ''Maria von Jever: Herrschaft und Liebe - Tragik und Legende'', Lüers, Jever, 2000, * Antje Sander (ed.): ''Das Fräulein und die Renaissance: Maria von Jever 1500–1575. Herrschaft und Kultur in einer friesischen Residenz des 16. Jahrhunderts'', Isensee, Oldenburg, 2000,

External links

*
Maria of Jever in the Northwest Culture Portal
*https://web.archive.org/web/20131203024306/http://www.genealogie-forum.de/ostfrld/geschichte/maria.htm *http://friesland-jever.de/Maria-1.html {{Authority control East Frisian chieftains People from Jever 1500 births 1575 deaths 16th-century German people 16th-century women rulers