Rudolf Christian of Ostfriesland, Count of East Frisia, was

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: ...

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 ...

, (

Hage Hage (East Frisian: Haag) is a small East Frisian town in Lower Saxony, Germany. Located in the Aurich District close to the North Sea, approx. 5 km east of Norden, Hage has a population of 5,893 as of 31 December 2002. Hage is also the seat ...

, 2 June 1602 –

, 17 April 1628) and the second son of

Enno III, Count of East Frisia Enno III of Ostfriesland or Enno III of East Frisia (30 September 1563, Aurich – 19 August 1625) was a Count of Ostfriesland from 1599 to 1625 from the Cirksena family. He was the elder son of Count Edzard II of Ostfriesland and his wife P ...

and

Anna of Holstein-Gottorp Anna of Holstein-Gottorp (27 February 1575 – 24 April 1610) was a German noblewoman, daughter of Duke Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp and Landgravine Christine of Hesse (daughter of Landgrave Philip I of Hesse). On 28 January 1598, she married Count ...

. During his reign, foreign troops participating in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

began retreating into and quartering in East Frisia. Also during his reign,

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires. T ...

exploitation in East Frisia begins. He reached a settlement with the East Frisian Estates, who them paid him

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

, ultimately even the city of

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 ...

did so. Under his leadership, the

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, ...

was finally incorporated in the county of East Frisia. This is visible in the county's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

, which was introduced under his rule in 1625 and remained in use until the county was annexed by Prussia in 1744. At the age of just 26, he got embroiled in a fight with a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

of the army of general

Matthias Gallas Matthias Gallas, Graf von Campo und Herzog von Lucera (Count of Campo, Duke of Lucera) (Matteo Gallasso; 17 October 1588 in Trento – 25 April 1647 in Vienna) was an Austrian professional soldier during the Thirty Years' War. He distinguished hi ...

, which was quartered in

Berum Castle Berum Castle is located in the Berum district the East Frisian town of Hage in Germany. It is one of the most important sites in East Frisian history. History The castle is first mentioned in a document of 1310, as the seat of a member of th ...

. He was stabbed in the left eye, and died of his wound. Since Rudolf Christian was childless, he was succeeded as Count of East Frisia by his brother

Ulrich II Ulrich II may refer to: * Ulrich II. (St. Gallen) († 1076) Abbot of St. Gall * Ulrich II, Duke of Carinthia (c. 1176 – 1202) * Ulrich II, Count of Württemberg (c. 1254 – 1279) * Ulrich II von Graben (before 1300 – about 1361) * Ulrich II, ...

Ancestors

References and sources

* Tielke, Martin (ed.): ''Biographisches Lexikon für Ostfriesland'', Ostfriesisches Landschaftliche Verlag- u. Vertriebsgeschäft, Aurich, vol. 1 (1993), vol. 2 (1997), vol. 3 (2001) * Heinrich Reimers: ''Ostfriesland bis zum Aussterben seines Fürstenhauses'', Bremen, 1925 * Ernst Esselborn: ''Das Geschlecht Cirksena'', Berlin, 1945 East Frisia, Rudolf Christian of East Frisia, Rudolf Christian of Counts of East Frisia 17th-century German people {{EastFrisia-stub