The Saxon feud (Dutch: ''Saksische Vete''; Frisian: ''Saksyske Skeel''; German: ''Säschische Fehde'') was a military conflict in the years 1514–1517 between the
East Frisian Count
Edzard I, '
West Frisian' rebels, the
city of Groningen, and
Charles II, Duke of Guelders
Charles II (9 November 1467 – 30 June 1538) was a member of the House of Egmond who ruled as Duke of Guelders and Count of Zutphen from 1492 until his death. He was the son of Adolf of Egmond and Catharine of Bourbon. He had a principal role ...
on the one hand and the
Imperial Frisian hereditary governor
George, Duke of Saxony
George the Bearded (Meissen, 27 August 1471 – Dresden, 17 April 1539) was Duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539 known for his opposition to the Reformation. While the Ernestine line embraced Lutheranism, the Albertines (headed by George) were r ...
– replaced by
Charles V of Habsburg
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fr ...
in 1515 – and 24 German princes. The war took place predominantly on East Frisian soil and destroyed large parts of the region.
The origins of the feud can be traced back to 1498, when George's father
Albert III was appointed hereditary governor of 'the Frisian lands' by Charles V's grandfather
Emperor Maximilian I
Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. He was never crowned by the pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed himself Ele ...
.
''Het geheime dagboek van de Groninger stadssecretaris Johan Julsing 1589-1594''
(2006) 43. Uitgeverij Van Gorcum. Though appointed governor of 'the Frisian lands', Albert and his sons and successors Henry and George first had to conquer these lands while facing resistance from the population, first the 'West Frisians' (living in modern
Friesland
Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
) who were loosely organised into rebel groups. The conflict broadened when George crossed the river
Lauwers
The Lauwers () is a river in the Netherlands. It forms part of the border between the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. From the 730s to Widukind's defeat in 785, it was part of the border of the Frankish Empire.
The former Lauwerszee and ...
in 1514, entering the
Ommelanden
The Ommelanden (; ) are the parts of Groningen province that surround Groningen city. Usually mentioned as synonym for the province in the expression ("city and surrounding lands").
The area was Frisian-speaking, but under the influence of th ...
and laying siege to the city of Groningen, which called in the help of Edzard of East Frisia and Charles of Guelders. George's overlord Maximilian was already busy
fighting Guelders elsewhere, so instead of taking on East Frisia himself, he imposed the
Imperial ban
The imperial ban (german: Reichsacht) was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or t ...
on Edzard, after which 24 German princes invaded East Frisia, most notably
John V, Count of Oldenburg
John V, Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst (also counted as John XIV, including also non-ruling namesake siblings; 1460, Oldenburg – 10 February 1526, Oldenburg) was a member of the House of Oldenburg. He was the ruling Count of Oldenburg f ...
. In 1515, George gave up fighting and sold his rights to the Frisian lands to Charles V, who in 1517 reached a compromise peace with Edzard, who managed to stand his ground remarkably well against the two dozen invaders.
Background
![Georg der Bärtige 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Georg_der_B%C3%A4rtige_2.jpg)
In 1488 Duke
Albert III "the Bold" of Saxony, the Margrave of Meissen, campaigned against the rebellious
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
, aiming to liberate Emperor
Maximilian I, who was held prisoner by the citizens of
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population.
The area of the whole city a ...
. As a reward, Maximilian I appointed Albert III governor of 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 ...
and, as compensation for the cost incurred, Albert was appointed in 1498 as hereditary governor of
Frisia, with an understanding that he'd have to subdue Frisia by force of arms before he could take up this post. After subduing the Frisians, Albert III rushed to
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
to attend the
Diet
Diet may refer to:
Food
* Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group
* Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake
** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...
, the Frisians revolted and laid siege to
Franeker
Franeker (; fry, Frjentsjer) is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Waadhoeke. It is located north of the Van Harinxmakanaal and about 20 km west of Leeuwarden. As of 1 January 2014, it had 12 ...
, where Albert's second son,
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
had taken up the post of governor. Albert rushed back to Frisia and freed Henry. He then conquered
Groningen before dying in
Emden on 12 September 1500. Henry inherited the post of governor of Frisia. However, the Frisians kept resisting his rule and he resigned on 30 May 1505 in favour of his brother
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
, in exchange for two
districts in the
Ore Mountains.
Outbreak of the feud
Duke George of Saxony demanded in 1504 that all cities and districts in Frisia pay
homage to him as "eternal governor". The City of Groningen refused. Count
Edzard I attempted to use the situation to extend his domain into the province of Groningen and in 1505, he proclaimed himself "protector" of the city. Twenty-four dukes and counts took up arms against Edzard and invaded East Frisia and devastated large parts of his territory. Edzard received an
imperial ban
The imperial ban (german: Reichsacht) was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or t ...
from the Emperor and was
excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
by the Pope.
Course of the feud
1514
Count
John V of Oldenburg saw this as an opportunity to provide the
county of Oldenburg
The County of Oldenburg was a county of the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1448 Christian I of Denmark (of the House of Oldenburg), Count of Oldenburg became King of Denmark, and later King of Norway and King of Sweden. One of his grandsons, Adolf, Duk ...
with access to the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
. In 1514, he attacked the Frisians in the
Butjadingen
Butjadingen is a peninsula and municipality in the Wesermarsch district, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Geography
Butjadingen is situated on the German North Sea coast. It is bordered on the west and southwest by the Jade River and the east by the ...
area, and finally defeated them in the Battle of Langwarden. Simultaneously, Duke
Henry I Henry I may refer to:
876–1366
* Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936)
* Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955)
* Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018)
* Henry I of France (1008–1060)
* Henry I the Long, Margrave of the ...
of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel invaded East Frisia with an army of 20,000 men. He besieged
Fortress Leerort, which was only defended by a few peasants and soldiers. However, Henry I was killed on 23 June 1514 by a targeted gunshot. His troops were then without a leader and they withdrew from East Frisia.
John V, in cooperation with
Hero Oomkens von Esens
Hero Oomkens von Esens (c. 1455 – 1522) was a Frisian nobleman, the Earl of Harlingerland. 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 ...
, captured the castle at
Großsander. Hero moved on and destroyed all three castles in
Dornum
Dornum is a village and a municipality in the East Frisian district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the North Sea coast, approx. 15 km east of Norden, and 20 km north of Aurich.
Division of the municipality
The ...
;
Stickhausen Castle was thus lost. Edzard retreated, setting
Meerhusen Abbey on fire to cover his retreat. The city of
Aurich
Aurich (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Auerk'', West Frisian: ''Auwerk'', stq, Aurk) is a town in the East Frisian region of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich and is the second largest City in East Frisia, both i ...
was besieged and destroyed by the fighting and pillaging troops.
On another front, the
Commandery
In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...
at Dünebroek was plundered by soldiers of the ''Black Guard''. They went on to destroy Burmönken,
Marienhafe,
Leerhafe, and
Rispel;
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, ...
surrendered. The castle at Altgödens was destroyed;
Kniphausen Castle was captured. The Black Guard then attacked
Oldersum. Their first attempt to capture the town, which was defended by Hicko of Oldersum and Baron
Ulrich von Dornum failed on 14 June 1514. A second attempt to capture the town failed on 16 August 1514.
1515-1516
In 1515, the tide turned in favor of Edzard I. He recaptured the castle at
Großsander, while his liegeman Fulf of Kniphausen managed to capture Fortress Gutzwarden in Butjadingen. Duke George of Saxony sold his governorship for to Duke Charles of Burgundy, who later became Emperor as
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)
* Infa ...
. Nevertheless, the conflict continued until 1517. The
sconce at
Detern
Detern is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Leer (district), district of Leer, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
The Battle of Detern was fought here in 1426.
References
Towns and villages in East Frisia
Leer (district)
{{Leer ...
was lost in 1516.
1517
At the beginning of 1517, Edzard I managed to recapture
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, ...
castle. Charles V began his reign in the Netherlands. Charles V lifted the Imperial ban against Edzard and invested him with East Frisia, thereby ending the Saxon feud.
Aftermath
Edzard was forced to vacate Groningen and to give up his expansionist plans. Domestically, he was busy trying to pacify the East Frisian chieftains. On 3 December 1517, Edzard concluded the ''Peace of Zetel'' with Duke
Henry II of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Count
John V of Oldenburg, in which he ceded the "Frisian Forest" (german: Friesische Wehde, the area around
Zetel
Zetel is a municipality in the district of Friesland, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km southwest of Wilhelmshaven, and 12 km west of Varel. Zetel is twinned with the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scot ...
, Driefel and Schweinebrück) to
Oldenburg.
It was also agreed that East Frisia would inherit
Jever
Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer, Jever Pilsener, which is produced there. The city is also a popular holiday resort. Jever was granted c ...
. That is, Edzard's son,
Enno II would marry
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
, the daughter of the Edo, who was the last Lord of Jever. Edo had no male heir and it was agreed that Maria's husband would inherit Jever after Edo's death. Enno II, however, broke his promise and East Frisia lost Jever forever. Maria never married and ruled Jever until her death. In her will, she bequeathed Jever to Count
John VII of Oldenburg.
The city of
Aurich
Aurich (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Auerk'', West Frisian: ''Auwerk'', stq, Aurk) is a town in the East Frisian region of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich and is the second largest City in East Frisia, both i ...
was completely destroyed during the turmoil of the Saxon feud. After 1517, the city was rebuilt according to a plan, which was based on the fact that Aurich was an important livestock market. The livestock market was moved from the castle square to a newly created market square, which was unusually large for a city of that size and is still the central square in the today's city center.
The conflict between Edzard and Hero Oomkens continued until Hero died in 1522. The emperor had invested Edzard with 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, ...
and Edzard tried to subdue it. However, due to well-constructed fortifications at
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
Esens, he met with limited success.
References
* H. F. W. Perizonius: ''Geschichte Ostfrieslands. Nach den besten Quellen bearbeitet'', 4 vols, Risius, Weener, 1868–1869, reprinted: Schuster, Leer, 1974,
*
Franz Kurowski
Franz Kurowski (November 17, 1923 − May 28, 2011) was a German author of fiction and non-fiction who specialised in World War II topics. He is best known for producing apologist, revisionist and semi-fictional works on the history of the war, i ...
: ''Das Volk am Meer. Die dramatische Geschichte der Friesen'', Türmer-Verlag, Berg (Starnberger See), 1984, {{ISBN, 3-87829-082-9
External links
History of Holtgast
Battles involving the East Frisians
15th-century conflicts
History of Groningen (province)
History of Friesland
15th century in the Netherlands
15th century in the Holy Roman Empire
1510s in the Holy Roman Empire