Ulrich I of East Frisia, first
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: ...
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 ...
(1408 in
Norden
Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to:
Places England
* Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane
* Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle
* Norden, Greater Manchester, a vi ...
– 25 or 26 September 1466, 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 ...
) was a son of the
chieftain
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribe
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia.
Tribal societies are sometimes categori ...
Enno Edzardisna
Enno Edzardisna (also known as ''Enno Cirksena'', ''Enno Attena'' and rarely ''Enno Syardsna''; – ) was a chieftain of Norden, Lower Saxony, Norden, Greetsiel, Berum and Pilsum in East Frisia. He was the son of the chieftain Edzard II of A ...
of
Norden
Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to:
Places England
* Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane
* Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle
* Norden, Greater Manchester, a vi ...
and
Greetsiel
Greetsiel is a small port on the bight of Leybucht in western East Frisia, Germany that was first documented in letters from the year 1388. Since 1972, Greetsiel has been part of the municipality of Krummhörn, which has its administrative seat in ...
, and Gela of
Manslagt.
Biography
His father Enno had inherited Norden's Attena, and had become headling of
Norden
Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to:
Places England
* Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane
* Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle
* Norden, Greater Manchester, a vi ...
, leaving Ulrich a large inheritance. Ulrich also received the inheritance of the respected family
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 ...
through his mother Gela, daughter of Affo Beninga, headling of
Pilsum and
Manslagt, and Tiadeka Siartze of
Berum. Gela and her cousin Frauwa Cirksena ("Sydzena") were the only heirs of the Cirksenas of Berum. Ulrich's father Enno had used the opportunity to arrange a marriage between his son from his first marriage, Ulrich's stepbrother Edzard, and Frauwe. Ulrich and Edzard took their wives' family name and arms. When Edzard and Frauwa died childless in 1441 from the
plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
, Ulrich inherited the holdings of the Cirksenas of Berum as well. In 1430, together with his father and eldest stepbrother Edzard, Ulrich concluded the ''Freiheitsbund der Sieben Ostfrieslande'' (Freedom-alliance of the seven East Frisian lands).
This alliance was aimed against the ruling
Focko Ukena
Focko Ukena ( Neermoor, 1360 or 1370 – 1435) was an East Frisian chieftain (''hovetling'') who played an important part in the struggle between the Vetkopers and Schieringers in the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. Aside from this he ...
. Edzard, together with his brother Ulrich, managed to put an end to the rule of the Ukena-faction. Ulrich Cirksena also followed an advantageous marriage strategy. His first wife was Folka, only daughter and heir of headling Wibet van Esens. She transferred the lordship
Esens to Ulrich in 1440. After Ulrich Cirksena's marriage to Theda, granddaughter of his opponent, in 1455, the majority of the
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 ...
n lands were united for the first time. Only the lordships of
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 ...
and
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, n ...
remained independent. Sibet Attena, a nephew and ally of Ulrich, received the lordships Esens,
Stedesdorf
Stedesdorf is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, ...
and
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 ...
, which together formed 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, ...
. The Harlingerland did remain under the authority of the Cirksena family.
Because
Ocko I tom Brok
Ocko I tom Brok (de Broke) (about 1345–1389) followed his father Keno I tom Brok as chieftain of the Brokmerland and the Auricherland in East Frisia, a former territory on Germany's North Sea coast.
According to tradition, he lived in the 1370s ...
had loaned
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 ...
to the
Count of Holland
The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century.
House of Holland
The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia (Dijkstra suggests th ...
in 1381, the status of the ruler of East Frisia was unclear. Ulrich decided to improve his status by turning directly to the emperor. Emperor
Frederick III subsequently raised Ulrich to the status of Imperial
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: ...
in 1464. The emperor granted Ulrich the ''imperial county in Norden, Emden, Emisgonien in East Frisia'', though in return Ulrich was required to pay a large sum of money to the chancellery of the emperor, who suffered from near-constant financial troubles.
Family
Ulrich and his second wife, Theda, had the following children:
*Heba (1457; † 1476), married count Eric I of Schaumburg-Pinneberg,
*Gela (1458; † 1497),
*
Enno I (1460; † 1491),
*
Edzard I (1462; † 1528),
*Uko (1463; † 1507),
*Almut (1465; † 1522/23).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulrich 01, Count Of East Frisia
1408 births
1466 deaths
People from Norden, Lower Saxony
Counts of East Frisia