Ulrich II of East Frisia, was count 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 ...

, (6 July 1605 – Aurich, 1 November 1648) was the fifth child and the third son of Enno III, Count of East Frisia and Anna of Holstein-Gottorp. He inherited the East Frisia after the unexpected death of his brother Rudolf Christian on 17 April 1628. He reigned during the Thirty Years' War. East Frisia did not participate in the war, but general Ernst von Mansfeld quartered his troops in East Frisia, causing great distress. The only exception was

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 ...

because of the recently completed city wall, the city of Emden was protected against foreign troops.

Life

Historian tend to have a negative view of Ulrich II. His brother Rudolf Christian died unexpectedly, from a stab in his left eye during an argument with a lieutenant in the army of general Matthias Gallas quartered at

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 accepted the position of Count of East Frisia only reluctantly. He was said to prefer to enjoy himself about town, deriving great pleasure from alcohol and well-prepared meals. In the face of the foreign troops quartered in East Frisia during the Thirty Years' War, he was rather passive and let his chancellors Wiarda and Bobart manage the country. He even went so far as to build a Lustschloss, the Julianenburg in Sandhorst, for his wife Landgravine Juliana, in the middle of the war, while the population of East Frisia was suffering bitterly. However, he also made some major decisions. He leased out parcels of

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

around Timmel in 1633; this is regarded as the starting point of the fen cultivation, which led to the creation of the

Großefehn Großefehn (East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Grō'fēn'') is a municipality consisting of 14 villages in the district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 10 km southeast of Aurich Aurich (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ' ...

. He also founded

Latin schools The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...

, the Ulrichs gymnasium 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 vil ...

in 1631 and the Gymnasium Ulricianum in Aurich in 1646. These still exist and bear his name today. He died on 1 November 1648. After his death his widow Juliana took over the regency because their children were still minors.

Ancestors

Ostfriesland, Ulrich II of Ostfriesland, Ulrich II of Counts of East Frisia {{EastFrisia-stub