Edzard I, also Edzard the Great (15 January 1462 in Greetsiel – 14 February 1528 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 ...

) 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 ...

from 1491 until his death in 1528. Edzard succeeded his brother Enno in 1492. He fought with George, Duke of Saxony over

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 ...

and

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of t ...

. The city of

accepted him as its lord in 1506, but in 1514 renounced him again in favor of Charles of Guelders. After he returned from a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

in 1492, he took over the rule of

together with his mother Theda. After his mother died in 1494, he ruled together with his less significant brother Uko. Edzard's rule was characterized by his energetic approach against his opponents, the East Frisian leaders Hero Oomkens from Harlingerland and Edo Wiemken from Jever, whom he quickly managed to subdue. He was also a supporter of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

in his territories, through the creation of new East Frisian laws, the reform of the coinage and the introduction of

primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...

for his house, the house of Cirksena. His foreign policies led to a three-year war (1514–1517) against Duke George of Saxony. The war was mostly fought on East Frisian territory, and caused destruction in large areas. 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 ...

, for example, was burned to the ground. Duke George of Saxony was appointed

stadtholder In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...

of all Frisian territories in 1514 by

Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor 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 E ...

. This was not accepted by the city of

. Count Edzard saw this as a chance to expand his influence in the province of

, and proclaimed himself protector of the city. As a result, 24 German dukes and counts invaded the Frisian lands with their troops and devastated the region. Edzard was proclaimed an outlaw ('' Reichsacht'') by the emperor. During the three-year war, Edzard eventually managed to keep the majority of East Frisia under his control. Only when Charles V came to power in the Netherlands did Edzard manage to end the war by getting himself confirmed as ruler of

Marriage and children

He married in 1498 with Elisabeth of Rietberg-Arnsberg (1470–1512), daughter of

John I, Count of Rietberg Count John I of Rietberg ( – 1516) was Count of Rietberg from 1472 until his death. He was the eldest son of Count Conrad V and his wife Jacoba of Neuenahr. When his father died in 1472, he inherited the County of Rietberg. During a tradi ...

and had 3 children : * Margaret (1500–1537), married with

Philipp IV, Count of Waldeck Count Philip IV of Waldeck (1493 – 30 November 1574) was Count of Waldeck-Wildungen from 1513 to 1574. In 1526, he and his uncle Philip III of Waldeck-Eisenberg led the Lutheran Reformation in the county of Waldeck. Background Philip was the ...

Margaret became the mother of

Margaretha von Waldeck Margaretha von Waldeck (1533 – 15 March 1554) was the daughter of Philip IV, Count of Waldeck-Wildungen (1493–1574) and his first wife, Margaret Cirksena (1500–1537), daughter of Edzard I, Count of East Frisia. One author theorized in ...

. Margaretha von Waldeck was believed to be the inspiration of

Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection '' Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...

. * Enno (1505–1540), his successor *

Johan Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a man ...

(1506–1574)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edzard 01 of East Frisia 1461 births 1528 deaths Counts of East Frisia Medieval Knights of the Holy Sepulchre

Marriage and children

See also

References