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 (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) was a son of the

chieftain A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a 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 categorized a ...

Enno Edzardisna of

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 i ...

, and Gela of Manslagt.

Biography

His father Enno had inherited Norden's Attena, and had become headling of

, 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 East Frisia, 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, t ...

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 pe ...

, 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 h ...

. 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 Frisian 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, ...

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 to the Count of Holland 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