Edzard I, also Edzard the Great (15 January 1462 in

Greetsiel Greetsiel is a small seaport, 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 administrati ...

– 14 February 1528 in

Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...

) 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 (; ; ; ) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisia (peninsula), East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia and to the ...

from 1491 until his death in 1528. Edzard succeeded his brother Enno in 1492. He fought with

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 ...

over

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

and

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

. The city of

accepted him as its lord in 1506, but in 1514 renounced him again in favor of

Charles 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 had a principal role in the Frisian peasant rebellion and the Guelders Wars. Lif ...

. After he returned from a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

in 1492, he took over the rule of

together with his mother, Theda. After his mother died in 1494, he ruled with his less significant brother Uko. Edzard's energetic approach against his opponents, the East Frisian leaders Hero Oomkens of Esens, Stedesdorf and Wittmund and Edo Wiemken of

Jever Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland (district), 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 res ...

, whom he quickly managed to subdue, characterized his rule. He was also a supporter of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

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 Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

for his house, the house of

Cirksena The House of Cirksena was the ruling family of East Frisia (). 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 Emden was first ...

. His foreign policies led to a three-year war (1514–1517) against Duke

George of Saxony George (; 8 August 1832 – 15 October 1904) was king of Saxony and member of the House of Wettin. Early life George was born in the Saxon capital Dresden. He was the second son of King John of Saxony (1801–1873) and his wife, Princess Amal ...

. The war was mostly fought on East Frisian territory and destroyed large areas. For example, the city of

Aurich Aurich (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Auerk'', West Frisian: ''Auwerk'', ) 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 in popula ...

was burned to the ground. Duke George of Saxony was appointed

stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

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 in 1519. He was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed hi ...

. 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 The imperial ban () 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 the ''Reichskammerge ...

'') 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 Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * 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 Others * Charles V, Duke ...

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 Countess Elisabeth of Rietberg-Arnsberg (1470–1512), daughter of John I, Count of Rietberg and had eight children : * Ulrich of East Frisia (1499-1532) * Margaret of East Frisia (1500–1537), married with Philipp IV, Count of Waldeck Margaret became the mother of Margaretha von Waldeck. Margaretha von Waldeck was believed to be the inspiration of

Snow White "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...

. * Theda of East Frisia (1502-1563) * Enno II of East Frisia (1505–1540), his successor *

Johan I of East Frisia Johan I of East Frisia (1506–1572) was a member of the house of Cirksena and a non-reigning Count of East Frisia and later imperial governor of Limburg. His father, Edzard the Great, had introduced primogeniture in the county of East Frisia, so ...

(1506–1572) * Gehla Ahlrica of East Frisia (?-1559) * Anna of East Frisia (?-1530) * Armgard of East Frisia (?-1559)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edzard 01 of East Frisia 1462 births 1528 deaths Counts of East Frisia Medieval Knights of the Holy Sepulchre 15th-century counts in Europe

Marriage and children

See also

References