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The counts and princes of East Frisia from the East Frisian noble House of Cirksena descended from a line of East Frisian chieftains from Greetsiel. The county came into existence when Emperor Frederick III raised Ulrich I the son of a local chieftain to the status of Imperial Count in 1464.
The most important ruler from the House of Cirksena was Edzard the Great (1462–1528), under whose leadership the Imperial County of East Frisia reached its greatest extent. During his reign the Reformation spread throughout East Frisia.
In 1654 the Cirksena were elevated to princes by the emperor. Charles Edzard, the last ruler from the House of Cirksena, died without issue during the night of 25/26 May 1744 (reportedly from a glass of buttermilk, which is said to have drunk after a hunt). Immediately thereafter, the county passed to King Frederick II of Prussia.
Medieval chieftains in East Frisia
Broke / Marienhafe
Tom Brok family
- 1347-1376: Keno I tom Brok
- 1376-1389: Ocko I tom Brok
- 1389-1399: Widzeld tom Brok
- 1399-1417: Keno II tom Brok (under regency of his mother Foelke Kampana)
- 1417-1427: Ocko II tom Brok (under regency of his grandmother, Foelke); deposed, died 1435
Dornum / Nesse
Attena family
- ?-1410: Hero Attena
- ?-1410: Lutet Attena (in Norderburg)
- ?: Eger Attena (in Westerburg)
- ?-1433: Sibet I Attena
- 1433-1473: Sibet II Attena
Emden
- Abdena family
Faldern
- Aildesna family
Greetsiel / Norden
Cirksena family
- ?-1430: Liudward
- 1430-1450: Enno Edzardisna, son-in-law
- 1450-1466: Ulrich, son, in 1464 was raised to Count.
Innhausen / Östringen
- Tjarksena family
Langwarden / Innhausen / Knyphausen
- Onneken, later named of Innhausen and Knyphausen family
Lütetsburg / Pewsum
Neermoor / Leer
Ukena family
- Benno
- Uko
- 1427-1436: Focko Ukena and his son Uko Fockena (1427-1432)
Osterhusen
Allena family
- ?-1406: Folkmar Allena
Rüstringen / Bant
- Wiemken (Papinga)
Wirdum
- Beninga family
Counts of East Frisia
House of Cirksena
Table of rulers
| Ruler | Born | Reign | Ruling part/ County |
Consort | Death | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulrich I | 
|
1408 Norden Son of Enno Edzardisna and Gela of Manslagt |
1464 – 26 September 1466 | County of East Frisia | A first wife no children Theda Ukena 1455 six children |
26 September 1466 Emden aged 57-58 |
First Count of East Frisia. Emperor Frederick III raised Ulrich to the status of Imperial Count in 1464. |
| Regency of Theda Ukena (1466-1480) | Had no descendants. The county went to his brother. | ||||||
| Enno I | .png)
|
1 June 1460 First son of Ulrich I and Theda Ukena |
26 September 1466 – 19 February 1491 | County of East Frisia | Unmarried | 19 February 1491 Friedeburg aged 30 | |
| Edzard I the Great | 
|
15 January 1462 Greetsiel Second son of Ulrich I and Theda Ukena |
19 February 1491 – 14 February 1528 | County of East Frisia | Elisabeth of Rietberg 1498 three children |
14 February 1528 Emden aged 62 |
|
| Enno II | 
|
1505 Son of Edzard I and Elisabeth of Rietberg |
14 February 1528 – 24 September 1540 | County of East Frisia | Anna of Oldenburg 1530 six children |
24 September 1540 Emden aged 34-35 |
Eldest son of the previous. He had a brother:
|
| Regency of Anna of Oldenburg (1540-1561) | Sons of Enno II, ruled together, until 1561 under regency of their mother. This coregency implies that the primogenture law issued by their grandfather, Edzard the Great, may have been revoked. | ||||||
| Edzard II | 
|
24 June 1532 Greetsiel First son of Enno II and Anna of Oldenburg |
24 September 1540 – 1 March 1599 | County of East Frisia | Catherine of Sweden 1 October 1559 Stockholm ten children |
1 March 1599 Aurich aged 66 | |
| Johan II | 29 September 1538 Aurich Second son of Enno II and Anna of Oldenburg |
24 September 1540 – 29 September 1591 | Unmarried | 29 September 1591 Stickhausen Castle aged 53 | |||
| Catherine of Sweden | 
|
6 June 1539 Stockholm Daughter of Gustav I of Sweden and Margaret Leijonhufvud |
1 March 1599 – 21 December 1610 | County of East Frisia (at Berum and Norden) |
Edzard II 1 October 1559 Stockholm ten children |
21 December 1610 Berum aged 71 |
Inherited from her husband some towns in East Frisia, which she ruled autonomously. After her death, her domains were reabsorbed in the county. |
| Enno III | 
|
30 September 1563 Aurich First son of Edzard II and Catherine of Sweden |
26 May 1586 – 28 January 1600 | County of Rietberg | Walburgis, Countess of Rietberg 28 January 1581 three children Anna of Holstein-Gottorp 28 January 1598 three children |
19 August 1625 Leerort aged 61 |
Probably inherited Rietberg from his first wife, or ruled it in name of his daughter. The Treaty of Berum (1600) formally divided the inheritance of Walburga between her daughters, and Sabina Catharina got the County of Rietberg. |
| 1 March 1599 – 19 August 1625 | County of East Frisia | ||||||
| Sabina Catharina | 11 August 1582 Esens Daughter of Enno III and Walburgis, Countess of Rietberg |
28 January 1600 – 31 May 1618 | County of Rietberg | 3 March 1601 eleven children |
31 May 1618 aged 35 |
Inherited Rietberg from her mother, and ruled it apparently in name only (she was a minor by the time of her mother's death) until 1600. The county was only awarded to her by the Treaty of Berum (1600). | |
| John III | 1566 Aurich Second son of Edzard II and Catherine of Sweden |
31 May 1618 – 23 January 1625 | County of Rietberg | 23 January 1625 Rietberg aged 58-59 |
Brother of Enno III, ruled Rietberg after the death of his wife and niece. | ||
| Ernest Christopher | 1 April 1606 First son of John III and Sabina Catharina |
23 January 1625 – 31 December 1640 | County of Rietberg | Albertine Marie of St. Martin 10 November 1626 no children |
31 December 1640 Cologne aged 34 |
Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother. | |
| Rudolph Christian | 
|
2 June 1602 Hage First son of Enno III and Anna of Holstein-Gottorp |
19 August 1625 – 17 April 1628 | County of East Frisia | Unmarried | 17 April 1628 Hage aged 25 |
Half-brother of Sabina Catharina, inherited the main county of East Frisia. Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother. |
| Ulrich II | 
|
6 July 1605 Aurich Second son of Enno III and Anna of Holstein-Gottorp |
17 April 1628 – 1 November 1648 | County of East Frisia | Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt 5 March 1631 three children |
1 November 1648 Aurich aged 43 |
|
| John IV | 31 May 1618 Rietberg Second son of John III and Sabina Catharina |
31 December 1640 – 7 August 1660 | County of Rietberg | Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid 3 March 1647 five children |
7 August 1660 Rietberg aged 42 |
||
| Regency of Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt (1648-1651) | In 1654, the county was raised to a principality. Had no male descendants, and the principality passed to his brother. | ||||||
| Enno Louis | 
|
29 October 1632 Aurich First son of Ulrich II and Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt |
1 November 1648 – 4 April 1660 | County of East Frisia (until 1654) Principality of East Frisia (from 1654) |
Justina Sophia of Barby-Mühlingen 7 November 1656 two children |
4 April 1660 Aurich aged 27 | |
| George Christian | 
|
6 February 1634 Aurich Second son of Ulrich II and Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt |
4 April 1660 – 6 June 1665 | Principality of East Frisia | Christine Charlotte of Württemberg 14 May 1662 three children |
6 June 1665 Aurich aged 31 |
Brother of Enno Louis. |
| Regency of Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid (1660-1666) | Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother. | ||||||
| Frederick William | 16 September 1650 Rietberg First son of John IV and Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid |
7 August 1660 – 7 October 1677 | County of Rietberg | Unmarried | 7 October 1677 near Strasbourg aged 27 | ||
| Regency of Christine Charlotte of Württemberg (1665-1690) | |||||||
| Christian Everhard the Peaceable | 
|
1 October 1665 Esens Son of George Christian and Christine Charlotte of Württemberg |
6 June 1665 – 30 June 1708 | Principality of East Frisia | Eberhadine Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen 7 November 1656 ten children Anna Juliana of Kleinau 1701 (morganatic) one child |
30 June 1708 Aurich aged 42 | |
| Francis Adolph William | 13 November 1651 Rietberg Second son of John IV and Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid |
7 October 1677 – 15 March 1680 | County of Rietberg | Unmarried | 15 March 1690 Strasbourg aged 38 |
Brother of Frederick William, abdicated to become a canon, but remained regent for his younger brother (despite he was already an adult), and would return for the regency if his niece. | |
| Regency of Canon Francis Adolph William, Count of Rietberg (1680-1685) | |||||||
| Ferdinand Maximilian | 8 May 1653 Rietberg Third son of John IV and Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid |
15 March 1680 – 10 June 1687 | County of Rietberg | Johannetta Elizabeth Franziska of Manderscheid-Blankenheim (26 September 1663-29 April 1704) 4 October 1685 Blankenheim one child |
10 June 1687 aged 34 | ||
| Regency of Canon Francis Adolph William, Count of Rietberg (1687-1690) Regency of Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg and Hermann Werner von Wolff-Metternich (1690-1702, imperial appointment) |
Ascended as a minor. After her death the county was inherited by the Kaunitz family. | ||||||
| Maria Ernestine Francisca | 
|
1 August 1686 Rietberg Daughter of Ferdinand Maximilian and Johannetta Elizabeth Franziska of Manderscheid-Blankenheim |
10 June 1687 – 1 January 1758 | County of Rietberg | Maximilian Ulrich von Kaunitz 6 August 1699 sixteen children |
1 January 1758 Vienna aged 71 | |
| Rietberg inherited by the Kaunitz family | |||||||
| George Albert | .jpg)
|
13 June 1690 Aurich Son of Christian Everhard and Eberhadine Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen |
30 June 1708 – 12 June 1734 | Principality of East Frisia | Christine Louise of Nassau-Idstein 24 September 1709 Idstein five children Sophie Caroline of Brandenburg-Kulmbach 8 December 1723 Berum no children |
12 June 1734 Sandhorst Castle aged 43 |
|
| Charles Edzard | 
|
18 June 1716 Aurich Son of George Albert and Christine Louise of Nassau-Idstein |
12 June 1734 – 25 May 1744 | Principality of East Frisia | Sophie Wilhelmine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth 25 June 1734 one child |
25 May 1744 Aurich aged 27 |
Last Prince of East Frisia of the House of Cirksena. He died without issue. After his death , the state was conquered by King Frederick II of Prussia. |
| East Frisia annexed to Prussia | |||||||
See also
Literature
- Tielke, Dr. Martin (Hrsg.): Biographisches Lexikon für East Frisia, Bd. 1 ISBN 3-925365-75-3 (1993), Bd. 2 ISBN 3-932206-00-2 (1997), Bd. 3 ISBN 3-932206-22-3 (2001) Ostfries. Landschaftliche Verl.- u. Vertriebsges. Aurich
- Martin Jhering: Hofleben in East Frisia. Die Fürstenresidenz Aurich im Jahre 1728, Hannover 2005
- Heinrich Reimers: East Frisia bis zum Aussterben seines Fürstenhauses, Bremen 1925
- Ernst Esselborn: Das Geschlecht Cirksena, Berlin 1945
- F. Wachter: Das Erbe der Cirksena. Ein Stück ostfriesischer Geschichte und des Kampfes um die Vorherrschaft in Norddeutschland., Aurich 1921
- Counted II after his uncle Johan I, who didn't reign.
- Nominally ruling since the death of her mother in 1586.