East Frisian coat of arms

The counts and princes of East Frisia from the noble East Frisian family 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

  • Manninga

Neermoor / Leer

Ukena family

Osterhusen

Allena family

  • ?-1406: Folkmar Allena

Rüstringen / Bant

  • Wiemken (Papinga)

Wirdum

Counts of East Frisia

House of Cirksena

Table of rulers

RulerBornReignDeathRuling partConsortNotes
Ulrich I14081464-146626 September 1466East FrisiaA first wife
no children

Theda Ukena
1455
six children
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 I1 June 14601466-149119 February 1491East FrisiaUnmarried
Edzard I the Great15 January 14621491-152814 February 1528East FrisiaElisabeth of Rietberg
(1470-1512)
1498
three children
Second son of Ulrich I and Theda Ukena.
Enno II15051528-154024 September 1540East FrisiaAnna of Oldenburg
1530
six children
Eldest son of the previous. He had a brother:
  • Johan I of East Frisia: their father, Edzard I had introduced primogeniture in the county of East Frisia, so that Enno II inherited the county alone. Johan had to hold back. Despite his ambitions, he always acknowledged his brother's rights and did not dispute the inheritance. Despite this, Johan is counted as I.
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 II24 June 15321540-15991 March 1599East FrisiaCatherine of Sweden
1 October 1559
Stockholm
ten children
Johan II29 September 15381540-159129 September 1591East FrisiaUnmarried
Catherine of Sweden6 June 15391599-161021 December 1610East Frisia
(at Berum and Norden)
Edzard II
1 October 1559
Stockholm
ten children
Inherited from her husband some towns in East Frisia, which she ruled autonomously. After her death, her domains were reabsorbed in the county.
Enno III30 September 15631586-1600

1599-1625
19 August 1625Rietberg


East Frisia
Walburgis, Countess of Rietberg
28 January 1581
three children

Anna of Holstein-Gottorp
28 January 1598
three children
Probably inherited Rietberg from his first wife. The Treaty of Berum (1600) formally divided the inheritance of Walburga between her daughters, and Sabina Catharina got the County of Rietberg.
Sabina Catharina11 August 15821600-161831 May 1618RietbergJohn III, Count of Rietberg
3 March 1601
eleven children
Daughter of Walburgis and Enno III, inherited Rietberg from her mother. Married her paternal uncle, so the county stayed in the family.
John III15661618-162531 May 1618RietbergSabina Catharina, Countess of Rietberg
3 March 1601
eleven children
Brother of Enno III, ruled Rietberg after the death of his wife and niece.
Rudolph Christian2 June 16021625-162817 April 1628East FrisiaUnmarriedSon of Enno III, and half-brother of Sabina Catharina. Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother.
Ernest Christopher1 April 16061625-164031 December 1640RietbergAlbertine Marie of St. Martin
10 November 1626
no children
Son of Sabina Catharina and John III. Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother.
Ulrich II6 July 16051628-16481 November 1648East FrisiaJuliana of Hesse-Darmstadt
5 March 1631
three children
Brother of Rudolph Christian.
John IV31 May 16181640-16607 August 1660RietbergAnna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid
1647
five children
Brother of Ernest Christopher.
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 Louis29 October 16321648-16604 April 1660East FrisiaJuliana Sophia of Barby-Mühlingen
(14 April 1636 - 12 August 1677)
7 November 1656
two children
Regency of Anna Catharina Ernestine of Salm-Reiferscheid (1660-1666) Left no descendants. The county passed to his brother.
Frederick William16 September 16501660-16777 October 1677RietbergUnmarried
George Christian6 February 16341660-16656 June 1665East FrisiaChristine Charlotte of Württemberg
14 May 1662
three children
Brother of Enno Louis.
Regency of Christine Charlotte of Württemberg (1665-1690)
Christian Everhard the Peaceable1 October 16651665-170830 June 1708East FrisiaEberhadine Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen
(16 August 1666-30 October 1700)
7 November 1656
ten children

Anna Juliana of Kleinau
(1674-1727)
1701
one child
Francis Adolph William13 November 16511677-168015 March 1690RietbergUnmarriedBrother 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 Maximilian8 May 16531680-168710 June 1687RietbergJohannetta Elizabeth Franziska of Manderscheid-Blankenheim
(26 September 1663-29 April 1704)
4 October 1685
Blankenheim
one child
Regencies of Canon Francis Adolph William, Count of Rietberg (1687-1690) and Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg and Hermann Werner von Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht (1690-1702, imperial appointment) Daughter of Ferdinand Maximilian, after her death the county was inherited by the Kaunitz family.
Maria Ernestina Franziska1 August 16861687-17581 January 1758RietbergMaximilian Ulrich von Kaunitz
6 August 1699
sixteen children
George Albert13 June 16901708-173412 June 1734East FrisiaChristine Louise of Nassau-Idstein
(31 March 1691 – 13 April 1723)
24 September 1709
Idstein
five children

Sophie Caroline of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
8 December 1723
Berum
no children
Charles Edzard18 June 17161734-174425 May 1744East FrisiaSophie Wilhelmine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
(8 July 1714 - 7 September 1749)
25 June 1734
one child
The son of Georg Albrecht and the last Fürst of East Frisia of the House of Cirksena. He died without issue.After the death of the last Prince of East Frisia, 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
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