leges he was allow^ed to state his wish, and
if, on investigation, it appeared reasonable,
his desire was granted.
At this time also every year an earnest
endeavour was made to lighten as far as
possible any heavy burden imposed upon the
people of a particular district. For the sake
of general safety the seven coast districts
made a league for mutual help and protection
against the Normans and South Saxons, so
that if one district out of the seven should
be attacked the other six would come at once
to its aid. This league was known as the
26
MONUMENT AT UPSTALLSBOOM
TO COMMEMORATE THE ANNUAL ASSEMBLY OS WHIT-TUESDAY.
From a photograph.]
{ To face page 26.
THE ORIGINS OF GOVERNMENT IN FRISIA
" Sieben Friesischen Seelande." It was a
wise provision of this alliance that in case
one of the seven should prove disloyal to
the other six, and untrue to the alliance,
the remaining six should compel the recal-
citrant one to come to an agreement, in order
that it might not allow itself to be united
to any foreign power, nor be enabled to
permit the general enemy to travel by land
and water, or to trade freely within its
borders. In these ancient privileges the
Frisians were confirmed by the Emperor
Sigismund in a comprehensive statute issued
from Constance on 30th September, 1417,
which contained the following provisions : —
1. That they, " the free Frisians " (as the Emperor
explicitly names them), or all the dwellers in
East and West Friesland, men and women,
young and old, should continue to enjoy in
perpetuity all their rights, honours, liberties,
favours, and customs, in common with all other
loyal and zealous subjects of the Empire ; and
that no Emperor should have right and power
to take away, cut off, sell, pledge, or in any
way aHenate from them the whole or any part
of their realm ; also that all previous unlawful
27
FROM SQUIRE TO PRINCE
divisions, gifts, sales, or pledgings of the land
on what pretexts soever, should be held null
and void.
2. Although this realm (Frisia) might not be bur-
dened with any rates or taxes either then or in
future, it should nevertheless be obliged, in
return for the protection afforded to it by the
Empire, to pay yearly, on Ascension Day, an
Imperial Penny (Kaiser -Groschen) for each
hearth or family ; which Imperial Penny
should be stamped at Lowarden, and twenty of
which should equal in value a half noble, and
sixteen a Ehenish gold gulden. The Chiefs
(Grrietmdnfier) were strictly to levy this tribute
in their districts and deliver it to the Imperial
Treasury.
3. In return the Emperor promised, to quote his own
exact words : " We hereby promise that we will
never place over or give as ruler or governor
to the dwellers in or inhabitants of Friesland a
prince either spiritual or secular, count, baron,
nobleman, knight, or knightly person, patrician
or plebeian, or any other person whatsoever, of
what condition or under any circumstances
whatever, but we hereby do confirm to them
the full liberty to be ruled by their own Chiefs
{Grietmdnner), judges, and officials, according to
their ancient customs and laws, as they have
been preserved to this day."
So Sigismund pledged his Imperial word.
28
THE ORIGINS OF GOVERNMEXT IX FRISIA
The Chancellor Brenneysen, indeed, in his
very confused and biassed " History of Ost
Friesland" (vol. i. bk. ii. ch. 17, p. 32),
attempts to weaken the meaning of this
Imperial statute by stating that it applied
only to West Frisia. It is impossible, how-
ever, to mistake the words : "To all our
honoured and chosen dwellers in, and inhabi-
tants of, both East and West Frisia,
commonly known as the free Frisians," which
occur quite at the beginning. This writer has
ignored the word " East," apparently on account
of his prejudice against the East Frisian rights
and customs. He is also in error in attribut-
ing to the Frisian Chiefs (or Grietmdnner) of
that time an authority in their districts as
great, if not greater, than that exercised by
the counts and lords of other places in Ger-
many. He asserts, too, that this authority
was ratified by the statute. As a matter of
fact, the statute confirmed the title of each
and every inhabitant of the land to their
ancient liberties and lawful rights. Had the
Chiefs really been reigning lords, the Emperor
29
FROM SQUIRE TO PRINCE
would Dot have been able to promise the
Frisians never to set a Governor over them.
Where the Emperor could place a Governor
there could have been no reigning lord. If
the Chiefs of that time, whose very names
the Emperor did not hold worthy of mention,
had been the hereditary lords of the free
Frisians, the Emperor would hardly say, as
he did, " And because we believed it to be
worthy, right, and reasonable that the before-
named dwellers in and inhabitants of East
Frisia, who form a part, and indeed a
worthy and important part, of our empire,
should recognise and reverence ourselves and
our successors as their true, natural, and law-
ful lords, in token of their veneration and
submission as subjects of the Empire, etc."
One would hardly care to accuse the Emperor,
in so many words, of untruthfulness, yet this
is what the learned Chancellor practically
does. The fact that the Imperial tribute was
not paid by the Frisians direct to the Emperor,
but first to the Chief, and by him passed on,
is also brought forward by Brenneysen as a
30
THE ORIGINS OF GOVERNMENT IN FRISIA
proof that the Chiefs were sovereign lords
like the Counts and Princes of the Empire,
This, however, no more makes these Chiefs
sovereign lords than it does the State Treasurer,
It is rather absurd to consider these East
Frisian country squires, for that was really
the rank of the district Chiefs, as the equals
of the Counts of the Empire ! If the con-
tention of the Chancellor is true, these Chiefs,
equally with the Count of Oldenburg, must
have been addressed as " Noble Sir." This
was certainly not the case, and the Count
of Oldenburg would have been quick to
resent any such attempt to assume equality
on the part of Frisian Grietmdniier. As a
matter of fact, there was no Chief of all
Frisia before 1430 or 1441. Prior to that
time the district Chiefs exercised all needed
authority. After the many local rulers had
fallen into the greatest possible discord among
themselves, a discord that gave rise to feuds
destructive to the interests of the country,
the faults of the early system became very
patent, and the need of a more centralised
31
FROM SQUIRE TO PRINCE
system of government was evident. The
gradual disappearance of several powerful
families gave to the remaining houses a
marked increase of property and wealth, either
through inheritance or by marriage. Under
such circumstances, the family of the Chief
of Gretsyl, the House of Cirksena, already of
great influence, became important above all
others. Gretsyl was a castle with a small
estate, lying on the sea-coast, far to the
north, in the district of Aurich. Its lords
had, partly by marriage, partly by inheritance,
and in various other ways, some say by force
of arms, obtained the estates of difierent Chiefs,
and were therefore, of all the Frisian nobles,
the strongest and most feared. As the internal
disorders continually increased, and the need
for some remedy became daily more pressing,
the nobles and heads of households in the
land of Ems, of whom the more important
were Enno Edzardna, Okie Imelen, Sibrant,
Wiart, Grimersum, Edelsum, Uphusen, and
Carrelspel, with other leading men of the
land of Skaveren beyond the Jade, met on
32
THE ORIGINS OF GOVERNMENT IN FRISIA
St Martin's Eve, 1430, and united together to
protect themselves by mutual help against all
enemies. In this movement Enno appears
to have been the leader ; given the necessity
the man usually appears, and in this alliance
undertaken for the good of the whole land,
Enno's eldest son Edzard proved himself to
be both wise and brave ; therefore he was
accepted by certain nobles and some districts
as their Chief. He was succeeded, in 1441,
by his younger brother Ulrich, to whom was
entrusted, in 1453, the administration of justice,
the subduing of the unruly, the preservation
of the common peace, and the right to make
war for the good of the land. Upon this,
the Chiefs of Osterhusen and Jever, with some
others jealous of Ulrich, attempted to make
trouble, and to obtain support from the Duke
of Burgundy. This persecution compelled
Ulrich to place in the hands of the Emperor
Frederick III., as a fief, his various possessions,
castles, and towns of Emden, Norden, Gretsyl,
Behrun, Esens, Jever, Friedeburg, Aurich,
Ehrort, and Stickhausen. The Emperor made
33 c
FROM SQUIRE TO PRINCE
the fief into a "County" of the Holy Roman
Empire, on the Monday after Michaelmas,
1454, and appointed Ulrich Count. It is,
however, to be noted that the Emperor
declared that the land of East Frisia should
retain unencroached upon and uninjured the
rights and liberties properly belonging to it,
and given by his predecessors in the Empire,
" in nothing diminished, but in substance un-
changeable."
The growth of East Frisia was also the
growth of the House of Gretsyl. Within two
and a half hundred years, from a country
nobleman of the House of Cirksena, had grown
a Count, and later a Prince of East Frisia. Such
were the origins of the princely dignity con-
ferred upon the House in 1654. It is well to
note that the greater rulers of Frisia were
Counts, and that the title of Prince was not
conferred until both the country and the ruling
House had fallen upon evil days, and were
declining into the sere and yellow leaf.
It is not too much to say that the rulers
of the Frisians were exceptional men. Count
34
THE ORIGINS OF GOVERNMENT IN FRISIA
Ulrich not only founded a line but a country.
The history of ruler and subject alike proves
that the Frisians were brave men bravely led.
The Count of East Frisia was in one sense a
patriarchal ruler, for he was expected to enter
into the family life of the meanest of his subjects.
The Count was a mirror of the County, and the
County was less than a reflection of its Count.
East Frisia sneezed to a man when the Reichs-
graf took snuff, and who is bold enough to say
its head was not cleared by the process? The
record of East Frisia is found in the lives of
its Counts, and in considering the one it is
necessary to study the other.
3$
THE EARLIER COUNTS.— ENNO I.
THE EARLIER COUNTS.— ENNO I.
nPHE long line of Counts and Princes of 'Easi
Frisia, which died out with the last Prince
(Carl Edzard), on the 25th of May 1744, sprang
from Count Ulrich I., the real founder of the
Cirksena sovereignty. The House of Cirksena
flourished in all about three hundred and
fifteen years (from the time of Edzard, the
brother of Ulrich L, who was accepted as
ruler by the greater part of East Friesland in
1430), and produced eight Counts and five
Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. The
ancient origin of this family has been clearly
shown by Eilhard Loringa in his genealogical
table, where he states that one Cirksena, a
member of an old patrician family of Norden,
who afterwards became Lord of Norden and
Gretsyl, had a brave son Edzard, who, as the
leader of a large troop of Frisians, fought with
39
FROM SQUIRE TO PRINCE
King Louis IX. in the crusade of 1249, and
as a reward received from him the lilies
quartered on his coat of arms.
The House of Gretsyl, from the earliest days,
appears to have enjoyed a certain degree of
eminence in East Frisia. In rather later times
the head of the House was " Enno Cirksena,
Chief in Gretsyl." To him succeeded Edzard,
who died in 1406, and who married the heiress
Doda-ten-Brook of Brookmerland ; and Enno
Edzardna, who flourished between 1406 and
1450. His wife was Gela Benniga of Manslagt.
Then came Edzard, the first Chief of part of
East Frisia, who was chosen in 1430 and died
in 1441. It is said by a contemporary writer
that he "dealt out peace to his people." With
the death of this Edzard, the history proper
of East Frisia begins, for on his death he was
succeeded by his brother Ulrich, the first
Chief of all East Frisia. Ulrich was, after his
brother's funeral, elected "Regent" by the
East Frisian States, and was made Lord of
Emden, Aurich, and Norden. He was later
(in 1454) created Count of the Empire {Reichs-
40
COrXT ILRICH I.,
l - OfN:>KR OF THE CIRKSKNA SOVEREIGNTY.
I~ioiii an old pyint.]
To face pa.^c 41.
THE EARLIER COUNTS.— EXNO I.
graf) by the Emperor, when East Frisia was
made a County of the Holy Roman Empire.
Ulrich, who was courageous, handsome,
eloquent, and clever, espoused first the daughter
and heiress of the gallant Wibeth of Stedesdorf,
the beautiful Lady Foelke, the widow of Hero
Omken of Esens. Of this marriage there was,
however, no issue, to the grief of both Ulrich
and his wife, and to the regret of the
people.
Owing to continual and unfortunate quarrels
with Hamburg, Ulrich was compelled, in 1446,
to give up temporarily the town of Emden,
a measure that did not commend itself to the
townspeople. At Aurich he built a square
fortress with four towers, which was rebuilt
later as a palace. This building no longer
exists. To reward his nephew Sibeth Attena
of Wittmund, who had fought on his side,
Ulrich married him to his own step-daughter
Onna. This caused a certain amount of un-
favourable criticism. To put a stop to malicious
comment, several rebellious nobles who had
been defeated by Ulrich were allowed to
41
FROM SQUIEE TO PRINCE
return about 1453, on condition that they gave
up their right of jurisdiction, and promised to act
as became loyal and true subjects of the Count.
About the same time the nobles agreed to
regard Ulrich as their supreme Lord as long
as he would honour their existing rights.
When Ulrich had been a widower and childless
for thirteen years, his nobles begged him to
marry as his second wife Theda, the heiress of
the House of Ukena, the daughter of Uko, and
grand-daughter of Focko Ukena of Moormerland.
The Pope gave him a dispensation, although
Ulrich and Theda were related, and the wedding
took place at the Castle of Berum in 1453, the
long family feud between the Cirksena and the
Ukena thus coming to an end. These families
had been the Guelfs and Ghibellines of Frisia.
Ulrich, after many diplomatic negotiations, and
w^ith the consent of the Frisians, informed the
Emperor Frederick III. that he would hold East
Frisia as an Imperial fief, if the Emperor would
make him a Count of the Empire. The Emperor
was willing, and in 1454, Ulrich became
Imperial Count and nominal master of Emden,
42
THE EARLIER COUXTS.— EXXO I.
as well as Lord of Norden, Gretsyl, Berum,
Esens, Jever, Aurich, Leerort, Stickhausen, all the
land up to the Weser, with Budjadingerland and
Stadland, and all islands near the coast. The
Letter of Investiture also bestows similar rank
upon his wife and his children, both male and
female. Ulrich, who appears to have been a
good son of the Church, built churches, and
reformed several monasteries. He also, as at
Aurich, built a fortress at Berum. His nephew,
Sibeth, who was a favourite of his, defeated
several rebellious nobles, and became (in 1458)
master of Harlingerland. As he was on very
friendly terms with Sibeth, Ulrich did not
require of him the ordinary Oath of Allegiance,
and this omission in later years led to much
warfare, and was a fruitful source of trouble.
Sirk von Friedeburg, a powerful noble, wished
to be independent of Ulrich, and the Count
thinking peace necessary for his country, made
several concessions both to him and to others in
order to prevent civil war. The Emperor re-
newed the grant of East Frisia as an Imperial
fief to Ulrich as Imperial Count in 1464, and to
43
FROM SQUIRE TO PRINCE
mark the occasion the Imperial Ambassador,
Palenstein, gave Count Ulrich a sword and a
flag as emblems of the enfeoffment. This
enfeoffment cost Ulrich 18,000 gulden, 9000 for
the Letter of Enfeoffment, and 9000 for the
Ambassador ; a large sum at that time. Ulrich
during his reign built many important castles ;
his expenditure, it appears, was considerable.
His private means, however, were large. A
writer of the time says of Ulrich : " He has
transformed the sword into the plough-share,
and by his wisdom he has laid the foundation of
a well-governed state. He has worked for his
House, but his w^ork and that of his House tend
to peace, order, public welfare, and education."
He died at Emden, regretted deeply by his
people, in 1466. • His corpse was taken to
Norden and interred with much ceremony in
the monastery of Marienthal. At his coffin
stood Grafin Theda with six children all under
age, a pathetic group enough, but as after
events proved, Countess Theda craved no man's
pity.
As the first recognised ruler of all East Frisia
44
THE EARLIER COUXTS.— ENNO I.
Ulrich deserves a word of praise. He governed,
as he fought, wisely and well, and his memory-
is still held in reverence by the sturdy inhabi-
tants of his country.
Ulrich made his wdfe, Graiin Theda, as
well as his nephew, Sibeth of Harlinger-
land, guardians of his children, of whom the
eldest was his son Enno, six years old. This
proved to be a most wise provision of the
late Count, for Theda proved to be an admir-
able ruler, and there was peace in the land.
The Emperor Frederick III. renewed the fief
of Ulrich to his sons. East Frisia thus became
a defined County of the Empire, and was
separated from West Frisia except in times
of danger.
Gerhard of Oldenburg, a bold soldier, anxious
for conquest, invaded East Frisia in 1473,
during the Kegency of Countess Theda. He
was defeated on his victorious home-march
by Siweke of Heisfelde, and lost about a
thousand men. His invasion was renewed in
the following year w^ith small success. In
revenge Grafin Theda, with the help of Henry
45
FROM SQUIRE TO PRINCE
of Schwarzburg, and the Bishops of Bremen
and Miinster, invaded the enemy's country and
came as far as Oldenburg. Gerhard then allied
himself with Duke Charles of Burgundy, and
again invaded, in 1474, East Frisia. In the
course of this expedition his son was taken
prisoner, but he himself escaped. Sirk von
Friedeburg, a dangerous neighbour of Grafin
Theda, who had given Ulrich much trouble,
died at this time. Friedeburg, after protracted
negotiations, was given up by treaty to Grafin
Theda. During her Regency commerce as well
as arms did much for the country, the canal
between Etzel and Jade was enlarged, and
ships were enabled to go as far as Friedeburg.
In 1476 the severity of the season was such
that seals were often found in inland moats.
During this winter the excessive cold caused
great suffering among the poor. After the
death of Ulrich, the Hansa claimed from Grafin
Theda the towns of Emden and Leerort, but
were induced, to make peace. From 1481
Count Enno took part in the aff'airs of state,
and soon became sole ruler. Before settling
46
THE EAELIER COUXTS.— ENNO I.
down, he wished to see the world, and went
to the Holy Land, where he became a Knight
of the Holy Sepulchre. Before leaving, the
chiefs of the country did homage to him and
his brothers Edzard and Uko. Enno started
in May 1489, accompanied by Folef von Knip-
hausen, and Victor Frese, a descendant of the
family Frese von Weyhe of Bremen, who had
come to East Frisia a short time before.
During Enno's absence a romantic incident
occurred in his family. Engelmann of Friede-
burg, a brave knight, whom Theda had made
Warden of the Castle, had fallen in love with.
the Lady Almuth, Enno's youngest sister, and
a beautiful girl. As Countess Theda was
strongly against this match, Almuth fled
wdth her maid, in the w^inter of 1490, to
Engelmann, and reached him at Friedeburg
before Grafin Theda heard of her flisjht.
The Countess w^as much enraged against her
daughter, and tried in vain to persuade
Almuth to return, but met wdth a stubborn
refusal. In despair she gathered her forces
and besieged Friedeburg. Enno about this
47
FROM SQUIRE TO PRINCE
time returned unexpectedly and marched
against Engelmann, who had boasted that
Enno had promised to give him his sister
in marriage. Enno was very angry at this,
and challenged Engelmann to make his state-
ment good. Engelmann repeated his words
to Enno when he met him on the frozen moat
before the Castle of Friedeburg. Enno was
in armour, Engelmann was not, and during
the dispute the ice of the moat which bore
Engelmann broke under Enno, and he was
drowned. The corpse was dragged out of the
water and buried amid universal mourning.
Grafin Theda having in this way lost two of
her children, was eager for revenge, and lost
no time in making ready to attack the man
she accounted her son's slayer. Engelmann,
feeling unsafe, fled to West Frisia, and Friede-
burg was retaken by Grafin Theda, while the
Lady Almuth was sent to Gretsyl. She was
undismayed, however, and escaped in beggar's
clothes. After some wandering she returned
to Engelmann, to whom she was devoted.
Engelmann now served under the Bishop of
48
THE EARLIER COUNTS.— ENXO I.
Miinster against his mother-in-law, and made
constant inroads into East Frisia. There is
no record that he ever became reconciled to
the Countess Theda.
Enno's brother Edzard, born in 1462, was
now heir to the Imperial fief. At the time
of his birth a might)^ whale had been thrown
on shore by the waves, and the wise people
of Frisia had prophesied that he was destined
for great things. He also, following his
brother's example, went to the Holy Land,
in 1491, with Victor Frese and Hicke von
-Dornum, returning in 1492, a mature man.
The Bishop of Miinster, a bold ecclesiastic,
about this time laid claim to the customs
and mint of the town of Emden. He invaded
the country, spoilt Weener b}'' fire, and stole
the treasures of the religious houses. He was
a good soldier and a firm believer in the Church
Militant. Count Edzard hurried home, but
the Bishop had returned to his country with
the spoils of his sword, and Edzard was obliged
to leave him in quiet for the time. Peace
ensued for a few j^ears.
49 D
FROM SQUIRE TO PRINCE
In 1493 Edzard and his brother Uko con-
sulted with the Town Council of Hamburg
and with the Biirgonieister at Groningen in
order to put an end to all strife as to the
possession of Emden and Leerort. They de-
cided that East Frisia should take the two
cities, and as compensation pay 10,000 marks,
a very reasonable sum, having regard to the
trade of Emden alone.
The accompanying conditions were these :
That Emden should keep all existing privi-
leges ; that on Hamburg beer, which was the
chief article of export, a duty of no more
than one gulden a barrel should be levied ;
that all wreckage should be sold to the ship-
wrecked people ; and that the Hamburg
fishermen should be allowed to fish on the
Frisian coast, paying a certain sum for the
privilege. The citizens of Hamburg believed
that the Biirgomeister Langenbeck had been
bribed by East Frisia, on account of the
favourable conditions granted to the Frisians.
Grafin Theda died in 1494, amid wide-
spread sorrow, for she was much loved. There
50
COUNT ENN'O I.
Fioiii a portrait in the Town //all
at Auricli.]
[To face page 51.
THE EARLIER COUNTS.— ENNO I.
is a portrait of her in the Town Hall at
Aurich, which shows a strong will. Among
other wise acts, she added by treaty to the
possession of the House the Fortress of Friede-
burg, an acquisition that was to prove of
great value in the stirring times that were
close at hand.
Grafin Theda deserved the gratitude of the
Frisians, for she had ruled well as Regent.
The loss of her son Enno was a great blow
to her, cominoj as it did so soon after the
flight of her daughter, but there is evidence
to show that she sacrificed her own feelings
in order to work for the welfare of her people,
and for the purpose of increasing the rich
heritage of her sons.
51
COUNT EDZARD I.
COUNT EDZARD I.
AT the death of Griifin Theda, the nobility,
the clergy, and the people, gladly did
homage to Edzard and his brother Uko, but
as Edzard was the more powerful, Uko is
not often mentioned in the chronicles of the
day. Edzard is described as being tall and