Edzard II, Count of East Frisia
Encyclopedia
Edzard II, Count of East Frisia
was count of East Frisia
, (Greetsiel
, June 24, 1532 – Aurich
, March 1, 1599) and the son of Enno II of East Frisia and Anna of Oldenburg
.
During his reign, he came into conflict with the city of Emden
. Edzard was a staunch Lutheran while the city of Emden was mostly Calvinistic. In 1595 Emden revolted and, after an intercession by the Calvinistic Dutch Republic
, Edzard was forced to accept a large degree of independence from Emden.
, in an attempt to curb the influence of the Swedish
royal family. She decreed that Edzard should rule East Frisia jointly with his younger brothers Johan and Christopher. When Christopher died early, Edzard ran into a strong and almost hateful rivalry with his brother Johan II
. The power struggle between two increasingly hamstrung their government. After Johan died in 1591, Edzard became the sole ruler, but his authority had been severely hit by the ongoing conflict.
At the request of the Estates
, Edzard founded the High Court in Aurich
in 1593.
In 1595, the city of Emden revolted. In the course of this Emden Revolution, the Cirksena
family were driven out of Emden. Under pressure from the Dutch States General, Edzard signed on 5 July 1595 the Treaty of Delfzijl
, which gave Emden a large degree of independence.
During Edzard's reign, the Counts of East Frisia definitively lost the Lordship of Jever
. Maria of Jever, the last baroness, died and left her territory to the Counts of Oldenburg
.
Edzard died on 1 March 1599. The Great Church at Emden refused to allow him to be buried in the Cirksena family vault, because he was a Lutheran and it was a Reformed church. He was buried on 13 May 1599 in the St. Lambert Church in Aurich. He was the first member of the Cirksena family to be buried there. However, all later family members were buried in this church, until the family died out in 1744.
, on October 1, 1559 in Stockholm
. He was the only ruler of East Frisia who ever married a princess. Through this marriage, the Swedish royal family sought to secure their influence on the North Sea coast.
They had the following children:
Edzard II was an ancestor of Queens Elisabeth II and Beatrix of the Netherlands
.
East Frisia
East Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony....
was count of East Frisia
County of East Frisia
The County of East-Frisia was a county in the region of East Frisia in the north-west of the present day German state of Lower Saxony.-County:...
, (Greetsiel
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 in Pewsum...
, June 24, 1532 – Aurich
Aurich
Aurich is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich.-History:The history of Aurich dates back to the 13th century, when the settlement of Aurechove was mentioned in a Frisian document called the Brokmerbrief in 1276. In 1517, Count Edzard from the house of...
, March 1, 1599) and the son of Enno II of East Frisia and Anna of Oldenburg
Anna of Oldenburg
Anna of Oldenburg was a Countess consort of East Frisia as the spouse of Count Enno II of East Frisia. She was the Regent of East Frisia in 1540/42-1561 as the guardian for her minor sons. Her reign lasted until 1561 and was generally supported by the Estates...
.
During his reign, he came into conflict with the city of Emden
Emden
Emden is a city and seaport in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia; in 2006, the city had a total population of 51,692.-History:...
. Edzard was a staunch Lutheran while the city of Emden was mostly Calvinistic. In 1595 Emden revolted and, after an intercession by the Calvinistic Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, Edzard was forced to accept a large degree of independence from Emden.
Life
Edzard II had a dispute with his dominant mother, Anna. She had abolished his right of primogeniturePrimogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
, in an attempt to curb the influence of the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
royal family. She decreed that Edzard should rule East Frisia jointly with his younger brothers Johan and Christopher. When Christopher died early, Edzard ran into a strong and almost hateful rivalry with his brother Johan II
Johan II of East Frisia
Count Johan II of East Frisia was a member of the House of Cirksena and from 1561 until his death in 1591 co-regent of the county of East Frisia...
. The power struggle between two increasingly hamstrung their government. After Johan died in 1591, Edzard became the sole ruler, but his authority had been severely hit by the ongoing conflict.
At the request of the Estates
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
, Edzard founded the High Court in Aurich
Aurich
Aurich is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich.-History:The history of Aurich dates back to the 13th century, when the settlement of Aurechove was mentioned in a Frisian document called the Brokmerbrief in 1276. In 1517, Count Edzard from the house of...
in 1593.
In 1595, the city of Emden revolted. In the course of this Emden Revolution, the Cirksena
Cirksena
The Cirksena are noble East Frisian family descended from a line of East Frisian chieftains from Greetsiel.- The Cirksena in East Frisia :In 1439 in the wake of clashes between different lines of chieftains, the town of Emden was first placed by Hamburg under direct rule and then, in 1453, finally...
family were driven out of Emden. Under pressure from the Dutch States General, Edzard signed on 5 July 1595 the Treaty of Delfzijl
Delfzijl
Delfzijl is a municipality and city in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is situated on the left bank of the river Ems estuary, which forms the border with Germany.-Population centres:...
, which gave Emden a large degree of independence.
During Edzard's reign, the Counts of East Frisia definitively lost the Lordship of Jever
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 which is produced here, the city is also a popular holiday resort. Jever was granted city status in 1536. Unofficially Jever is sometimes referred to as...
. Maria of Jever, the last baroness, died and left her territory to the Counts of Oldenburg
Oldenburg
Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...
.
Edzard died on 1 March 1599. The Great Church at Emden refused to allow him to be buried in the Cirksena family vault, because he was a Lutheran and it was a Reformed church. He was buried on 13 May 1599 in the St. Lambert Church in Aurich. He was the first member of the Cirksena family to be buried there. However, all later family members were buried in this church, until the family died out in 1744.
Marriage and issue
Married to Katarina Vasa, daughter of King Gustav I of SwedenGustav I of Sweden
Gustav I of Sweden, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known simply as Gustav Vasa , was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death....
, on October 1, 1559 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. He was the only ruler of East Frisia who ever married a princess. Through this marriage, the Swedish royal family sought to secure their influence on the North Sea coast.
They had the following children:
- Margareta of East Frisia, 1560–1588
- Anna of OstfrieslandAnne of OstfrieslandAnne of Ostfriesland was the eldest daughter of Edzard II, Count of East Frisia and his wife, Katarina Vasa, daughter of Gustav I of Sweden.Anne married three times:...
, 1562–1621, married:- in HeidelbergHeidelberg-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
, on12 july 1583, Louis VI, Elector PalatineLouis VI, Elector PalatineIn the history of the Holy Roman Empire, Louis VI, Elector Palatine was an Elector from the Palatinate-Simmern branch of the house of Wittelsbach. He was the first-born son of Frederick III, Elector Palatine and Marie of Brandenburg-Kulmbach...
(1539-1583) - on 21 December 1585, Ernest Frederick, Margrave of Baden-DurlachErnest Frederick, Margrave of Baden-DurlachErnest Frederick of Baden-Durlach ruled the northern part of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach. He came to power when he came of age in 1584. He founded the first Gymnasium Illustrie in the margraviate...
(1560-1604) - in GrabowGrabowGrabow is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Elde, 7 km southeast of Ludwigslust, and 34 km northwest of Wittenberge.-History:...
, on 7 March 1617, Julius Henry, Duke of Saxe-LauenburgJulius Henry, Duke of Saxe-LauenburgJulius Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg was duke of Saxe-Lauenburg between 1656 and 1665. Before ascending to the throne he served as Field Marshal in the imperial army.-Before regency:...
(1586-1665)
- in Heidelberg
- Enno III of East Frisia, 1563–1625, (ancestor of Queen Victoria), married
- on 29 January 1589, Walburgis, Countess of RietbergWalburgis, Countess of RietbergCountess Walburgis of Rietberg was 1565-1576 and 1584-1586 Countess of Rietberg.Walburgis was the second daughter of Count John II of Rietberg and Agnes of Bentheim-Steinfurt in Rietberg. After the birth of John Edzard, her youngest child and only son, Walburgis needed tot recover and moved from...
, daughter of John II, Count of RietbergJohn II, Count of RietbergCount John II "the Mad" of Rietberg , called "the Great," was the son of Count Otto III of Rietberg and his second wife, Onna Esens.... - in EsensEsensEsens is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the North Sea coast, approx. 14 km northwest of Wittmund, and 20 km northeast of Aurich....
, on 28 January 1598, Anna of Holstein-Gottorp, daughter of Adolf, Duke of Holstein-GottorpAdolf, Duke of Holstein-GottorpAdolf of Holstein-Gottorp was the first Duke of Holstein-Gottorp from the line of Holstein-Gottorp of the House of Oldenburg....
- on 29 January 1589, Walburgis, Countess of Rietberg
- John III of RietbergJohn III of RietbergJohn III of Rietberg was a member of the Cirksena family. He founded the Catholic side line of the Cirksena in the Westphalian County of Rietberg, the so-called house of East Frisia....
, born 1566, died 29 September 1625, married:- on 4 March 1601, his niece Countess Sabina Catherine of Rietberg, daughter of his brother Enno III
- Christopher of East Frisia, 1569–1636, married:
- on 13 August 1613, Lambertine de Ligne (1593-1651)
- Edzard of East Frisia, 1572?-1573
- Elizabeth of East Frisia, 1572?-1573
- Sophia of East Frisia, 1574–1630
- Karl Otto of East Frisia, 1577-1603.
- Maria of East Frisia, 1582–1616, married:
- on 1 September 1614, Julius Ernst of Braunschweig-Dannenberg (1571-1636); she was his first wife
Edzard II was an ancestor of Queens Elisabeth II and Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
.