Johan I of East Frisia
Encyclopedia
Johan I of East Frisia 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 that his older brother Enno II of East Frisia inherited the county alone and he had to hold back. Despite his ambitions, he always acknowledged his brother's rights and did not dispute the inheritance.
Unlike his father and his brother, Johan remained a Catholic
. After his father's death, he joined the imperial army. However, he soon returned to East Frisia and began supporting his brother. He had, however, little positive impact on his brother, who ruled unwisely. Johan was unable to distinguish himself, and also took some unwise and ill-advised actions, such as those that lead to the Guelders feud. He may also have encouraged Enno to try to re-introduce Catholicism in East Frisia. This attempt was cut short when Enno died in 1540. Enno's widow, Anna
became regent
for her son Edzard II. Johan had an endless series of conflicts with Anna.
In 1538, Johan married Dorothea of Austria, the illegitimate daughter of Emperor Maximilian I
. In 1543, Emperor Charles V
reminded Johan of the fact that he was still, tehcnically, in the imperial service. Charles appointed Johan as stadtholder
of the Duchy of Limburg
, Falkenburg and Dalheim. From that time onwards, Johan was colloquically called Count Johan of Falkenburg.
His descendants lived at Coldeborg Castle in the Rheiderland
and were financially supported by the counts of East Frisia.
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...
and a non-reigning Count of East Frisia
East Frisia
East Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony....
and later imperial governor of Limburg
Duchy of Limburg
The Duchy of Limburg, situated in the Low Countries between the river Meuse and the city of Aachen, was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its territory is now divided between the Belgian provinces of Liège and Limburg , the Dutch province of Limburg , and a small part of North Rhine-Westphalia in...
. His father, Edzard the Great
Edzard I, Count of East Frisia
Edzard I, also Edzard the Great, was count of East Frisia from 1491 till his death in 1528.Edzard succeeded his brother Enno in 1492. He fought with George, Duke of Saxony over Friesland and Groningen...
, had introduced primogeniture
Primogeniture
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 the county of East Frisia, so that his older brother Enno II of East Frisia inherited the county alone and he had to hold back. Despite his ambitions, he always acknowledged his brother's rights and did not dispute the inheritance.
Unlike his father and his brother, Johan remained a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
. After his father's death, he joined the imperial army. However, he soon returned to East Frisia and began supporting his brother. He had, however, little positive impact on his brother, who ruled unwisely. Johan was unable to distinguish himself, and also took some unwise and ill-advised actions, such as those that lead to the Guelders feud. He may also have encouraged Enno to try to re-introduce Catholicism in East Frisia. This attempt was cut short when Enno died in 1540. Enno's widow, Anna
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...
became regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for her son Edzard II. Johan had an endless series of conflicts with Anna.
In 1538, Johan married Dorothea of Austria, the illegitimate daughter of Emperor Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
. In 1543, Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
reminded Johan of the fact that he was still, tehcnically, in the imperial service. Charles appointed Johan as stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
of the Duchy of Limburg
Duchy of Limburg
The Duchy of Limburg, situated in the Low Countries between the river Meuse and the city of Aachen, was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its territory is now divided between the Belgian provinces of Liège and Limburg , the Dutch province of Limburg , and a small part of North Rhine-Westphalia in...
, Falkenburg and Dalheim. From that time onwards, Johan was colloquically called Count Johan of Falkenburg.
His descendants lived at Coldeborg Castle in the Rheiderland
Rheiderland
The Rheiderland is a region of Germany and the Netherlands between the River Ems and the Bay of Dollart. The German part of the Rheiderland lies in East Frisia, west of the Ems. The Dutch part lies in the Dutch province of Groningen and is mostly part of Oldambt...
and were financially supported by the counts of East Frisia.