Uko Fockena
Encyclopedia
Uko Fockena
Uko Fockena (also known as: "Uko of Oldersum"; (born: in Oldersum (uncertain); died: 13 June 1432 near Suurhusen
) was an East Frisia
n chieftain
of Moormerland
and Emsigerland
.
(born: around 1370; died: 29 August 1436) and his wife Theda of Rheide (born ; died: before 1411).
In 1424 Uko acquired together with Udo Poppinga the farm tor Brake (also spelled to Brahe / Brae) in the Emsland
region from the Squire Ecerd von der Bele. His brother-in-law Ocko II tom Brok
(Ocko to Broke), chief of the Brokmerland
asked the abbot of Werden, in a letter dated 17 September 1424, to enfeoff Uko with this farm and confirmed that Uko was by birth a free man, honest and genuine, with four free-born grandparents.
Between 1425 and 1427 Uko married Hebe (or Heba) of Dornum, a daughter of Lütet Attena
of Dornum
and Nesse and Ocka tom Brok, a daughter of Ocko I tom Brok
. Documentary evidence exists that the heiress of this marriage was Theda Ukena
(born: before 1432; died 17 September 1494), who married in 1455 Ulrich I
Cirksena
who was stadtholder
of East Frisia and became the first Count of East Frisia in 1464.
In 1424 Uko and his father opposed the tom Brok
family of East Frisian chieftains, who had transferred the village and castle of Oldersum to them in 1413. Ocko II tom Brok demanded from Focko the return of the castle and won a court case to that effect in the city of Groningen dated 6 June 1426. Focko rejected this decision and defeated Ocko in the Battle of Detern
on 27 September 1426 and in the Battle of the Wild Fields in 28 October 1427. Thus, Focko Ukena became a pioneer of the principle of Frisian freedom
.
From the spoils of war Uko Fockena kept the Lordship of Oldersum, includeding the parishes of Gandersum, Rorichum, Tergast and Simonswolde. In 1428, Uko Fockena styled himself (chieftain at Oldersum). The Oldersumer Chronik reports that he strengthened the castle at Oldersum using obtained by demolishing Focken Castle in Borssum.
In 1430, Uko was beseiged in his Oldersum castle by a group of Frisian chieftains who had joined forces under the leadership of the Cirksena family and who opposed Ukena's Lordship. On 2 November 1430, Uko gave up his claim, in a treaty with the beseigers. He was able, however, to retain the right to live in the castle, based on a legal claim his wife held as granddaughter of Ocko I tom Brok. Uko lived in the castle until his death in 1432.
His father had fled to Münster
after his castle at Leer
had fallen. Father Focko had not vigen up the power struggle and he invited his son Uko to Groothusen
to meet his ally Imel Allena. On the way to there, Uko was attacked and slain in a reed land between Marienwehr und Suurhusen. He was buried in the church of the Franciscan
monastery in Emden
. His daughter Theda Ukena
ordered an effigy tomb stone to be put on his grave. The church and the monastery were destroyed by a fire on 21 July 1938.
Uko Fockena (also known as: "Uko of Oldersum"; (born: in Oldersum (uncertain); died: 13 June 1432 near Suurhusen
Suurhusen
Suurhusen is a village north of Emden in the German region of East Frisia. It has about 1200 inhabitants and is administered by the municipality of Hinte...
) was an East Frisia
East Frisia
East Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony....
n chieftain
Chieftain
Chieftain may refer to:The leader or head of a group:* a tribal chief or a village head.* a member of the 'House of chiefs'.* a captain, to which 'chieftain' is etymologically related.* Clan chief, the head of a Scottish clan....
of Moormerland
Moormerland
Moormerland is a municipality in the Leer District, in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany....
and Emsigerland
Emsigerland
The Emsigerland was a historic region, situated on the western edge of East Frisia by the Wadden Sea, which covered a wide area around the town of Emden...
.
Life
Uko was one of the sons of the East Frisian chieftain Focko UkenaFocko Ukena
Focko Ukena was an East Frisian chieftain who played an important part in the struggle between the Vetkopers and Schieringers in the provinces of Groningen and Friesland...
(born: around 1370; died: 29 August 1436) and his wife Theda of Rheide (born ; died: before 1411).
In 1424 Uko acquired together with Udo Poppinga the farm tor Brake (also spelled to Brahe / Brae) in the Emsland
Emsland
Landkreis Emsland is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany named after the river Ems. It is bounded by the districts of Leer, Cloppenburg and Osnabrück, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia , the district of Bentheim and the Netherlands .- History :For a long time the region of the Emsland was...
region from the Squire Ecerd von der Bele. His brother-in-law Ocko II tom Brok
Ocko II tom Brok
After the early death of his father, Ocko II tom Brok was Chieftain of the Brokmerland and the Auricherland in East Frisia ....
(Ocko to Broke), chief of the Brokmerland
Brokmerland
The Brokmerland is a landscape and an historic territory, located in western East Frisia, which covers the area in and around the present-day communities of Brookmerland and Südbrookmerland. The Brokmerland borders in the east on the Harlingerland and in the north on the Norderland. The historic...
asked the abbot of Werden, in a letter dated 17 September 1424, to enfeoff Uko with this farm and confirmed that Uko was by birth a free man, honest and genuine, with four free-born grandparents.
Between 1425 and 1427 Uko married Hebe (or Heba) of Dornum, a daughter of Lütet Attena
Lütet Attena
Lütet Attena was a 14th century East Frisian chieftain of Dornum and Nesse in the Norderland area.- Life :Lütet Attena was a son of Hero Attena. His brothers were Eger and Enno Attena. In 1395 Lütet married Ocka tom Brok, the daughter of the chieftain Ocko I tom Brok and Foelke Kampana from the...
of Dornum
Dornum
Dornum is a village and a municipality in the East Frisian district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the North Sea coast, approx...
and Nesse and Ocka tom Brok, a daughter of Ocko I tom Brok
Ocko I tom Brok
Ocko I tom Brok followed his father Keno I tom Brok as chieftain of the Brokmerland and the Auricherland in East Frisia, a former territory on Germany's North Sea coast....
. Documentary evidence exists that the heiress of this marriage was Theda Ukena
Theda Ukena
Theda Ukena was from 1466 to about 1480 regent of the County of East Frisia.Theda was the granddaughter and heiress of the chief Focko Ukena and was born in 1432 in Oldersum as the daughter of Uko Fockena and Heba Attena of Dornum. She was probably named after her grandmother Theda of Reide, the...
(born: before 1432; died 17 September 1494), who married in 1455 Ulrich I
Ulrich I, Count of East Frisia
Ulrich I of East Frisia, first count of East Frisia, was a son of the chieftain Enno Edzardisna of Norden and Greetsiel, and Gela of Manslagt....
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...
who was 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 East Frisia and became the first Count of East Frisia in 1464.
In 1424 Uko and his father opposed the tom Brok
Tom Brok
The tom Brok family were a powerful East Frisian line of chieftains, originally from the Norderland on the North Sea coast of Germany. From the second half of the 14th century, the tom Broks tried to gain control of East Frisia over the other chieftain families...
family of East Frisian chieftains, who had transferred the village and castle of Oldersum to them in 1413. Ocko II tom Brok demanded from Focko the return of the castle and won a court case to that effect in the city of Groningen dated 6 June 1426. Focko rejected this decision and defeated Ocko in the Battle of Detern
Battle of Detern
The Battle of Detern on 27 September 1426 marked the prelude to the East Frisian rebellion against the rule of the tom Brok family over East Frisia....
on 27 September 1426 and in the Battle of the Wild Fields in 28 October 1427. Thus, Focko Ukena became a pioneer of the principle of Frisian freedom
Frisian freedom
Friese freedom or freedom of the Frisians is the absence of feudalism and serfdom in Frisia, the area that was originally inhabited by the Frisians, in particular the current provinces of Friesland and Groningen and the area west Friesland in the Netherlands and East Friesland in Germany...
.
From the spoils of war Uko Fockena kept the Lordship of Oldersum, includeding the parishes of Gandersum, Rorichum, Tergast and Simonswolde. In 1428, Uko Fockena styled himself (chieftain at Oldersum). The Oldersumer Chronik reports that he strengthened the castle at Oldersum using obtained by demolishing Focken Castle in Borssum.
In 1430, Uko was beseiged in his Oldersum castle by a group of Frisian chieftains who had joined forces under the leadership of the Cirksena family and who opposed Ukena's Lordship. On 2 November 1430, Uko gave up his claim, in a treaty with the beseigers. He was able, however, to retain the right to live in the castle, based on a legal claim his wife held as granddaughter of Ocko I tom Brok. Uko lived in the castle until his death in 1432.
His father had fled to Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
after his castle at Leer
Leer
Leer is a town in the district of Leer, the northwestern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the river Ems, near the border with the Netherlands....
had fallen. Father Focko had not vigen up the power struggle and he invited his son Uko to Groothusen
Groothusen
Groothusen is an old Langwurtendorf - a village on an artificially-built ridge - in the municipality of Krummhörn in western East Frisia on Germany's North Sea coast. It lies about 15 kilometres northwest of the seaport of Emden and has a population of 474...
to meet his ally Imel Allena. On the way to there, Uko was attacked and slain in a reed land between Marienwehr und Suurhusen. He was buried in the church of the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery in 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:...
. His daughter Theda Ukena
Theda Ukena
Theda Ukena was from 1466 to about 1480 regent of the County of East Frisia.Theda was the granddaughter and heiress of the chief Focko Ukena and was born in 1432 in Oldersum as the daughter of Uko Fockena and Heba Attena of Dornum. She was probably named after her grandmother Theda of Reide, the...
ordered an effigy tomb stone to be put on his grave. The church and the monastery were destroyed by a fire on 21 July 1938.