Counts Of East Frisia
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 in to 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.
| Name (Lifespan) | Reign | Title | Note | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulrich I |
1464–1466 | Count | First Count of East Frisia. Emperor Frederick III raised Ulrich to the status of Imperial Count in 1464. | |||
| Theda Ukena |
1466–1491 | Regent | Widow of Ulrich I, as regent for Enno I. | |||
| Edzard I the Great |
1491–1528 | Count | The son of Ulrich I and Theda Ukena. | |||
| Enno II |
1528–1540 | Count | The son of Edzard I. | |||
| Anna of Oldenburg |
1540–1561 | Regent | Widow of Enno II. | |||
| Johan II |
1561–1591 | Count | The son of Enno II and Anna of Oldenburg ruled together with his brother Edzard II. | |||
| Edzard II |
1561–1599 | Count | The son of Enno II and Anna of Oldenburg. | |||
| Enno III |
1599–1625 | Count | The son of Edzard II. | |||
| Rudolf Christian |
1625–1628 | Count | The son of Enno III. | |||
| Ulrich II |
1628–1648 | Count | The son of Enno III. | |||
| Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt |
1648–1651 | Regent | Widow of Ulrich II | |||
| Enno Louis |
1651–1660 | Count, after 1654 Fürst (Prince) | The son of Ulrich II and Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt. | |||
| George Christian |
1660–1665 | Fürst (Prince) | Second son of Ulrich II and Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt. | |||
| Christine Charlotte of Württemberg |
1665–1690 | Regent | Widow of George Christian. | |||
| Christian Everhard |
1690–1708 | Fürst (Prince) | The son of Georg Christian and Christine Charlotte of Württemberg. | |||
| George Albert |
1708–1734 | Fürst (Prince) | The son of Christian Everhard. | |||
| Charles Edzard |
1734–1744 | Fürst (Prince) | 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 county passed to King Frederick II of Prussia. | ||||||
Read more about Counts Of East Frisia: Literature
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