Regents of Frisia

Örjan Martinsson

= West Frisia (Holland and Zeeland)

= Bishopric of Utrecht

= Middle Frisia (Friesland)

= North Frisia

= East Frisia (Groningen, Ostfriesland, Jever and Wursten)

Frisians is the name of a Germanic tribe that the Romans subdued in 12 BC. They rebelled in AD 28, but were again subdued and then finally regained their independence under the reign of Emperor Claudius (41-54). In the latter part of antiquity, however, the region became depopulated due to climate change and attacks from the neighbouring tribes. When Frisians reappear in the sources during the early Middle Ages, it is not the same people as the ancient Frisians. Rather, it was later immigrants who got their name from the region which in turn had been named after its older inhabitants.

The existence of a Frisian king named Finn can be documented in Anglo-Saxon poems, but it is only during the seventh century that a Frisian kingdom emerges in the sources. At that time in opposition to the powerful Frankish kingdom. In the eighth century, the kingdom of the Frisians was conquered by the Franks, and in the ninth century, the Frisians were exposed to the ravages of the Vikings.

While the Frisian kingdom had comprised most of the present Netherlands, the later region of Frisia was much reduced. After 1100 West Frisia was not considered to be a part of Frisia. North Frisia had never been a part of the Frisian kingdom and was probably populated sometime during the period of 700-1000. The North Frisians did not form a political unit of their own, they belonged to Denmark/Schleswig all the time. Frisia Proper in medieval time therefore only included the eastern and middle part. This area was populated by free peasants who successfully resisted all attempts by feudal lords to subdue them, mainly the counts of Holland and the bishops of Utrecht. In the east, local chieftains created their own states (within the Holy Roman Empire) in the late Middle Age. Middle Frisia and Groningen were finally conquered by Imperial troops in 1498 and became thereafter a part of the Dutch republic, which was created in 1581. Middle Frisia became the Dutch province of Friesland, which until 1747 and together with the province of Groningen was ruled by their own stadtholder.

5^th century c. 600-630 c. 650-680 680-719 719-734 734-748 748-760 760-785	Finn (Folcwald's son) Audulf Aldgisl I Radbod I (Radboud, Redbad) Poppo (Bubo, Bobba) Aldgisl II Gundebold (Aldgisl III) Radbod II (Radboud, Redbad)
Most of Frisia was conquered 734 by the Franks East Frisia was conquered in the 780s
(734) -843 843-869 870-911 911-925 925- (1581)	Part of the Frankish kingdom Part of Middle Francia (Lotharingia) Part of East Francia (Germany) Part of West Francia (France) Part of Germany
. Viking Rulers and Gerulfingian Counts (all under Frankish sovereignty)
826-844 c. 833-856 850-882 882-885 c. 885-896	Harald Klak (county of Rüstringen)
	Gerulf I Rorik (Hrörek) Godfred (Haraldsson?)
	Gerulf II
The Gerulfingian descendants establish the county of Holland in West Frisia which after AD 1100 is no longer considered as a part of Frisia. Conditions in the rest of Frisia are unclear, but a county in that area emerge from about AD 1000 House of Brunswick (the Brunonen dynasty)
c. 1000-1038 1038-1057	Liudolf Bruno
1057-1068	Egbert I
1068-1088	Egbert II
Different Dynasties
1088-1099 1099-1101 1101 1101-1107 1107-1138	Koenraad van Zwaben (bishop of Utrecht) Interregnum Hendrik van Northeim Interregnum Hendrik van Zutphen
Ruled by the bishops of Utrecht
1138-1139 1139-1150 1150-1156 1156- (1178)	Andries van Cuijk Hartbert van Bierum Herman van Horne Godfried van Rhenen
Frisia is 1165 transformed into a condominium which is ruled jointly by the bishops of Utrecht and the counts of Holland. The joint rule is however only theoretical since Frisia's central power collapsed in the 12^th century and local chieftains gained control. Ruled by the Counts of Holland
1198-1203	Willem I
1203-1233	No central power
1233	Floris IV
1233-1337	No central power
1337-1345	Willem IV
1345-1358	No central power
1358-1401	Albrecht van Beieren
1401-1498	No central power
East Frisia with the exception of Groningen is hereby separated from Middle Frisia and their local chieftains create their own states. The rest of Frisia is conquered by Imperial troops in 1498 Stadtholders of Frisia
1498-1500	Albrecht van Saksen
1500-1505	Joris met de Baard	(the Bearded)
1500-1515	Hendrik de Vrome	(the Pious)
1515-1523	Karel van Egmond	(Groningen to 1536)

1515-1555	Karel (V)
1555-1581	Filips II

Frisia join the United Netherlands in 1581

Like the other provinces in the Netherlands was Friesland (Middle Frisia) administrated by stadholders. When the Netherlands declared its independence in 1581 under the leadership of the house of Nassau-Orange, the stadtholders became the real rulers. They were however not more than two persons (and came from two branches of the house of Nassau). The most powerful stadtholder was he who ruled Holland (and several other provinces) while the other stadtholder who ruled Friesland was usually in charge of Groningen and Drenthe as well (the latter province was not considered to be a part of Frisia). This separate Frisian stadtholderdom would exist to 1747 when its stadtholder became regent over all provinces in the Netherlands.

Friesland (united with Overijssel 1528-1584)		Groningen (submitted to Karel V 1536)
1515-1518 1518-1521 1521-1540 1540-1548 1549-1568 1568-1572 1572-1574 1574-1576 1576-1581 1581-1594 1580-1584	Floris van Egmond Willem van Roggendorff Georg Schenck van Toutenburg Maximiliaan van Egmond Jan van Ligne Karel van Brimeu Gillis van Berlaymont Caspar van Robles George van Lalaing (in Spanish service) Francisco Verdugo (in Spanish service) United with Holland	1519-1522 1522-1530 1530-1536 1536 1536-1581 1581-1594 1594-1620 1620-1625 1625-1711 1711-1729 1729-	Cristoffel van Meurs Jasper van Marwijck Karel van Gelre Ludolf Coenders United with Friesland Francisco Verdugo United with Friesland United with Holland United with Friesland Period without stadtholder United with Friesland
1584-1620	Willem Lodewijk	Drenthe (submitted to Karel V 1536)
1620-1632	Ernst Casimir
1632-1640	Hendrik Casimir I
1640-1664	Willem Frederik
1664-1696	Hendrik Casimir II	1536-1696 1696-1702 1702-1722 1722-.	United with Groningen United with Holland Period without stadtholder United with Friesland
1696-1711	Johan Willem Friso
1711- (1751)	Willem (IV)

Willem IV became stadtholder of Holland 1747
and as a consequence of this were all Dutch provinces thereafter ruled by the same stadtholder

With the exception of Groningen (which was conquered 1498 by Imperial troops together with Middle Frisia) would East Frisia not be united with the future Dutch republic. Instead local chieftains created two East Frisian states, Ostfriesland and the small lordship of Jever. In the easternmost part (Wursten east of Elbe) would the Frisian peasants succeed in preserving their freedom until 1524 when their land was conquered by the archbishop of Bremen.

House of Tom Brok		House of Wimkrok
? - 1371 1371-1391 1391-1399 1391-1417 1417-1427	Keno I (the Elder) Ocko I (the Elder) Widzelt Keno II (the Younger) Ocko II (the Younger)	1350-1410 1410-1433 1433-1438 1438-1468 1468 1468-1488 1468-1511 1511-1517 1517-1536 1536-1575	Edo Wiemken I Sibeth Papinga Hajo Harlda Tanno Düren Hajo Sibeth III (Sibethsburg) Edo Wiemken II (Jever) Christoph Anna Maria
House of Ukema
1427-1431	Focko
House Cirksena (counts 1454-1654 and thereafter princes)		House of Oldenburg
? - 1400 1400-1450 1450-1466 1466-1491 1491-1528 1528 1528-1540 1540-1599 1599-1625 1625-1628 1628-1648 1648-1660 1660-1665 1665-1708 1708-1734 1734-1744 1744-1806 1807-1810 1810-1814 1815-1866 1866-1945 1945-	Edzard Enno Ulrich I Enno I Edzard I (the Great) Ulrich II Enno II Edzard II Enno III Rudolf Christian Ulrich III Enno Ludwig Georg Christian Christian Eberhard Georg Albrecht Karl Edzard Part of Prussia Part of Holland Part of France Part of Hanover Part of Prussia Part of Niedersachsen	1575-1603	Johann XVI
		1603-1667	Anton Günther
		House of Anhalt-Zerbst
		1667	Johann
		1667-1718	Karl Wilhelm
		1718-1742	Johann August
		1742-1746	Johann Ludwig II
		1742-1747	Christian August
		1747-1793	Friedrich August
		1793-1796	Katharina II (the Great)
		House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
		1796-1801	Paul
		1801-1807	Alexander I
		1807-1810 1810-1813	Part of Holland Part of France
		1813-1818	Alexander I (restored)
		1818-1945 1945-	Part of Oldenburg Part of Niedersachsen

The information about Frisian regents are confusing to say the least. Sometimes are Frisian regents called margraves (markgrafen) instead of counts. Some are also very hard to place in the list of regents, such as Wulbrand I von Hallermund-Loccum who supposeadly was margrave of Frisia 1120-1167 and son of Burchard of Frisia.

To add to the confusion are some list of Frisian regents much more detailed with entries stretching as far back in time as 2000 BC. These lists base their information on the book Oera Linda which is a forged manuscript from the 19^th century.

= Denmark
= Spain
= Portugal
= Milan
= Both Sicilies = Germany
= Holland
= Geldern
= Hainaut = Oldenburg
= Anhalt-Zerbst
= Nassau
= Bavaria = Saxony
= Meissen
= Austria
= Russia

= The Spanish Netherlands