Georg Christian (East Frisia)

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Georg Christian

Georg Christian (born February 6, 1634 in Aurich ; † June 6, 1665 ibid) from the Cirksena family was ruler of the county of East Friesland from 1660 to 1665 after the death of his brother Enno Ludwig . Under his reign, the Cirksena family acquired the hereditary dignity of imperial prince on April 18, 1662 .

Life

Georg Christian was the second son of Count Ulrich II and his wife Juliane . He grew up with his younger brother Edzard Ferdinand at the court in Aurich . From 1649 they attended the academies of Breda and Tübingen together . Georg Christian's training was declared prematurely terminated because he “soon became noticeably a growing disinterest and, finally, a lack of talent for his further studies.” This was followed by a short stay in Paris, before finally returning to the in April 1656 Court of his brother Enno Ludwig returned to Aurich. The then sovereign died on April 4, 1660 as a result of a hunting accident. Since he only had daughters, his brother followed him as Count of East Friesland.

Georg Christian had already met his wife, Christine Charlotte , in Tübingen. She was a daughter of Duke Eberhard III of Württemberg . from his first marriage to Anna Dorothea von Salm-Kyrburg . However, he could only marry her after he had received the hereditary dignity of imperial prince on April 18, 1662 . Georg Christian was a fitting groom and so the marriage was concluded on May 10, 1662.

Immediately after taking office, he tried to establish his rule, which led to serious conflicts with the estates. These soon reached the threshold of civil war and could only be resolved through Dutch mediation. After lengthy negotiations with the estates, settlements were concluded on June 19, 1662 and October 4, 1663. The Netherlands acted as the guarantor. In both contracts the relationship between the Prince and the Estates was stipulated, i. H. the stalls got their old privileges back after a substantial cash payment.

Under Georg Christian, the conflict with the diocese of Münster , which was still based on compensation payments from the Berum settlement, escalated . Under the pretext of being in charge of collecting severance payments for Harlingerland , the Münster bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen had his troops march into East Frisia in 1663. The Hampoel and Dieler Schanze on the southern border of East Frisia were conquered under Colonel Elverfeld . This was recaptured by Dutch troops in 1664. Georg Christian basically left such problems to his officials or the estates.

family

Georg Christian married Christine Charlotte von Württemberg on May 10, 1662 (* October 21, 1645; † May 16, 1699). The couple had the following children:

  • Christian Eberhard (October 1, 1665; † June 30, 1708) ⚭ March 3, 1685 Eberhardine Sophie zu Oettingen-Oettingen (* August 16, 1666, † October 30, 1700)
  • Eberhardine Sophia Christine (March 25, 1663 - July 30, 1664)
  • Christina Charlotte (January 3, 1664 - June 3, 1666)

Christine Charlotte gave birth to their son Christian Eberhard only four months after Georg Christian's unexpectedly early death . For this she led a guardianship government for 25 years.

literature

  • Ernst Kaeber: Pictures from the life of East Frisian princes of the 17th century. I. The younger brothers of Prince Enno Ludwig. II. From the life of Prince Christian Eberhard. Friemann, Aurich 1912 ( treatises and lectures on the history of East Friesland 17, ISSN  0724-9772 ).
  • Ernst Kaeber: The youth of Prince Enno Ludwig of East Friesland. Friemann, Aurich 1911 ( treatises and lectures on the history of East Friesland 15).
  • Martin Tielke (Ed.): Biographical Lexicon for East Frisia. 3 volumes. Ostfriesische Landschaftliche Verlags- und Vertriebsgesellschaft, Aurich 1993–1997, ISBN 3-925365-75-3 (Vol. 1), ISBN 3-932206-00-2 (Vol. 2), ISBN 3-932206-22-3 (Vol . 3).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Sabine Heissler: Georg Christian (PDF; 70 kB). In: Martin Tielke (Hrsg.): Biographisches Lexikon für Ostfriesland . 4 volumes. Ostfriesische Landschaftliche Verlags- und Vertriebsgesellschaft, Aurich 1993–1997, Vol. 1. Aurich 1993, ISBN 3-925365-75-3 , pp. 159–160.
predecessor Office successor
Enno Ludwig Prince of East Frisia
1660–1665 		Christian Eberhard
( Christine Charlotte von Württemberg as regent)
personal data
SURNAME Georg Christian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Georg Christian Cirksena
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince of East Frisia
DATE OF BIRTH February 6, 1634
PLACE OF BIRTH Aurich
DATE OF DEATH June 6, 1665
Place of death Aurich