Enno I of East Frisia,

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

East Frisia East Frisia () or East Friesland (; ; ; ) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisia (peninsula), East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia and to the ...

(1 June 1460 –

Friedeburg Friedeburg is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 14 km southeast of Wittmund, and 20 km west of Wilhelmshaven. About 4 kilometers east of the main village of Friedeburg, n ...

, 19 February 1491) was the eldest son of Ulrich I of East Frisia and Theda Ukena, of a chiefly East Frisian family.

Life

Enno I was not particularly interested in succeeding his father as count, so his mother Theda stayed in power. Enno took part in a pilgrimage to the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

, and in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

he was dubbed

Knight of the Holy Sepulchre The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (, OESSH), also called the Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the Holy See. The pope is the sovereign ...

. During his absence from the county, his sister Almut fell in love with the noble Engelmann von Horstell, drost of

. They made plans to marry, but they were prevented from marrying by Almut's mother Theda. Undeterred, Almut moved with her betrothed to

and took the family jewels with her. When Enno returned to East Frisia, he thought his sister had been kidnapped, and he pursued the drost to his castle. As it was winter, the moat around the castle was frozen over and Enno believed he could cross it. Unfortunately, his armour was too heavy. Enno sank through the ice and drowned. Enno I was only 30 years old when he died. His mother Theda had a memorial shield made in his honor, which is still on display in the Great Church, today the Johannes-a-Lasco Library in

Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...

, on a wall close to the crypt of the Lords of East Frisia.

External links

Biographical Dictionary of East Frisia

1460 births 1491 deaths Counts of East Frisia Medieval Knights of the Holy Sepulchre 15th-century counts in Europe {{EastFrisia-stub