Frisia is a
cross-border cultural region in
Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the
Wadden Sea
The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...
, it encompasses the north of the
Netherlands and parts of northwestern
Germany. The region is traditionally inhabited by the
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal regions of the Netherlands and northwestern Germany. They inhabit an area known as Frisia and are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, ...
, a
West Germanic ethnic group.
Etymology
The contemporary name for the region stems from the
Latin word
Frisii; an ethnonym used for a group of tribes in modern-day Northwestern
Germany, possibly being a loanword of
Proto-Germanic *frisaz, meaning "curly, crisp", presumably referring to the hair of the tribesmen. In some areas, the local translation of "Frisia" is used to refer to another subregion. On the
North Frisian islands, for instance, "Frisia" and "Frisians" refer to (the inhabitants of) mainland
North Frisia. In Saterland Frisian, the term ''Fräislound'' specifically refers to
Ostfriesland
East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...
.
During the
French occupation of the Netherlands, the name for the Frisian
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
was . In English, both "Frisia" and "Friesland" may be interchangeably used to refer to the region.
Subdivisions
Frisia is commonly divided into three sections:
*
West Frisia in the Netherlands roughly corresponds to the
province of
Friesland (''Fryslân''). In a broader sense, it also includes
West Friesland in northern
North Holland
North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...
and the
Ommelanden
The Ommelanden (; ) are the parts of Groningen province that surround Groningen city. Usually mentioned as synonym for the province in the expression ("city and surrounding lands").
The area was Frisian-speaking, but under the influence of th ...
in the province of
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
, though the
West Frisian language is only spoken in Friesland proper. Dialects with strong West Frisian
substrate
Substrate may refer to:
Physical layers
*Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached
** Substrate (locomotion), the surface over which an organism lo ...
s, including
Low German
:
:
:
:
:
(70,000)
(30,000)
(8,000)
, familycolor = Indo-European
, fam2 = Germanic
, fam3 = West Germanic
, fam4 = North Sea Germanic
, ancestor = Old Saxon
, ancestor2 = Middle L ...
and
Low Franconian, are also spoken in West Frisia. In the province of Groningen, people speak
Gronings, a
Low Saxon
Low Saxon, also known as West Low German ( nds, Nedersassisch, Nedersaksies; nl, Nedersaksisch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts of th ...
dialect with a strong Frisian substrate. Rural Groningen originally belonged to the Frisian lands "east of the
Lauwers" and is therefore more closely linked to East Frisia than to the west. In West Friesland,
West Frisian Dutch – a
Hollandic dialect with strong Frisian influences – is spoken.
*
East Frisia
East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...
in
Lower Saxony, Germany roughly corresponds to the historical regions of
East Frisia
East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...
(
Aurich,
Leer
Leer may refer to:
* Leer, Lower Saxony, town in Germany
** Leer (district), containing the town in Lower Saxony, Germany
** Leer (Ostfriesland) railway station
* Leer, South Sudan, town in South Sudan
** Leer County, an administrative division of ...
,
Wittmund and
Emden
Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528.
History
The exact founding date of E ...
) and
Oldenburger Friesland
The Oldenburg or Oldenburger is a warmblood horse from the north-western corner of Lower Saxony, what was formerly the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. The breed was built on a mare base of all-purpose farm and carriage horses, today called the Alt-O ...
(
Friesland and
Wilhelmshaven), and the municipality of
Saterland
Saterland (; Saterland Frisian: , ) is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated between the cities of Leer, Cloppenburg, and Oldenburg. It is home to Saterland Frisians, who speak Frisian in additi ...
. In a broader sense, it also includes the
Butjadingen
Butjadingen is a peninsula and municipality in the Wesermarsch district, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Geography
Butjadingen is situated on the German North Sea coast. It is bordered on the west and southwest by the Jade River and the east by the We ...
peninsula (former
Rüstringen
Rüstringen or Rustringen was an old Frisian gau, which lies between the modern district Friesland and the Weser river in modern Lower Saxony. Nowadays, only a small part of the original territory remains, namely the Butjadingen peninsula. The lar ...
) and
Land Wursten
Land Wursten is a former ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated approximately southwest of Cuxhaven, and north of Bremerhaven. Its seat was in the village Dorum. It wa ...
. Usually, only the people from East Frisia proper () refer to themselves as East Frisians. The German name ''Ostfriesland'' distinguishes the historical region from ''Ost-Friesland'', which refers to East Frisia as a whole.
*
North Frisia in
Schleswig-Holstein, Germany roughly corresponds to the district of
Nordfriesland
Nordfriesland (; da, Nordfrisland; frr, Nordfraschlönj ), also known as North Frisia, is the northernmost district of Germany, part of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. It includes almost all of traditional North Frisia (with the exception o ...
and the archipelago of
Heligoland. It includes the
North Frisian Islands, where varieties of the
North Frisian language
North Frisian (''nordfriisk'') is a minority language of Germany, spoken by about 10,000 people in North Frisia. The language is part of the larger group of the West Germanic Frisian languages. The language comprises 10 dialects which are thems ...
are spoken. It stretches from the
Eider River
The Eider (german: Die Eider; da, Ejderen; Latin: ''Egdor'' or ''Eidora'') is the longest river in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The river starts near Bordesholm and reaches the southwestern outskirts of Kiel on the shores of the Balt ...
in the south to the border of
Denmark in the north. Until the
Second Schleswig War in 1864, the region belonged to the Danish
Duchy of Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ( ...
.
History
Roman era
The people, later to be known as
Frisii, began settling in Frisia in the 6th century BC. According to
Pliny the Elder, in Roman times, the Frisians (or rather their close neighbours, the
Chauci) lived on
terps, man-made hills.
According to other sources, the Frisians lived along a broader expanse of the North Sea (or "Frisian Sea") coast. At this time, Frisia comprised the present-day provinces of
Friesland,
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
,
North Holland
North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...
and parts of
South Holland
South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...
.
Early Middle Ages

Frisian presence during the Early Middle Ages has been documented from North-Western Flanders up to the Weser River Estuary. According to archaeological evidence, these Frisians were not the Frisians of Roman times, but the descendants of Anglo-Saxon immigrants from the
German Bight, arriving during the
Great Migration. By the 8th century, ethnic Frisians also started to colonize the coastal areas North of the Eider River under Danish rule. The nascent Frisian languages were spoken all along the southern North Sea coast. Today, the whole region is sometimes referred to as Greater Frisia ().
Distant authors seem to have made little distinction between Frisians and Saxons. The Byzantine
Procopius described three peoples living in Great Britain: Angles, Frisians and Britons, and the Danish author of ''
Knútsdrápa ''Knútsdrápur'' (plural of ''Knútsdrápa'') are Old Norse skaldic compositions in the form of '' drápur'' which were recited for the praise of Canute the Great. There are a number of these:
* The '' Knútsdrápa'' by Óttarr svarti
* The ''Kn ...
'' celebrating the 11th-century
Canute the Great
Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway ...
used "Frisians" as a synonym of "English". The historian and sociologist George Homans has made a case for Frisian cultural domination in
East Anglia
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
since the 5th century, pointing to distinct land-holdings arrangements in
carucates (these forming
vills assembled in
leets),
partible inheritance patterns of common lands held in by kin, resistance to
manorialism and other social institutions.
Some East Anglian sources called the mainland inhabitants
Warnii, rather than Frisians.
During the 7th and 8th centuries,
Frankish chronologies mention the northern
Low Countries as the kingdom of the Frisians. According to Medieval legends, this kingdom comprised the coastal provinces of the
Netherlands, from the Scheldt River to the Weser River and further East. Archaeological research does not confirm this idea, as the petty kingdoms appear to have been rather small and short-lived.
The earliest Frisian records name four social classes, the (''
nobiles'' in Latin documents) and , who together made up the "Free Frisians" who might bring suit at court, and the ''laten'' or ''liten'' with the
slave
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
s, who were absorbed into the ''laten'' during the
Early Middle Ages, as slavery was not so much formally abolished, as evaporated. The ''laten'' were tenants of lands they did not own and might be tied to it in the manner of
serf
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
s, but in later times might buy their freedom.
The basic land-holding unit for assessment of taxes and military contributions was - according to Homans - the ''ploegg'' (cf. "plow") or ''teen'' (cf.
tithing, cf. "
hundred"), which, however, also passed under other local names. The ''teen'' was pledged to supply ten men for the ''heer'', or army. ''Ploegg'' or ''teen'' formed a unit of which the members were collectively responsible for the performance of any of the men. The ''ploegg'' or East Frisian ''rott'' was a compact holding that originated with a single lineage or kinship, whose men in early times went to war under their chief, and devolved in medieval times into a union of neighbors rather than kith and kin. Several, often three, ''ploeggs'' were grouped into a ''burar'', whose members controlled and adjudicated the uses of pasturage (but not tillage) which the ''ploeggs'' held in common, and came to be in charge of roads, ditches and dikes. Twelve ''ploeggs'' made up a "long" hundred, responsible for supplying a hundred armed men, four of which made a ''go'' (cf. ''
Gau''). Homans' ideas, which were largely based on studies now considered to be outdated, have not been followed up by Continental scholars.
The 7th-century Frisian Realm (650–734) under the kings
Aldegisel
Aldegisel, Aldegisl, Aldgillis, Aldgisl, Aldgils or Eadgils (fl. c. 678) was the ruler of Frisia (as king or duke) in the late seventh century contemporarily with Dagobert II and a very obscure figure. All that is known of him is in relation to t ...
and
Redbad Radbod, Radbot, Ratbod, Ratpot, Redbod, Redbad, Radboud, Rapoto, or sometimes just Boddo, is a Germanic masculine given name that may refer to:
*Redbad, King of the Frisians (died 719)
*Radbod (prefect) (833–54), Frankish prefect
*Ratbod (archbis ...
, had its centre of power in the city of
Utrecht. Its ancient customary law was drawn up as the ''
Lex Frisionum'' in the late eighth century. Its end came in 734 at the
Battle of the Boarn
The Battle of the Boarn ( fry, Slach oan de Boarn nl, Slag aan de Boorne) was an eighth century battle between the Franks and the Frisians near the mouth of the river Boarn in what is now the Dutch province of Friesland.
Battle
In 734 a Fran ...
, when the Frisians were defeated by the
Franks, who then conquered the western part up to the
Lauwers. Frankish troops conquered the area east of the Lauwers in 785, after
Charlemagne defeated the Saxon leader
Widukind. The Carolingians laid Frisia under the rule of ''grewan'', a title that has been loosely related to
count in its early sense of "governor" rather than "
feudal overlord".
During the 7th to 10th centuries, Frisian merchants and skippers played an important part in the international luxury trade, establishing commercial districts in distant cities as Sigtuna, Hedeby, Ribe, York, London, Duisburg, Cologne, Mainz, and Worms.
Establishing this Frisian Trading Empire played a big role during the
late middle ages. While interpersonal
violence was on the rise almost everywhere else in Europe,
Northern Europe
The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...
and especially Frisia managed to maintain low violence levels. This can be traced back to the well-developed society and established
rule of law
The rule of law is the political philosophy that all citizens and institutions within a country, state, or community are accountable to the same laws, including lawmakers and leaders. The rule of law is defined in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica ...
, which were results of extensive trade.
The Frisian coastal areas were partly occupied by
Danish Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
in the 840s, until these were expelled between 885 and 920. Recently, it has been suggested that the
Vikings did not conquer Frisia, but settled peacefully in certain districts (such as the islands of
Walcheren
Walcheren () is a region and former island in the Dutch province of Zeeland at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Eastern Scheldt in the north and the Western Scheldt in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus. The two ...
and
Wieringen
Wieringen () is part of the municipality of Hollands Kroon, established in 2012 in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It is a former municipality in this province, with its name appearing in records of the late 9th and early 10th ...
), where they built simple forts and cooperated and traded with the native Frisians. One of their leaders was
Rorik of Dorestad.
Upstalsboom League
During the 12th century Frisian noblemen and the city of
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
founded the Upstalsboom League under the slogan of "
Frisian freedom" to counter
feudalizing tendencies. The league consisted of modern
Friesland,
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
,
East Frisia
East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...
,
Harlingerland,
Jever and
Rüstringen
Rüstringen or Rustringen was an old Frisian gau, which lies between the modern district Friesland and the Weser river in modern Lower Saxony. Nowadays, only a small part of the original territory remains, namely the Butjadingen peninsula. The lar ...
. The Frisian districts in
West Friesland West of the
Zuiderzee did not participate, neither did the districts North of the
Eider River
The Eider (german: Die Eider; da, Ejderen; Latin: ''Egdor'' or ''Eidora'') is the longest river in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The river starts near Bordesholm and reaches the southwestern outskirts of Kiel on the shores of the Balt ...
along the
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
North Sea coast (
Schleswig-Holstein). The former were occupied by the count of
Holland in 1289, and the latter were governed by the Duke of
Schleswig and the king of
Denmark. The same holds true for the district of
Land Wursten
Land Wursten is a former ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated approximately southwest of Cuxhaven, and north of Bremerhaven. Its seat was in the village Dorum. It wa ...
East of the
Weser River. The Upstalsboom League was revived in the early 14th century, but it collapsed after 1337. By then, the non-Frisian city of Groningen took the lead of the independent coastal districts.
15th century

The 15th century saw the demise of Frisian republicanism. In
East Frisia
East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...
, a leading nobleman from the Cirksena-family managed to defeat his competitors with the help of the Hanseatic League. In 1464 he acquired the title of count of East Frisia. The
king of Denmark
The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe ...
was successful in subduing the coastal districts North of the Eider River. The Dutch provinces of
Friesland and
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
remained independent until 1498. By then Friesland was conquered by Duke
Albert of Saxony-Meissen. The city of
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
, which had started to dominate the surrounding rural districts, surrendered to count Edzard of East Frisia in 1506. The city conveyed its remaining privileges to the Habsburg Empire in 1536. The district of Butjadingen (formerly Rüstringen) was occupied by the Count of Oldenburg in 1514, the Land Wursten by the Prince-bishop of Bremen in 1525.
Modern age
In the early 16th century, the pirate and freedom fighter
Pier Gerlofs Donia
Pier Gerlofs Donia ( 1480 – 28 October 1520) was a Frisian rebel leader and pirate. He is best known by his West Frisian nickname ''Grutte Pier'' ("Big Pier"; in the pre-1980 West Frisian spelling written as ''Greate Pier''), or by the Dutch t ...
(Grutte Pier) challenged Saxon authority in Friesland during a prolonged guerrilla war, backed by the Duke of Guelders. He had several successes and was feared by Hollandic authorities, but he died as a farmer in 1520. According to the legend he was seven feet tall. A statue of Grutte Pier by was erected in
Kimswert in 1985.
In the 1560s many Frisans joined the revolt led by William of Orange against the Habsburg monarchy. In 1577 the province of Friesland became part of the nascent
Dutch Republic, as its representatives signed the
Union of Utrecht. The city of Groningen
was conquered by the Dutch in 1594. Since then, membership of the Dutch Republic was perceived as a guarantee for the preservation of civil liberties. Actual power, however, was usurped by the landowning gentry. Protests against aristocratic rule led to a democratic movement in the 1780s.
Frisian territories
*When
West Friesland was conquered by the
County of Holland in 1289, this was the end of a series of
wars between the county of Holland and Friesland that started at the end of the 11th century. The Dutch conquest occurred immediately after the disastrous
St. Lucia's flood
North Holland, 1st-10th century
St. Lucia's flood (Sint-Luciavloed) was a storm tide that affected the Netherlands and Northern Germany on 13/14 December 1287 ( OS), St. Lucia Day and the day after, killing approximately 50,000 to 80,000 peo ...
in which many Frisians in the area were killed. After the conquest the district of West Friesland, which also comprised the islands of
Wieringen
Wieringen () is part of the municipality of Hollands Kroon, established in 2012 in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It is a former municipality in this province, with its name appearing in records of the late 9th and early 10th ...
,
Texel, and
Vlieland, had its own seats in the
Estates of Holland and West Friesland. When the province of Holland was split up in the
constitutional reform
A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, t ...
of 1840, West-Friesland became a part of
North Holland
North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...
. The name of West Friesland has also been used by an intercommunal administrative board (''samenwerkingsregio'') and a
water board.
*
Friesland became an independent member of the Dutch Republic in 1581. It is now a Dutch province, in 1996 renamed as ''Fryslân''.
*The islands of
Terschelling
Terschelling (; fry, Skylge; Terschelling dialect: ''Schylge'') is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated between the islands of Vlieland and Ameland.
Wadden Islanders are k ...
,
Ameland, and
Schiermonnikoog
Schiermonnikoog (; fry, ) is an island, a municipality and national park in the Northern Netherlands. Schiermonnikoog is one of the West Frisian Islands, and is part of the province of Friesland. It is situated between the islands of Ameland a ...
were independent seignories, which were integrated into the province of Friesland during the 19th and 20th centuries.
*
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
, formerly ''Stad en Lande'' (the city of Groningen and its surroundings), became an independent member of the Dutch Republic in 1594. Now it is a Dutch province. As a rule, its inhabitants do not consider their province as a part of Frisia, though the area has many cultural ties with neighbouring East Frisia.
*
East Frisia
East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...
was an independent county since 1464, later a principality within the
Holy Roman Empire until 1744. By then, it was annexed by the
Kingdom of Prussia. After a period of Dutch and French rule, it became part of the
Kingdom of Hanover in 1814, which was annexed by Prussia in 1866. Now it consists of several districts within the federal state of
Lower Saxony in the
Federal Republic of Germany.
*
Harlingerland was a seignory, inherited by the count of
East Frisia
East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...
in 1600.
*
Jever was a seignory, annexed by the
County of Oldenburg in 1573 and, after a prolonged period of Saxony-Anhalt, Russian, Dutch and French rule, reunited with Oldenburg in 1814. It is now part of the district of Friesland within the federal state of
Lower Saxony.
*
Kniphausen was a seignory, split off from the County of Oldenburg in 1667 and reunited with its surroundings in 1854 (effectively in 1813).
*
Saterland
Saterland (; Saterland Frisian: , ) is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated between the cities of Leer, Cloppenburg, and Oldenburg. It is home to Saterland Frisians, who speak Frisian in additi ...
was a tiny Frisian district under the Prince-bishop of
Münster, in 1814 assigned to the
Kingdom of Hannover
The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...
.
*
Butjadingen
Butjadingen is a peninsula and municipality in the Wesermarsch district, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Geography
Butjadingen is situated on the German North Sea coast. It is bordered on the west and southwest by the Jade River and the east by the We ...
was a coastal republic, a remnant of the largely submerged district of
Rüstringen
Rüstringen or Rustringen was an old Frisian gau, which lies between the modern district Friesland and the Weser river in modern Lower Saxony. Nowadays, only a small part of the original territory remains, namely the Butjadingen peninsula. The lar ...
. It was conquered by the
Count of Oldenburg in 1514. After a period of Danish rule, it became part of the
Duchy of Oldenburg in 1774, which remained a more or less independent state within the German Empire until 1918. Butjadingen is now part of the district of Wesermarsch within the federal state of
Lower Saxony.
*
Land Wursten
Land Wursten is a former ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated approximately southwest of Cuxhaven, and north of Bremerhaven. Its seat was in the village Dorum. It wa ...
was a coastal republic, conquered by the Prince-bishop of Bremen in 1525. It became part of the Duchy of Bremen-Verden. The latter was, after a period of
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
rule, integrated into the
Kingdom of Hanover in 1715. It is now part of the district of
Cuxhaven
Cuxhaven (; ) is an independent town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has ...
within the federal state of
Lower Saxony.
*
North Frisia originally corresponded to the
Uthlande in the
Kingdom of Denmark
The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe and Northern North America. It consists of Denmark, metropolitan ...
. Later, North Frisia became a part of the Danish
Duchy of Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ( ...
(or
Southern Jutland, ''Sønderjylland'') and of the royal enclaves (''Kongerigske enklaver'') of the
Kingdom of Denmark
The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe and Northern North America. It consists of Denmark, metropolitan ...
. The duchy was conquered by
Prussia in 1864. Now it forms a district within the federal state of
Schleswig-Holstein.
Helgoland is part of the district of Pinneberg. North Frisia was never a part of the
Holy Roman Empire.
Contemporary regionalism
During the late 19th and early 20th century, "Frisian freedom" became the slogan of a
regionalist movement in Friesland, demanding equal rights for the Frisian language and culture within the Netherlands. The West Frisian language and its urban dialects are spoken by the majority of the inhabitants. In East Frisia, the idea of "Frisian freedom" became entangled with regional sentiments as well, though the East Frisian language had been replaced by
Low German
:
:
:
:
:
(70,000)
(30,000)
(8,000)
, familycolor = Indo-European
, fam2 = Germanic
, fam3 = West Germanic
, fam4 = North Sea Germanic
, ancestor = Old Saxon
, ancestor2 = Middle L ...
dialects as early as the 15th century. In Groningen, on the other hand, Frisian sentiments faded away at the end of the 16th century. In North Frisia, regional sentiments concentrate around the surviving North Frisian dialects, which are spoken by a sizeable minority of the population, though Lower German is far more widespread.
Regional political parties
Languages
A half-million Frisians in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands speak
West Frisian. Several thousand people in Nordfriesland and Heligoland in Germany speak a collection of
North Frisian dialects. A small number of
Saterland Frisian language speakers live in four villages in
Lower Saxony, in the
Saterland
Saterland (; Saterland Frisian: , ) is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated between the cities of Leer, Cloppenburg, and Oldenburg. It is home to Saterland Frisians, who speak Frisian in additi ...
region of
Cloppenburg county, just beyond the boundaries of traditional
East Frisia
East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...
. Many Frisians speak
Low Saxon
Low Saxon, also known as West Low German ( nds, Nedersassisch, Nedersaksies; nl, Nedersaksisch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts of th ...
dialects which have a Frisian substratum known as
Friso-Saxon
Friso-Saxon ( nl, friso-saksisch) is a group of West Germanic dialects found around the North Sea coast of the Netherlands and Germany, in an area historically known as Frisia. They are dialects of Low German/Low Saxon which have experienced str ...
, especially in East Frisia, where the local dialects are called Ōstfräisk ("East Frisian") or Ōstfräisk Plat (
East Frisian Low Saxon). In the provinces of Friesland and Groningen, and in North Frisia, there are also areas where Friso-Saxon dialects are predominantly spoken, such as
Gronings. In
West Frisia, there are West Frisian-influenced dialects of Dutch such as
West Frisian Dutch and
Stadsfries
Stadsfries () or Town Frisian ( fy, Stedsk, link=no, ) is a set of dialects spo