Brokmerland

The Brokmerland (now written Brookmerland ) is a landscape and a historic territory, located in the west of East Friesland, which covers an area in and around the church today Brookmerland and Südbrookmerland. The Brokmerland bordered to the east by the Harlingerland and to the north by the Norderland. The historic Brokmerland is usually written in the documents with only one "o". Occasionally, one can also spelling " Broekmerland " with a strain e, while the churches today have chosen the spelling of the name with the double -o.

Origin of the name

The name of the Brokmerlandes comes from the Old Frisian or altniederdeutschen Brok word that stands for a boggy marshland, formerly sparsely populated. This withdrew from the western edge of the East Frisian Geest back, of the Ley ( Norder low) to Flumm ( Fehntjer low) back and was of a series of shallow lakes, from the Great Sea to the Sandwater, interspersed.

For this purpose a number to verschliffenes man comes with the Herkunftsanhägsel it. So Brokmerland simply means "Land of the guys from the moor ."

History

Until the early Middle Ages, the Brokmerland was largely uninhabited and established a natural border between the spring and the Emsgau on one side and the clans Norditi ( Norderland ) and Östringen on the other side dar. Even church historically played this limit a role by the dividing line of the diocese of Münster ( spring and Emsgau ) compared to the archbishopric of Bremen ( Norderland and Östringen ) was formed.

Archaeological finds suggest a sparse settlement out in the period around 800. To a larger population it came from 1100. Firstly, the dikes in the region was completed, on the other hand urged the Julianenflut of 1164, many people from the coast into the interior. Added to this was the growing population in the high Middle Ages, which resulted in Ostfriesland, such sparsely populated or empty spaces through development of the land to develop the so-called internal colonization. The Brokmerland was it made ​​by settlers from the crumhorns march and the order as well Auricher Geest arable. In the 11-12. Century originated here on the edge and the foothills of the Geest new settlements with the first church buildings. The result of this process were the number of villages with their Upstrecken.

For the first time in the Brokmer Östringer ( Rasteder ) Chronicle of 1148 are mentioned, which may indicate that they already had a certain importance at this time. As of 1251 occurred the Brokmänner on as an independent country church, the Brokmerland, which initially was divided into three center districts, each with two main churches: Marienhafe and Engerhafe, Wiegsboldsbur and Burhafe (now isolated farms in the Victorburer - march ), Bedekaspel and Südwolde ( Blaukirchen ). The church districts belonged to the diocese of Münster. The main gathering Brokmannen was probably first the church Wiegboldsbur.

In the course of the 13th century, the Brokmerland was in its heyday. In this time of the construction of the great churches, of which the (former nave and two aisles ) Church Marienhafe is the largest falls. At that time it was the largest church in North-West Germany and even Pope Pius II in 1462 donated a drain for visiting the church for donations of home furnishings as well as monetary donations for the preservation of the Church " curia beate Marie". The Bishop of Münster came to the growing importance of the area in which he rose to a church 's parish mid-13th century. Previously, it was assigned to the deaneries Uttum and rear. In addition, the bishop built in Fehnhusen in the parish Engerhafe a castle, which later Oldeborg, which formed the nucleus of the present-day village.

The Frisian country towns had a consulate constitution under which the consuls and judges were elected for one year by the people. Political leadership and jurisdiction lay directly in the hands of the population. Hosted annual meetings of representatives of the seven Frisian lakeland. The Upstalsboom is a meeting of that time. The Brokmerland had its own jurisdiction and with the Brokmerbrief its own constitution. This reported as Frisian most detailed source of law of the state and court system of Brokmerlandes whose law was based on the will of the people came together.

End of the 13th century, the Aurich Erland joined the Brokmerland and formed the fourth quarter of the country community. After the end of the reign of the chief family tom Brok in 1450, the Aurich Erland again separated from Brokmerland.

Chieftain time

This Consulate constitution lasted until the mid 14th century. Then she collapsed and was gradually replaced, as powerful families took over the chieftainship. In Brokmerland this was the family Kenesma, which was awarded in the second half of the 14th century in Brokmerland the chieftainship. After that, they changed its name to tom Brok and built the castle of Brooke in addition to the already existing episcopal castle in Oldeborg. Later, the tom Brok built in Aurich a second castle.

The main town Marienhafe developed at this time to an important trading center. After heavy floods in 1374 and 1377 he even became a seaport. Thus it was possible to transport goods from the Brookmerland on the waterways in the country Münster. The Ley Bay mudflats and sand in front of Kuiper Marienhafe derive their name from the ancient three-aisled Marie oats United Church. Their roof were on the north side with copper ( Kuiper = Frisian- Dutch for copper) and on the south side with slate (Ley = altdeutsch for Slate ) covered. The building was initiated as from the sea by the changing views of the copper and slate side passable lasting at low water tidal creeks and other areas of water. Without this knowledge of the place and its tideabhängiger harbor from the sea were virtually impregnable.

In the late 14th century pirates led by Klaus Störtebeker found shelter in Marienhafe. But he returned the favor in the battle of the chiefs of the Brookmerlandes for supremacy in East Frisia. Widzel tom Brok had the then relatively young port open the " Likedeelern " or " Vitali brothers " under Störtebeker. They used the place as a protection, for stacking the stolen goods and their sale. This was eventually suppressed by several punitive expeditions of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, which took against the pirates and sympathizing with them chiefs. This Marienhafe was saved from destruction because of its safe harbor. Faldern and Larrelt at Emden and other East Frisian buildings, however, were dragged back then.

The tom Brok had initially tried with success to form a national rule over the Fries land on both sides of the river Ems. Ocko II eventually inherited such large dominions, that he could call himself chief of Ostfriesland. Subsequently, however, it came time between Focko Ukena and Ocko tom Brok disputes that went over into open warfare. After a first victory over Ukenas Ocko II at Detern 1426 to Focko joined with the Bishop of Münster and numerous East Frisian chieftains against the now restricted to the Brokmerland Ocko and hit him on 28 October on the Wild Fields final. He was taken to empty and remained for four years imprisoned. 1435 he died powerless as the last of his race in the north.

The following rule Focko Ukenas in Brokmerland remained only a short-term interlude. After the people had just escaped the rule of the tom Brok, many felt betrayed by the new rulers, because they seemed to ignore just like the tom Brok traditional rights of the Frisian freedom. Thus was born around 1430 in Brookmerland (today notation) uprising, which spread after an unfortunate attack Fockos on the Bremen Town Country on the lower Weser to a general East Frisian popular uprising.

After the conquest of the East Frisian Aurich Oldersum and state associations and the smaller chiefs on November 14, 1430 closed under the leadership of the chief Edzard Cirksenas from Greetsiel the Freedom League of Seven Ostfrieslande. Around 1440 were the Cirksenas to judges and " guardians " to chiefs of Brookmerlandes as of Aurich Erlandes and had finally started there after the interlude of Ukena the succession of tom Brok. However, they had to be considerate of communal freedom and the state law. The country's communities had been reconstituted. So it was again a Brookmerland, a Aurich Erland and the southwest of Aurich Erlandes own Süderland ( Bangstede, Ochtelbur, Riepe and Simonswolde ).

When the Cirksenas were collected in 1464 in the imperial counts, they made the dominated by their castles areas to offices: the Brookmerland was like Aurich Erland henceforth to the Official Aurich and fell into the Nordbrookmer bailiwick with Osteel, Marienhafe and Siegelsum and Südbrookmer Bailiwick with the parishes Engerhafe, Victorbur, Wiegboldsbur, Bedekaspel and Forlitz Blue churches. In the period following the Brookmerland shared the fate of the county.

• History ( Ostfriesland)