Cirksena
The Cirksenas are one emerged from a Greetsieler chief Gender ostfriesische noble family that ruled from 1464 as imperial counts and from 1654 as imperial princes in East Friesland and in 1687 became extinct in the male line.
The Cirksenas in Ostfriesland
The Cirksenas had in the 15th century - according to a time that was marked by the struggle of the chief clans to fiefdoms, influence and domination - enforced. 1430 defeated Edzard Cirksenas as leader of the League of freedom his adversary Focko Ukena. The Cirksenas strengthened and entered in the succession of the chief families of the tom Brok.
In 1439, the disputes of the hamburgers Emden was initially handed over to revocation and since 1453 permanently in the Cirksenas in a row; administered to the year 1595 and dominated the family of the city. Edzards son Ulrich Cirksenas was in 1464 by the Emperor Frederick III. raised to the imperial counts and invested with Ostfriesland as Reich County Ostfriesland. However, a strong rule could never establish the Cirksenas in Ostfriesland. Again and again broke out power struggles with the self- conscious East Frisian stands.
The most important ruler of the house of Cirksenas was Edzard the Great (1462-1528), under whose leadership the kingdom of County Ostfriesland reached its greatest extent. In his reign the spread of the Reformation in East Frisia fell. 1654 Cirksenas were raised by the emperor to the rank of prince. Carl Edzard, the last ruler of the house of Cirksenas died in the night from 25 to 26 May 1744 ( supposedly in a glass of buttermilk, which he is said to have drunk after a hunt ) without issue. Immediately afterwards Frederick the Great took possession of the land.
Castles
Castle Emden
The Averborg in Aurich Schlossbezirk
Castle Berum
The Cirksenas in Rietberg
The Cirksenas presented from 1581 to 1699, the ruler of the county of Rietberg. This happened first in personal union with Ostfriesland, after Count Enno III. the Rietbergsche heiress Walburg von Rietberg had married. In Berumer comparison (1600), however, he joined the county Rietberg on to his daughters.
Ennos brother, Count Johann III. , Married with papal dispensation in 1601 his niece Sabina Catharina, Ennos daughter and heiress Riet mountain. Both had converted to Catholicism and thus founded the Catholic side line of Cirksenas. The last male descendant of the house Ostfriesland in Rietberg, Count Ferdinand Maximilian died, 1687th His heiress Maria Francisca Ernestine married in 1699 Maximilian Ulrich von Kaunitz.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of the family Cirksenas shows a crowned golden mermaid Adler ( other names: Harpy, Angel ) on black background. This motif found in a variety of succession crest input. For example, in the final count's coat of arms of East Friesland, the Count Rudolf Christian in 1625 stipulated. Here the young woman eagle adorns the noblest, heraldic coat of arms right upper field. The coat of arms as the coat of arms of East Frisia in use to this day.
The upper half of the Emden emblem also represents the Cirksenas virgin Eagle, The Cirksenas resided until Emden Revolution in 1595 in the city of Emden. The Emden opposite Dutch city of Delfzijl has included the Cirksenas crest in theirs. This is due to the domination Edzards the Great in Groningen. Similarly, the changes in the color -winning young woman eagle in the coat of arms of the district of Aurich is due to the Cirksenas. Also, the current community Krummhoern in which was the ancestral homeland of Cirksenas has taken the coat of arms of the family in the municipal coat of arms.
After the Cirksenas had taken over the rule in the County Rietberg, their emblem also found in the coat of arms Riet Berg's his place between the arms of the old ruling family and that of the Harlingerland. It was later supplemented by the arms of the Kaunitz family.
Through the connection of East Friesland and Riet mountain in the Cirksenas -Adler is also today in reverse colors (black on gold) lower right ( heraldic: bottom left) to find the coat of arms of the Principality of Liechtenstein: Gundacker of Liechtenstein was the second daughter of Count Enno III. and Walburg von Rietberg, Agnes Cirksenas, married and derived from it a claim to Rietberg.
Cirksenas Arms
Coat of Arms of East Frisia
Coat of Arms Stein am Auricher Castle
Coat of arms of the Counts of Rietberg from the house Cirksenas
Coat of arms of Kaunitz - Rietberg
Coat of Arms of Liechtenstein with the Cirksenas crest in inverted colors
Coat of arms of Emden
Coat of arms of Delfzijl
Coat of arms of the district of Aurich
Coat of arms of Krummhoern
Origin of the name
The name is Cirksenas Frisian origin and spread until today as a surname in Ostfriesland. He probably goes to the old name Tzirk ( " Cirk " ) back. Enno Attena took over the prestigious names on the occasion of his marriage to the heiress of Gela Manslagt.