Count Ferdinand Edzard of East Frisia

Count Ferdinand Edzard of East Frisia
Spouse(s)	Anna Dorothea of Criechingen and Püttingen
Noble family	Cirksena
Father	Ulrich II, Count of East Frisia
Mother	Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt
Born	12 July 1636(1636-07-12) Aurich
Died	1 January 1668(1668-01-01) (aged 31) Norden

Count Ferdinand Edzard of East Frisia (12 July 1636, Aurich – 1 January 1668, Norden) was known as the "Count of Norden".

Life

Ferdinand Edzard was a member of the Cirksena ruling house of East Frisia. He was the youngest son of Count Ulrich II of East Frisia and Landgravine Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt. From the age of 14, he attended the academies of Breda and Tübingen. As part of his training, he undertook extensive travels to France, Switzerland, Italy and England. In 1658, he returned to the court of his brother Prince Enno Louis at Aurich. After Enno Louis's sudden death in March 1660, Edzard Ferdinand demanded that power be shared between himself and his brother George Christian. He could not prevail. His request to have his share of the inheritance paid out, did not succeed either. On 18 January 1661 the borthers came to an agreement. Ferdinand Edzard dropped his request for a share of power in return for an annual sum of money and an apanage consisting the town of Norden. Edzard Ferdinand took up residence in Norden with a small court, and was henceforth known as the "Count of Norden".

On 22 July 1665 he married Anna Dorothea of Criechingen and Püttingen, with whom he had two sons.

The sudden death of George Christian beginning in June 1665 revived the question of government power. Because George Christian's widow Christine Charlotte of Württemberg was pregnant, Ferdinand Edzard took up the interim government until the birth of the future prince Christian Everhard. Ferdinand Edzard and Christine Charlotte then jointly took responsibility for the regency and guardianship of the newborn Prince.

References and sources

• Wiarda, Tieleman Dothias: Ostfriesische Geschichte, vol. 5, Aurich, 1795
• Esselborn, Ernst: Das Geschlecht Cirksena, die Häuptlinge, Grafen und Fürsten von Ostfriesland, Berlin-Pankow, 1945
• This page is a translation of its German equivalent.

Persondata
Name	Count Ferdinand Edzard of East Frisia
Alternative names	Count Ferdinand Edzard of Norden, Graf Ferdinand Edzard von Ostfriesland (German)
Short description	German nobleman
Date of birth	12 July 1636
Place of birth	Aurich
Date of death	1 January 1668
Place of death	Norden