The Frisian land round Emden and the Krummhörn on the east bank of the Ems.
Like the other Frisian lands east of the Ems it rules itself through yearly judges and its own law; counts sent from outside since the 11th century failed to make it a lordship.
Who holds it
- Name
- no single holder
- Title
- the land's judges (redjeven) and lawspeakers (asega)
- Confidence
- low
Overlord
no resident count; the old comital rights in the Emsgau lapsed; the bishop of Münster is the diocesan and claims lordship
How things stand that morning
Self-governing.
Law and courts
Frisian law; yearly judges; the meetings of the sealands at the Upstalsboom are documented only from 1216.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: General picture from de.wikipedia Geschichte Ostfrieslands; nothing dated to 1200.
On the map: Rough outline of the land as it stood before the great medieval floods reshaped the coast.
Primary sources for Frisia
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Egmond (12th century to about 1205). The house annals of Egmond, the counts of Holland's abbey, and the main native source for Holland around 1200. Read online
- Chronicle of the abbots of Wittewierum (Bloemhof), Emo of Wittewierum (from 1219 to 1237, continued by Menko to 1273). The chronicle opens only in 1204 with the founding of Emo's Premonstratensian house in the Groningen Ommelanden, so it has nothing for 1200 itself. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.