Theda of East Frisia

Theda of East Frisia (1502 – 29 November 1563 in Norden) was a member of the House of Cirksena and the second daughter of Count Edzard I of East Frisia and Elisabeth of Rietberg. Raised at the convent of Marienthal in Norden, she entered religious life as a child and remained a nun for the rest of her life. Although she played no political role, she is chiefly known from a personal letter to her father, preserved by Tileman Dothias Wiarda, which offers a rare glimpse into the private life of a sixteenth-century East Frisian comital daughter.

Early life

Theda of East Frisia was born in 1502 as the second daughter of Count Edzard I of East Frisia and Elisabeth of Rietberg. She was one of seven children, consisting of four daughters, Margaretha, Theda, Armgard and Anna, and three sons, Ulrich, Enno and Johann. She was educated at the convent of Marienthal in Norden. At approximately nine or ten years of age she entered the religious life and was received as a nun in the convent.

Later life

Theda remained at the convent of Marienthal in Norden throughout the first half of the sixteenth century. Following the introduction of the Reformation in East Frisia and the dissolution of the convent in 1557, she left Marienthal and settled in Aurich, where she continued to live a secluded life. She remained in Aurich until Count Edzard II and his wife, Catherine of Sweden, established the countly residence there. According to Wiarda, the bustle of court life did not suit her temperament. She therefore left Aurich and returned to Norden, where she spent the remainder of her life. In 1563, while travelling between Aurich and Norden, Theda suffered a stroke. She died shortly afterwards as a result of the attack.

Ancestors