Like everywhere along the Wadden Sea shores in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the small republics of the tidal marshlands had to fight battle after battle against foreign aggressors who tried to subdue them. Whether they were counts, bishops, or cities, all tried to lay their hands on these fertile and strategically located lands. And if they were not foreign, then they were local headmen who tried to obtain dominion over a republic. The region of Butjadingen and Stadland at the low reaches of the River Weser was no exception to this. The title of the blog post quotes the last words of a free Rüstringer Frisian, of which Butjadingen and Stadland were part, before he was beheaded.
War was widespread along the Wadden Sea coast in the Late Middle Ages. The small farmer republics of the tidal marshlands along the southern North Sea coast had to defend their lives not only against blanke Hans 'the sea' but also against their hostile environment. Think of the Battle of Vroonen (1297) when the Westfrisians lost their freedom. Think of the Battle of Laaxum in 1498 when the Mid-Frisians (i.e. the province of Friesland) lost their freedom. Think of the Battle of Hemmingstedt in 1500 when the Ditmarsians lost their freedom. Think of the Battle of Hartwarden in 1514 when the Rüstringer Frisians lost their freedom (see also at the end of this blog post). Think of the Battle at the Wremer Deep in 1517 when the Wurstfrisians lost their freedom - with 300 women fighting as well. Believe us when we say, the battles mentioned are but a few.
The battle of 1517 was a historic moment, since Land Wursten was the last (Frisian) salt-marsh republic to lose its independence. Only with the bourgeois uprise of the Low Countries against the kingdom of Spain in 1568 would in a part of the southern North Sea region the people’s freedom be restored.
Around the time of the story of this blog post, the lands of Butjadingen, meaning 'outside [the River] Jade', and Stadland were more or less islands in the estuary of the rivers Weser and Jade. The difference between Butjadingen and Stadland is that the first is Seemarsch 'sea marshes' and the second is Flussmarsch 'river marshes' (Wolff 2018). It was (tidal) marshland along the riverbanks and along the shores of the Wadden Sea. If not flooded by the sea, than by the rivers. Things went really wrong when the lands were flooded by both on the same time. In the course of the fourteenth century, the Heete Creek had found its way from the Jade Bight into the mouth of the River Weser near the settlement of Nordenham, separating Butjadingen from Stadland, and turning the first into an island (Blumenberg 2002).
People lived on terps (artificial settlement mounds) locally called a Warden. The way to survive in this environment. Most names of villages have warden or würde(n) as a suffix. For example: Boitwarden, Eckwarden, Einwürden, Eiswürde, Ellwürden, Fedderwarden, Grebswarden, Golzwarden, Hammelwarden, Hollwarden, Iggewarden, Langwarden, Phiesewarden, Schweewarden, Sinswürden, Sürwürden, Syuggewarden, etc. And we already mentioned Hartwarden. So, if people did not know they lived on a terp, the name made that clear to them. Every second of the day.
“Leeuwarden and Bolsward, too!” we hear you think. Indeed, those towns in the province of Friesland too. Glad to have such enthusiastic and sharp-witted readers. And, of course, also the settlements of Breddewarden, Fedderwarden, Sengwarden, Wiarden, Waddewarden and Warden in the Wangerland of Ostfriesland bordering the mouth of the River Jade in the west.
In the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the Butjenter Friesen, Frisians of Butjadingen were caught in the middle. Upstream, the River Weser flowed past the strong city of Bremen, a free city within the Holy Roman Empire that had been part of the powerful Hanseatic League since the mid-thirteenth century. The river was the lifeblood of this city. Another foreign power to reckon with was the county of Oldenburg that tried to exercise its influence over Butjadingen and Stadland as well.
From the late fourteenth century, the notorious pirates the Vitalienbrüder or Victual Brothers, also known as the Likedeelers, meaning 'those who share alike', moved their activities from the Baltic Sea to the southern North Sea. This after being driven from their stronghold, the island of Gotland in the east of Sweden, by the the Hanseatic League and a Crusade army. These pirates then became notably active in the region of Ostfriesland, Butjadingen, and on the island of Heligoland. An ideal area since the shallow Wadden Sea coast was difficult to access by enemy fleets. Moreover, the Frisian lands were independent from the feudal system, and power was fragmented over many local chieftains. With these local headmen, also called Hovetlinge (Old Frisian), Häuptlinge (German) or haadlings (Mid-Frisian), the pirates easily could strike deals to use the protection of their harbours in exchange for payment. Possibly, part of the population even joined the profession of looting. Well into the second half of the fifteenth century, the Victual Brothers maintained their operations in the Wadden Sea area between the rivers Ems and Weser.
The Victual Brothers, of course, harassed merchant ships sailing to and from Bremen on the lower reaches of the River Weser, and in the sea straits between Wadden Sea islands. A stretch of the river called die königliche Straße 'the royal street'. Making the ships pay, or worse, confiscating the ships altogether. Collateral damage was not a concept in the dictionary of the magistrates of Bremen. With local headmen of Butjadingen and Stadland, Bremen formed a coalition to get rid of the pirates. Headman Didde Lübben (also identified as Lubbe Onneken in sources; we follow Wolff 2018) from Rodenkirchen in the region of Stadland was one of the headmen with whom Bremen made an alliance. Bremen also worked together with the headmen at the village of Blexen at the mouth of the River Weser.
Around the year 1400, Didde Lübben initially worked together with the city of Bremen to prevent the Rüstringen Frisians of Butjadingen from engaging with the Victual Brothers. It was agreed to build a castle near the village of Atens in the region of Stadland, which was realized in the year 1407. Clouding the issue, the castle was given the name Friedeburg (als written as Vredeborch or Vredeborg) meaning ‘peace burh’. However, from the point of view of the Frisians, it was foremost a coercion castle. Yes, the things you can do with language… Or as poet Hermann Allmers (1821-1902) wrote: “Man sollt’ sie lieber nennen die Streitburg Hass und Streit” (Wolff 2018).
After a while, the tables had turned. Didde Lübben and the city of Bremen came face to face. This was after the county of Oldenburg tried to control the same area, and Lubbe and his sons took the side of Oldenburg. It led to a big military operation in the year 1414, whereby Bremen defeated Oldenburg together with the Rüstringen Frisians of Butjadingen. Didde Lübben was expelled. Four years later, in 1418, the sons of Didde Lübben, Didde and Gerold, tried to revenge their father and gain control over the area again (Blumenberg 2002). They launched an attack on the castle of Friedeburg, together with 24 more Frisian men and 20 non-Frisian men. They failed to climb the walls during the night. In the morning the men were surprised by a group of Wurstfriesen who were allies of Bremen that time. Everyone was captured and brought to Bremen to be tried. In 1419, all Frisians were sentenced to death by decapitation. Not the 20 non-Frisians. They only had to pay a fine.
Outside the city walls of Bremen a scaffold was made in the fields for the execution. Didde, the eldest of the two, was decapitated first. Gerold held the head of his brother while the sword of the executioner cut through Didde's neck. Then Gerold kissed the lips of his brother, holding Didde's separated head in his hands still. This Bruderkuß 'brother kiss' aroused so much compassion among the bystanders that one of the city magistrates offered Gerold pardon. A pardon, however, with two conditions. One that he would live in Bremen. One that he would mary an honourable daughter from the city as well. Conditions that ought to be surmountable with death not far away, one would think. Not for Gerold Lübben. Proud Gerold answered loud and clear for everyone to hear:
Ich mag Ihre Pelzer- und Schustertöchter nicht. Ich bin ein edelfreier Friese! Wollt ihr mir das Leben schenken, so will ich euch ein Beutel voll Gold geben.
I do not like your furrier’s and cobbler’s daughters. I am a noble free Frisian! If you want to spare my life, I will give you a pouch full of gold.
After this public insult -which for all we know can be an edited, cleaned-up version of what he really shouted- Gerold's head was collected in a wicker basket shortly after, together with that of his brother's and 24 other Frisian comrades-in-arms. The bones of the bodies were all broken, and the heads were stuck on poles (Wolff 2018). All in all an eventful day. A day the executioner at least had enough exercise to keep in shape. Curious what his answer was when he came back late from work and his wife asked: "How was your day, honey?"
Those readers who wonder why Gerold's hands were not tied behind his back and how it was possible to hold his brother's head minutes before his own execution, we advice not to dig any deeper in order to keep the legend alive.
The Final Chords of Freedom
It was not yet the end of the Frisian freedom for the people of Butjadingen. In the year 1424, headman Siebeth Papinga managed to unite more headmen against the city of Bremen. With 120 ships, he landed at Harrierbrake (viz Brake) and drove out the forces of the city of Bremen. Castle Friedeburg was demolished on 29 July 1424. Also, in 1368 an important battle took place: the Battle of Coldewärf against Bremen and Oldenburg. It was won by the Frisians, led by headman Iko Boling from Blexen. No fewer than four counts of Oldenburg were killed, following the example of the battles of Hoogwoud in 1256 and of Warns in 1345 not to spare the lives of counts or even kings in battle.
Despite with Bremen set back, things were anything but in calm waters for the Frisians. The county of Oldenburg still wanted to gain access to the sea and get control over the fertile marshlands. This led to an armed confrontation on 18 May 1499 at the village of Waddens in Butjadingen, which was lost by the Frisians. A village, by the way, now lost to the sea. About a hundred Frisians were slain that day. However, a year later, the Frisians regained their freedom thanks to broader political developments in the region. The upcoming county of Ostfriesland, namely, had started battling with the county of Oldenburg too. Understandably, the Rüstringer Frisians expressed their support for Ostfriesland (Blumenberg 2002).
In 1514, an army led by Duke Henry of Brunswick-Lünebrug, together with, among other, forces of the city of Bremen, once again invaded the region of Butjadingen and Stadland. During the military campaign north via the villages of Golzwarden and Hartwarden, the Frisians persisted in their resistance. They preferred "to die before being subdued by the bailiffs of overlords." At the end of the month January, two major battles took place. One at the village of Hartwarden, during which about 700 Frisians died, and one at Burmeide near the village of Langwarden in the northwest of Butjadingen. Perhaps this corner was the last place they could retreat to. Many Frisians killed in the latter battle lay buried in Langwarden on the spot where the church stands today.
After the crushing defeat, all villages and farmsteads in Butjadingen were destroyed, and all cattle was taken away. Many fled to the region of Ostfriesland (Blumenberg 2002). It was the definitive end of the people's freedom of Butjadingen and of the territory of Rüstringen as a whole for that matter.
Note 1 - Rüstringen, or pagus Ruistri, was one of the independent territories of medieval Frisia. Butjadingen and Stadland were part of it. Hence, the people are denoted as Rüstringer Friesen. Rüstringen, also written as Riustringen, was part of the Seventh Sealand of the The Treaty of the Upstalsboom, and encompassed Rustringaland, Winingaland ende Buthiaingheraland ('Rüstringen, Wangerland and Butjadingen').
Note 2 - If interested in more history about the River Weser area, read our blog post The Deer Hunter of Fallward, and his Throne of the Marsh.
Note 3 – Featured image is the famous painting of Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) ‘The Kiss’.
Suggested music
Mika Nakashima, Kiss of Death (2018)
Prince and the Revolution, Kiss (1986)
Further reading
Blumenberg, A., Butjadingen. Land und Leute – gestern und heute (2002)
Bonné, M., Landgang, der neunte (2019)
Böse, K.G., Das Grossherzogthum Oldenburg: topographisch-statistische Beschreibung desselben (1863)
Bürgerverein Ruhwarden von 1898 e.V., Die Geschichte Butjadingens (website)
Iba, E.M., Hake Betken siene Duven. Das große Sagenbuch aus dem Land an Elb- und Wesermündung (1993)
Renswoude, van O., Leeuwarden en andere warden (2022)
Schuetze, C.F., Dmitri Vrubel, Who Planted a Kiss on the Berlin Wall, Dies at 62 (2022)
Stolzenau, M., Bremen drang einst in Butjadingen vor – blutige Fehden und legendärer Bruderkuss (2024)
Tantzen Familienverband, Zu Düddingen (website)
Willberger, T. (play), Dude und Gerolt – der Bruderkuss (2009)
Winkler, J., Friesland over de grenzen (1882)
Wolff, S., Meine Heimat Butjadingen: Die Geschichte der Rüstringer Friesen (2018)
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