George Albert, Prince of East Frisia

Georg Albrecht, Prince of East Frisia
Prince George Albert of East Frisia (Johann Conrad Eichler, 1718)
Spouse(s)	Countess Christine Louise of Nassau-Idstein Sophie Caroline of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
Noble family	Cirksena
Father	Christian Everhard, Prince of East Frisia
Mother	Eberhadine Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen
Born	13 June 1690
Died	12 June 1743 (aged 52)

George Albert (13 June 1690 – 12 June 1734) was a member of the family of the Cirksena and was the fourth Prince of East Frisia. He ruled from 1708 to 1734.

Life

He was the second son of Prince Christian Eberhard. On 24 September 1709, he married in Idstein his first wife, Countess Christine Louise of Nassau-Idstein (born: 31 March 1691; died: 13 April 1723).

East Frisia was hit hard by the Christmas flood of 1717: 2,752 people drowned and large tracts of land were devastated.

Princess Sophie Caroline

Christiane Louise died on 13 April 1723; on 8 December of that year, in Berum, George Albert married his second wife, Sophie Caroline of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, daughter of Margrave Christian Heinrich of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach. She received from George Albert the manor Fürstinnen-Grashaus in the polder Carolinengroden as a present. She drew revenues from it until her death in 1764.

During George Albert's rule the old conflict between the Prince and a part of the Estates escalated into the so-called Appeal War of 1726-1727. The Estates were in divided into a obedient and a renitent faction; the former sided with the Prince; the latter raised troops to fight him. George Albert emerged victorious from this conflict. Even the city of Emden, which had led the renitent faction, submitted to him. However, due to the poor negotiating skills of George Albert's Chancellor Enno Rudolph Brenneysen, no peace could be agreed between the warring factions. The Chancellor and the Prince demanded that the rebels be punished harshly, but in 1732, they were pardoned by the Emperor.

When Prince George Albert died on 11 June 1734, his son Charles Edzard, took office at the age of 18. Charles Edzard was the George Albert's last surviving descendant. He could not resolve the conflicts with the Estates, either.

Legacy

In 1715, George Albert issued the world's first Stallion Inspection Regulation.

In 1729-1730 Prince George Albert built a port at Carolinensiel,^[1] now a museum harbor. The port was named after his second wife, Sophie Caroline.

In an attempt to keep alcoholism under control, George Albert forbade ball shooting matches on 9 February 1731. He sharply condemned the "disorders, excessive drinking, eating, solding, swearing, cursing and severe beatings" that often occurred at ball shooting matches. This, too, stressed the relationship between the prince and his subjects.

Ancestors

Ancestors of George Albert, Prince of East Frisia

16. Enno III, Count of East Frisia               8. Ulrich II, Count of East Frisia                       17. Anna of Holstein-Gottorp               4. George Christian, Prince of East Frisia                             18. Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt               9. Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt                       19. Magdalene of Brandenburg               2. Christian Everhard, Prince of East Frisia                                   20. John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg (= 28)               10. Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (= 14)                       21. Barbara Sophie of Brandenburg (= 29)               5. Christine Charlotte of Württemberg                             22. John Casimir, Wild- and Rhinegrave of Salm-Kyrburg (=30)               11. Anna Catherine, Wild- and Rhinegravine of Salm-Kyrburg (= 15)                       23. Dorothea of Solms-Laubach (= 31)               1. George Albert, Prince of East Frisia                                         24. Louis Eberhard, Count of Oettingen-Oettingen               12. Joachim Ernest of Oettingen-Oettingen                       25. Margaret of Erbach               6. Albert Ernest I of Oettingen-Oettingen                             26. Kraft of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein               13. Anna Dorothea of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein-Gleichen                       27. Sophie of Birkenfeld               3. Eberhardine Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen                                   28. John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg (= 20)               14. Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (= 10)                       29. Barbara Sophie of Brandenburg (= 21)               7. Christine Friederike of Württemberg                             30. John Casimir, Wild- and Rhinegrave of Salm-Kyrburg (= 22)               15. Anna Catherine, Wild- and Rhinegravine of Salm-Kyrburg (= 11)                       31. Dorothea of Solms-Laubach (= 23)

References and sources

• Martin Jhering: Hofleben in Ostfriesland. Die Fürstenresidenz Aurich im Jahre 1728, Hannover, 2005
• Marek, Miroslav. "Entry for George Albert at genealogy.euweb.cz". Genealogy EU.

Footnotes

1. A siel is a kind of lock with a single set of doors; it was used to maintain a constant water level in the dock, allowing the water of the river Harle to flow out into the North Sea at low tide, without letting the North Sea water into the polder at high tide.