View source for Rudolf Christian, Count of East Friesland (1602-1628)

[[File:ME4_376.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''Rudolf Christian, Count of East Friesland<br />
Source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rudolfchristian.jpg Wikipedia Commons]'']]
Rudolf Christian, Count of [[East Friesland (Niedersachsen, Germany)|East Friesland]] (<em>Graaf van Oost-Friesland</em>), 1625-28, was born 2 June 1602, the second son of [[Enno III, Count of East Friesland (1563-1625)|Enno III]] (1559-1625) and his second wife Anna of Holstein-Gottorp (1575-1625). He succeeded his father in 1625.

Rudolf Christian issued a letter of protection (<em>Schutzbrief</em>) to the Mennonites on 25 May 1626, which became the pattern for all succeeding [[Letters of Protection|letters of protection]] (see [[Privileges (Privilegia)|Privileges]]), and which secured to the Mennonites a legal status; the matters of the [[Oath|oath]] and military service were reserved for a later time. The letter of protection is printed at full length in <em>ML</em> III, 562 ff.

Rudolf Christian died 17 April 1628 and was succeeded by his younger brother [[Ulrich II, Count of East Friesland (1605-1648)|Ulrich II]].
= Bibliography =
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. ''Mennonitisches Lexikon'', 4 vols. Frankfurt &amp; Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III, 562 ff.

Müller, J. P. <em>Die Mennoniten in Ostfriesland vom 16. bis zum 18. Jahrhundert</em>. Emden and Borkum, 1887: 41.
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