Enno II, Count of East Friesland (1505-1540)
Enno II, Count of East Friesland (Graaf van Oost-Friesland), 1528-40: born August 1505, the son of Edzard I, Count of East Friesland. He died 24 September 1540.
Enno at first attempted to direct the Reformation into Lutheran channels in his realm. Unpleasant experiences with Lutheran clergy and a letter from Philipp of Hesse deterred him. External wars kept his attention from religious matters. His measures against the Anabaptists were not adequately enforced. On 19 January 1530, he and his brother Johann issued an edict sternly ordering the Anabaptists to leave the realm before Shrovetide on penalty of loss of life and goods. But nothing happened; Melchior Hofmann could venture to preach in the vestibule (Geerkammer) of the Emden church and publicly baptize several hundred adherents. But Obbe Philips' statement that Enno was favorably inclined toward Hofmann's doctrine and had been moved to tears in a conversation with him is surely erroneous. On 12 May 1534, Enno sent a letter to Emden, urging that a close watch be kept on the Anabaptists and that definite steps be taken against them. In 1535 he issued a stern edict against them, not only commanding the baptism of infants, but also threatening to punish rebaptism with severe penalties. Nevertheless the Anabaptist movement grew rapidly in his reign. When he died, his widow Anna of Oldenburg took over the government. She favored the Anabaptists, and only imperial pressure induced her to expel them.
Bibliography
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. I, 592.
Müller, J. P. Die Mennoniten in Ostfriesland . . . . Emden, 1887.
| Author(s) | Christian Neff |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | April 2007 |
Cite This Article
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Neff, Christian and Richard D. Thiessen. "Enno II, Count of East Friesland (1505-1540)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 2007. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Enno_II,_Count_of_East_Friesland_(1505-1540)&oldid=145007.
APA style
Neff, Christian and Richard D. Thiessen. (April 2007). Enno II, Count of East Friesland (1505-1540). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Enno_II,_Count_of_East_Friesland_(1505-1540)&oldid=145007.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 223. All rights reserved.
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