The East Frisian peasant army wins the Battle of the Wild Fields
Friesland was one of the few regions of the Holy Roman Empire where the feudal system, based on the dependence of serf farmers, was unable to establish itself. Instead, the Frisians were free individuals enjoying a state known as “Frisian freedom”. Rather than being subject to a lord, the Frisians formed independent rural communities that operated as cooperatives. They only had to pay tax to the emperor or king for their royal freedom. The Frisians were proud of their status and fought anyone who threatened it.
Apart from marauding Vikings, the main threat to Frisian freedom came from influential local families who wanted to establish themselves as feudal lords. One such family was the tom Brok clan, who took advantage of the instability caused by floods and the plague in the 1400s to establish extensive territorial rule in East Frisia. This provoked a conflict that led Ocko II tom Brok to request support from foreign nobles, with whom he formed an alliance. Although the Frisian peasants were able to prevail against an army of knights sent to force them to swear fealty, Ocko did not admit defeat. Launching another attempt to assert his authority, he was defeated once and for all at the Battle of the Wild Fields on 28 October 1427. He was then captured and imprisoned. Despite this victory, the Frisians were unable to regain their full freedom, as Emperor Frederick III enfeoffed Ulrich Cirksena as Count of East Frisia only a few decades later. Although the East Frisians were forced to submit, they still succeeded in maintaining their essential rights.
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