History of Frisia

In the Early Medieval era, Frisians took the seas with well crafted ships to perform trade and to raid other ports, cities, and towns in other parts of Europe.

For most of its modern history, Frisia, or Frysland, has been under the control of the Netherlands but today their language is co-official with Dutch at the provincial level.

According to Pliny the Younger, in Roman times, the Frisians (or, as it may be, their close neighbours, the Chauci) lived on terps, man-made hills.

This kingdom comprised the coastal provinces of the Netherlands and the German North Sea coast.

The 7th-century Frisian realm (650-734) under the kings Aldegisel and Redbad, had its centre of power in the city Utrecht.

Its end came in 734 at the Battle of the Boarn, when the Frisians were defeated by the Franks, who then conquered the western part up to the Lauwers.

It has also been suggested that the Vikings did not conquer Frisia, but settled in certain parts (such as the island of Wieringen), where they built simple forts and cooperated and traded with the native Frisians.

The free Frisians and the city of Groningen founded the Upstalsboom League to counter feudalism.

But the Upstalsboom League did not consist only of Frisians, as the area of Zevenwouden and the city of Groningen were Saxon.

In March 1338 the judges, councilors and communities of all Frisian countries, gathered in Appingedam, concluded a treaty with the king of France, which was also ratified with the seal of the Upstalsboom.