Uthlande
Encyclopedia
Uthlande, Utlande is a term for the islands halligen and marshes off the mainland of North Frisia
in modern Nordfriesland district
, Germany
.
The name was first recorded in a 12th century document. At the time, the islands differed considerably from the mainland regarding both their social constitution and political status. Today parts of the former Uthlande are submerged in the Wadden Sea
— especially large parts of the island Strand
— or have themselves become a part of the mainland by the construction of dike
s or land reclamation
.
On the Danish mainland the Hundreds later became the largest administrative subdivisions. They were composed of several parish
es. In mainland Jutland
there were also the syssels
which used to comprise a number of Hundreds, but were completely unknown in the Uthlande. The local North Frisians
became direct subjects of the Danish king and fought for him against the Holy Roman Empire
and Holstein
. However they succeeded in gaining a large-scale autonomy in the Middle Ages. They were exempt from the Code of Jutland
of 1241 and were allowed to judge according to Frisian law (see also Lex Frisionum
).
When Eric IV of Denmark
tried to collect the plogpennig, a tax of one penny on every plow, in the Uthlande as well, he was forced to leave the area after having lost a number of knights due to resistance against the new tax law. His brother, killer and successor Abel even lost the greatest part of his army and his life when he tried to again enforce the plogpennig in Frisia in 1252.
In 1261 the city of Hamburg
signed a peace treaty with Utlandia but it is unclear whether this meant only the three Hundreds of Eiderstedt
or the entire Uthlande. Until 1284, central administrative powers had become established in a way that Valdemar IV, Duke of Schleswig
was able to contract a treaty with Bremen
in the name of the Frisians.
This list of areas varies according to sources and years and the shape of the coastline has considerable changed during the last centuries. Important sources include the Danish Census Book
of king Valdemar II of Denmark
, and historicising maps by Johannes Mejer (printed in 1652). In the Census Book there is a separate list of all inhabited islands of the west coast. The three placenames Gaestaenacka, Hwaelae major and Hwaelae minor that are mentioned there cannot be found and confirmed today. A common assumption that these place lay west off Strand and were destroyed in 14th century storm surges is wrong though. They are in fact faulty transcriptions by a scribe who tried to translate the names of DeStrand, Eydaerstath and Hewerschop into Latin language.
North Frisia
North Frisia or Northern Friesland is the northernmost portion of Frisia, located primarily in Germany between the rivers Eider and Wiedau/Vidå. It includes a number of islands, e.g., Sylt, Föhr, Amrum, Nordstrand, and Heligoland.-History:...
in modern Nordfriesland district
Nordfriesland
Nordfriesland, English "Northern Friesland" or "North Frisia", is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It includes almost all of traditional North Frisia along with adjacent areas to the east and south and is bounded by the districts of Schleswig-Flensburg and Dithmarschen, the North Sea and...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
Wadden Sea
The Wadden Sea is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. It is rich in biological diversity...
— especially large parts of the island Strand
Strand (island)
Strand was an island on the west coast of Nordfriesland in modern Germany. It was formed by a stormflood in 1362 where many villages and towns, Rungholt among them, were lost and Südfall island was as well separated from the mainland. Strand island was later split by the Burchardi flood of 1634...
— or have themselves become a part of the mainland by the construction of dike
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
s or land reclamation
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
.
On the Danish mainland the Hundreds later became the largest administrative subdivisions. They were composed of several parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es. In mainland Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
there were also the syssels
Sýsla
A sýsla is a police district in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, and formerly in Denmark.Spelled syssel, the name still can be found in the Danish district Vendsyssel and in Norway in the title: sysselmann .-Faroe Islands sýsla:* Norðoyar* Eysturoy* Streymoy* Vágar* Sandoy*...
which used to comprise a number of Hundreds, but were completely unknown in the Uthlande. The local North Frisians
North Frisians
North Frisians are, in the wider sense, the inhabitants of the district of Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein. In a narrower sense they are an ethnic sub-group of the Frisians from North Frisia and on Heligoland....
became direct subjects of the Danish king and fought for him against the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
. However they succeeded in gaining a large-scale autonomy in the Middle Ages. They were exempt from the Code of Jutland
Codex Holmiensis
Codex Holmiensis is the manuscript of the Danish Code of Jutland, a civil code enacted under Valdemar II of Denmark. The code covered Funen and Jutland down to the Eider River....
of 1241 and were allowed to judge according to Frisian law (see also Lex Frisionum
Lex Frisionum
Lex Frisionum, the "Law Code of the Frisians", was recorded in Latin during the reign of Charlemagne, after the year 785, when the Frankish conquest of Frisia was completed by the final defeat of the Frisian king Radboud. The law code covered the region of the Frisians...
).
When Eric IV of Denmark
Eric IV of Denmark
Eric IV, also known as Eric Ploughpenny , was king of Denmark from 1241 until his death in 1250. He was the son of King Valdemar II of Denmark by his wife, Infanta Berengária of Portugal, and brother to King Abel and King Christopher I.-Early life:...
tried to collect the plogpennig, a tax of one penny on every plow, in the Uthlande as well, he was forced to leave the area after having lost a number of knights due to resistance against the new tax law. His brother, killer and successor Abel even lost the greatest part of his army and his life when he tried to again enforce the plogpennig in Frisia in 1252.
In 1261 the city of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
signed a peace treaty with Utlandia but it is unclear whether this meant only the three Hundreds of Eiderstedt
Eiderstedt
Eiderstedt is a peninsula in the district of Nordfriesland in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein.-Overview:It is approximately 30 km in length and 15 km in width and has been created through diking from three islands: Eiderstedt around Tönning, Utholm around Tating, and...
or the entire Uthlande. Until 1284, central administrative powers had become established in a way that Valdemar IV, Duke of Schleswig
Valdemar IV, Duke of Schleswig
Valdemar IV Eriksøn was Duke of Schleswig from 1283 until his death in 1312. He was the eldest son of Duke Eric I of Schleswig and Margaret of Rugia.-Early life:At the death of his father Duke Eric I in 1272, Valdemar was only about 10 years old...
was able to contract a treaty with Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
in the name of the Frisians.
Hundreds of the Uthlande
During the Middle Ages, the following Hundreds (Harden) were part of the Uthlande:- Bökingharde (approximately the area of the modern BökinghardeBökinghardeBökingharde was an amt in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It was situated on the North Sea coast, approx. 35 km northwest of Husum. Its seat was in Risum-Lindholm...
), today a part of the mainland - Horsbüllharde (approximately the area of the modern WiedinghardeWiedinghardeWiedingharde was an amt in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It was situated on the North Sea coast and on the border with Denmark. Its seat was in Neukirchen...
), today a part of the mainland - Wiriksharde (approximately the area of Hallig Langeness)
- Beltringsharde (north-eastern part of Strand), mostly submerged
- Föhr Osterharde (approximately the eastern part of FöhrFöhrFöhr is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Föhr is the second-largest North Sea island of Germany....
), still an island - Föhr Westerharde (approximately the western part of Föhr plus AmrumAmrumAmrum is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German North Sea coast, south of Sylt and west of Föhr. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein...
), still on two islands - Pellwormharde (southwestern part of Strand, roughly modern-day PellwormPellwormPellworm is one of the North Frisian Islands on the North Sea coast of Germany. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Its area is 37 km², and its population is roughly 1,200....
), island, partly submerged - Edomsharde (southern part of Strand including the submerged town of RungholtRungholtRungholt was a wealthy city in Nordfriesland, northern Germany. It sank beneath the waves when a storm tide in the North Sea tore through the area on January 16, 1362....
), mostly submerged today - Lundbergharde (south-eastern part of Strand, approximately modern NordstrandNordstrand, GermanyNordstrand is a peninsula and former island in North Frisia on the North Sea coast of Germany. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Its area is 50 km², and its population is 2,300...
), today a peninsula - SyltSyltSylt is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the largest island in North Frisia...
, still an island - Eiderstedt (eastern part of today's EiderstedtEiderstedtEiderstedt is a peninsula in the district of Nordfriesland in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein.-Overview:It is approximately 30 km in length and 15 km in width and has been created through diking from three islands: Eiderstedt around Tönning, Utholm around Tating, and...
peninsula) - Evershop (north-western part of modern EiderstedtEiderstedtEiderstedt is a peninsula in the district of Nordfriesland in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein.-Overview:It is approximately 30 km in length and 15 km in width and has been created through diking from three islands: Eiderstedt around Tönning, Utholm around Tating, and...
including WesterheverWesterheverWesterhever is a municipality in Nordfriesland in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.-Geography:Westerhever lies on the northwestern tip of the Eiderstedt Peninsula...
, then an island), today a peninsula - Utholm (south-western part of modern EiderstedtEiderstedtEiderstedt is a peninsula in the district of Nordfriesland in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein.-Overview:It is approximately 30 km in length and 15 km in width and has been created through diking from three islands: Eiderstedt around Tönning, Utholm around Tating, and...
including Sankt Peter-OrdingSankt Peter-OrdingSankt Peter-Ording is a very popular German seaside spa and a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the only German seaside resort that has a sulphur spring and thus terms itself "North Sea healing spa and sulphur spring". By overnight stays, St...
, then an island), today a peninsula
This list of areas varies according to sources and years and the shape of the coastline has considerable changed during the last centuries. Important sources include the Danish Census Book
Danish Census Book
The Danish Census Book or the Danish book of land taxation , from the 13th Century consist of notes for practical use in the Royal Chancery of Valdemar II containing a collection of information on Royal income and Royal land property. The book is one of the most important sources of information...
of king Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime...
, and historicising maps by Johannes Mejer (printed in 1652). In the Census Book there is a separate list of all inhabited islands of the west coast. The three placenames Gaestaenacka, Hwaelae major and Hwaelae minor that are mentioned there cannot be found and confirmed today. A common assumption that these place lay west off Strand and were destroyed in 14th century storm surges is wrong though. They are in fact faulty transcriptions by a scribe who tried to translate the names of DeStrand, Eydaerstath and Hewerschop into Latin language.