The Counts and Princes of East Frisia from the noble East Frisian family Cirksena descended from a line of East Frisian chieftains from Greetsiel. The county came in to existence when Emperor Frederick III raised Ulrich I the son of a local chieftain to the status of Imperial Count in 1464.
The most important ruler from the House of Cirksena was Edzard the Great (1462–1528), under whose leadership the Imperial County of East Frisia reached its greatest extent. During his reign the Reformation spread throughout East Frisia.
In 1654 the Cirksena were elevated to princes by the emperor. Charles Edzard, the last ruler from the House of Cirksena, died without issue during the night of 25/26 May 1744 (reportedly from a glass of buttermilk, which is said to have drunk after a hunt). Immediately thereafter, the county passed to King Frederick II of Prussia.
| Name (Lifespan) | Reign | Title | Note | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulrich I (*around 1408; †25 or 26 September 1466) |
1464–1466 | Count | First Count of East Frisia. Emperor Frederick III raised Ulrich to the status of Imperial Count in 1464. | |||
| Theda Ukena (*1432; †16 November 1494) |
1466–1491 | Regent | Widow of Ulrich I, as regent for Enno I. | |||
| Edzard I the Great (*1461; †14 February 1528) |
1491–1528 | Count | The son of Ulrich I and Theda Ukena. | |||
| Enno II (*1505; †24 September 1540) |
1528–1540 | Count | The son of Edzard I. | |||
| Anna of Oldenburg (*14 November 1501; †24 September 1575) |
1540–1561 | Regent | Widow of Enno II. | |||
| Johan II (*29 September 1538; †29 September 1591) |
1561–1591 | Count | The son of Enno II and Anna of Oldenburg ruled together with his brother Edzard II. | |||
| Edzard II (*24 June 1532; †1 March 1599) |
1561–1599 | Count | The son of Enno II and Anna of Oldenburg. | |||
| Enno III (*30 September 1563; †19 August 1625) |
1599–1625 | Count | The son of Edzard II. | |||
| Rudolf Christian (*2 June 1602; †17 April 1628) |
1625–1628 | Count | The son of Enno III. | |||
| Ulrich II (*6 July 1605; †1 November 1648) |
1628–1648 | Count | The son of Enno III. | |||
| Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt (*14 April 1606; †15 January 1659) |
1648–1651 | Regent | Widow of Ulrich II | |||
| Enno Louis (*29 October 1632; †4 April 1660) |
1651–1660 | Count, after 1654 Fürst (Prince) | The son of Ulrich II and Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt. | |||
| George Christian (*6 February 1634; †6 June 1665) |
1660–1665 | Fürst (Prince) | Second son of Ulrich II and Juliana of Hesse-Darmstadt. | |||
| Christine Charlotte of Württemberg (*21. October 1645; †16. May 1699) |
1665–1690 | Regent | Widow of George Christian. | |||
| Christian Everhard (*1 October 1665; †30 June 1708) |
1690–1708 | Fürst (Prince) | The son of Georg Christian and Christine Charlotte of Württemberg. | |||
| George Albert (*13 June 1690; †12 June 1734) |
1708–1734 | Fürst (Prince) | The son of Christian Everhard. | |||
| Charles Edzard (*18 June 1716; †25 May 1744) |
1734–1744 | Fürst (Prince) | The son of Georg Albrecht and the last Fürst of East Frisia of the House of Cirksena. He died without issue. | |||
| After the death of the last Prince of East Frisia, the county passed to King Frederick II of Prussia. | ||||||