LL-L "History" 2008.05.20 (01) [E/LS]

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L O W L A N D S - L  - 20 May 2008 - Volume 01
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From: jonny <jonny.meibohm at arcor.de>
Subject: LL-L "History" 2008.05.19 (01) [E]

Beste Ron,

you asked:

> Doesn't immigration from what are now the Netherlands figure into this at
some point too?
From AD 1168 till 1178 there had been an Archbishop *Baldwin from
Holland*in Bremen- he was the direct follower of
*Hartwig von Stade*, the last Earl (Markgraf) von Stade, who donated his
'Markgrafschaft' to the Archbisdom of Bremen. Baldwin may have started to
call 'Hollandish' settlers into the region, but I am not sure about this.
Assured knowledge about Dutch settlers dates into the 13th century.

> What about a possible Frisian element? Erstwhile Frisian-speaking presence
is definitely attested all the way from what is now Belgium to > Land
Wursten at the southern end of the mouth of the Elbe, on the island of
Heligoland off the mouth of the Elbe and then again north of
> Dithmarschen into the southwest of what is now the Danish part of the
Jutland Peninsula.

Sorry- but Land Wursten is situated at the Weser river ;-)!
Yes- the Frisian element came very early. Some historians refer to the fact
that, after a good part of the Saxons had left the coastal areas and sailed
to Britain (mainly in the 5th and 6th century), the Frisians used the vacuum
and spread along the whole coast. But for my opinion this did not take place
before the 9th/10th century, ergo *after* Charlemagne had defeated the
Saxons. Charles had made some special contract with the Frisians, so they
hadn't anything to fear from the Francs.
But except of Wursten (the name refers to 'Wurth-Friesen', related to E
'wharf', but here meaning 'dwelling mound') and what now is called Northern
Friesland they came in small numbers and made small settlements, probably
arm in arm with the Saxons from the neighbourhood. I think they merged with
the natives within short time, but possibly left some influence in our
regional language (what hardly can be proven because of the above mentioned
later waves of 'Hollandish' settlers).
Summa summarum: the people here always felt themselves explicitly to be
'free Saxons'.

You mention 'Büsum' as a possibly Frisian settlement, and you're probably
right with your guess. A village close to my home is named 'Belum' and is
referred as 'Bedelem' in ancient time, which shift is aspected to be typical
for Frisian location names. There are some additional hints that this place
could be a very early but small colony of the Frisians.
BTW: The whole sub-region formerly was called 'De Neddern Landen' ('The
Netherlands') and was situated on both sides of the mouth of the Oste river
(a southern feeder of the Elbe river). The inhabitants were no friends of
the Archbishop of Bremen, too...

Allerbest!

Jonny Meibohm

(PS: Dat slayt all meist in't Aosen mit sou eyn neyschierigen Keyrl as Di
;-)! Kaomst knapp noch tou 'n Slaopen bi...)
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