Origin of the free lordship The isolated position of
Ameland meant that it could easily be taken in the later
Middle Ages, when the
Counts of Holland wanted to conquer
Friesland west of the
Lauwers, consisting of
Westergoa,
Eastergoa and
Bornegoa. In 1398, the Count
Albert I of Holland leased Ameland and
Het Bildt to
Arnold I of Egmond, lord of
IJsselstein. In 1445, the declaration of
Hartwerd confirmed that Ameland had no ties with
Ferwerderadeel or the rest of Friesland. The
Egmonts would remain
feudal lords of Ameland until 1670. However, the actual power was in the hands of the
Camminghas. A lawsuit that the Egmonts brought against the Camminghas came to nothing; no verdict was given.
Ameland under the Van Cammingha's From 1424,
Ritske Jelmera Cammingha acted as representative of the people of Ameland. He proclaimed himself 'lord of Ameland', which as such formed a 'Free or
Allodial Lordship', and concluded an agreement with the Count of Holland in 1429. The Camminghas had a rather remarkable feudal ideology and instituted exceptional laws and punishments. There was therefore no real freedom for the population. For example, cat owners had to cut off the ears of their pets so that, as was claimed, these cats would not be able to enter rabbit holes. When the
Burgundian Circle was founded in 1512, Ameland was not part of it; it remained part of the
Westphalian Circle. However, it was not part of
Friesland or
Holland, but was an independent part of the
Holy Roman Empire. It remained neutral in both the
Eighty Years' War and the
First Anglo-Dutch War.
Property of the Prince of Orange Although Holland, Friesland and the Holy Roman Emperor disputed this quasi-independent status, the island remained a free lordship until 1680, when the Ameland branch of the Cammingha family died out. The island came to the family, who sold it in 1704 to
Henriëtte Amalia of Anhalt-Dessau, through whom it came to the
Orange-Nassaus.
Annexation by the Batavian Republic In 1795, Ameland lost its independence. Its rights as an allodial lordship were abolished, and representatives of the province of Friesland regarded Ameland as conquered territory and took over the administration. However, they encountered much opposition, and the administration was carefully concealed. It was not until 1801 that Ameland became part of the
Batavian Republic and was incorporated into the Department of Friesland. After the French period and the foundation of the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815, the island became part of the province of Friesland, and its status as a lordship was partly restored. Ameland became a grietenij, the Frisian predecessor of the municipality, of Friesland, and when the municipal law was introduced, the grietenijen became municipalities. The kings and queens of the Netherlands still maintain the title of 'Lord of Ameland' today. == See also ==