FRISIANS. The Frisians (Lat. Frisii), an ancient Teutonic race, dwelt in the n.w. of Germany. The origin of the name is lost in antiquity, though traditions, collected and written in 47tet oera Linda Doh, in the 13th c., say that the F. came out of India, and that Fr a, the mother of the race, was white as snow. The F. are mentioned by Tacitus and Pliny, and occupied the country between the middle arm of the Rhine, which fell into the sea at Katwyk, to the Ems or the Weser. Along with the Batavi, the Bructeri, and the Chauci, the F. became subject to Rome under Drusus, and for a time remained faithful ; but, in 28 A.D., these German tribes were driven to hostilities by the oppression of-the 'Imam. and although partially subdued; they again rebelled, 70 A.D., under Claudius Civilis, a Batavian, who made a bold but unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Roman power in German Gaul. When at a later period the Batavi were absorbed by the Franks, and with them moved southwards, the F. took possession of the abandoned districts, and occupied the country from the islands of the Scheldt to the Ems or Weser, so that the Netherlands, except some French and Saxon colonies, were peculiarly Frisian. These formed two branches, the one dwelling W. of the Zuiderzee, and the other e. of it. The Frisii of the s.w. were brought under the Franks by Pepin d'Heristal, who defeated them (689), and compelled them to embrace Christianity. The eastern branch (785) was subdued by Charlem. 6 .e, who sent Chris tian teachers to preach the gospel to them, and who (802) defined their rights by the Lex Fria-ionum.
Later, the districts now called Friesland were reduced to their present limited boundaries by the formation of the hereditary courtships of Holland, Zealand, Gueldres cum Zutphen, and the bishopric of Utrecht cum Yssel. Friesland was independent, and ruled by potentates chosen by the nation and endowed with limited powers, from 802 to 1498. The counts of Holland coveted the sovereignty of Friesland, and internal discord at length gave the emperor of Germany a pretext for placing duke Albert of Saxony (1498) as hereditary potentate. His son resigned the right, for a sum of money,
to Charles V., who became lord of Friesland as of the rest of the Netherlands. After the revolution in the 16th c., the F. had a stadthOlder of the house of Nassau-Dietz. Several of these fell in the contest for freedom. Count John William Friso became prince of Orange on the death of William III. His son, William Karel Hendrik Friso, became stadtbolder of the seven united districts. The F. are brave, attached to tligir manners and customs, upright, open-hearted, and intelligent. Their language is closely allied to the old Anglo-Saxon. The favorite poet of the peasantry is Gysbert Japiks. There is a set of laws for the F., composed about 1200, and a complete collection of the laws still extant was published by Richthofen • (Fries ReehtSquellen, Gott. 1840). A Frisian society of history, antiquity, and language, at Leeuwarden, has done much to promote a revival of Frisian literature. Among the historical writers may he mentioned Simon Abbes Gabbema, 1628-51; Petrus Wierdsma, 1729-1811; Foeke Sjoerds, 1713-70, etc. Since the 15th c., the Frisian language has gradually given place to the Dutch. It is used by the peasantry, and not in the schools,or churches. Dutch is generally spoken in the towns. Efforts have been made to revive the Frisian by publishing the best specimens of the literature, annuals, etc. Among these are the poetical works of Gysbert Japiks, with a Friesch-Dutch dictionary of the words, and Thet oera Linda Bok, edited and translated by Dr. Ottema, the authenticity of which, like Ossian's poems, has been'disputed. The best Frisian dictionaries are the Woordenbook (1874), and Richthofen's Altfriesisehes Worterbuch (1840).