The East Frisian chieftains (German: Häuptlinge, Low German: hovetlinge / hovedlinge) assumed positions of power in East Frisia during the course of the 14th century, after the force of the old, egalitarian constitution from the time of Frisian Freedom had markedly waned.

East Frisia was not under any centralised rule, as was common elsewhere at the time of feudalism during the Middle Ages. By the 12th and 13th centuries the "free Frisians" as they called themselves had organised themselves into quasi-cooperative parishes (Landesgemeinden), in which every member had equal rights, at least in principle. This fundamental equality applied to all owners of farmsteads and their attached estates in their respective villages and church parishes.^[1] The public offices of the judges or Redjeven (Latin: consules) were appointed by annual elections. In practice, several nobiles stood out amongst these universitas: the public offices were frequently occupied by members of large and wealthy families. From the 13th century, the status symbols of these nobiles were stone houses (stins, the precursors of the later chieftains' castles) as well as small armies of mercenaries (Söldnerheere).