Land Kehdingen

Land Kehdingen lies on the left bank of the Elbe, downstream from Stade to the river’s mouth. It was settled in the 13th century and was largely autonomous until the early 16th century when the Archbishopric of Bremen asserted full control.

 

Kehdingen was informally divided into two sections–Bützfleth in the south and Freiburg in the north—which I recognize as smaller subdivisions. In 1746, the areas in the Bützfleth Anteil most severely affected by a 1717 flood were separated into a new Amt to facilitate royal administration of the recovery efforts. The Amt was officially Amt Kehdingen, but was also called Amt Wischhafen–a name I adopt to distinguish it from the rest of the original Gericht.