The Counts of Oldenburg had been targeting the Frisian lands for a long time! But this Count Gerd! He is unpredictable and bossy! And a mighty warrior too! He messed with all of his neighbors, including of course the East Frisians. Not far from here he recently built a new castle: Neuenburg. And when the foundation stone was laid, he is said to have exclaimed: “Dat de Fresen de Bammel slae!” - that the Frisians became afraid and anxious. Since a long time many Frisian chiefs had to submit to the Counts of Oldenburg and swear loyalty to them. But now the time has come when we will probably have to give up our independence for good. Gerd made me an offer that I couldn't refuse. He wants to buy the rule from me in such a way that I pay homage to him and appoint him as heir to my rule. I dare not arouse Count Gerd's anger. Therefore, I, Hayo, will probably be the last of the Frisian chiefs in Varel.

The Oldenburg counts already owned property in Rüstringen in their early days. Their first burial place is said to have been in the monastery of Jadeleh, which today lies under the waters of the Jade Bay. From the 12th century the count's rule was consolidated further south in the Ammerland and they settled down in Oldenburg as their main castle. At the same time a largely equal community of land-owning farmers was established throughout the country of Friesland. During this time of Frisian freedom, the people of Rüstringen also belonged to this alliance. The center of it was called the “Upstalsboom”, an old burial mound near the city of Aurich, where the emissaries of the seven provinces of Friesland met at Pentecost and disputes among the alliance partners arbitrated. However, in the 14th century this time was over. In East Frisia, different chieftains fought for power and a large part of Rüstringen was submerged in the waters of the North Sea. Varel was thus wedged between expanding Oldenburg in the south and the warlike chiefs and the Jade Bay in the north. Under these circumstances, it was not surprising that the chiefs in Varel were repeatedly dependent on the goodwill of the Oldenburg counts and had to submit. In 1465, Hayo paid homage to Count Gerd of Oldenburg, whom posterity often named “the brave one” or “the warlike one”. And in 1481, with the death of the chief, control finally passed to the Counts of Oldenburg. The chief's castle next to the church became a count's fortification, which was later converted into a palace.