The history of Aurich dates back to the 13th century, when the settlement of "Aurechove" was mentioned in a Frisian document called the "Brokmerbrief" in 1276. In 1517, Count Edzard from the House of Cirksena began rebuilding the town after an attack. He established the town centre, which is still in place today. In 1539, the land authorities were brought together in Aurich, making it the county capital and, later, East Frisia, remaining the seat of the land authorities when East Frisia was inherited by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1744. After the Prussian Army was defeated in the Battle of Jena in 1807, Aurich became part of the Kingdom of Holland in 1808. In 1810, the Kingdom of Holland was annexed by France and Aurich was made the capital of the department Ems-Oriental of the First French Empire. After Napoleon was defeated in 1814, it passed to the Kingdom of Hanover in 1815, and then was annexed by Prussia in 1866 and made part of the Province of Hanover.