Ealdorman

In the Anglo-Saxon-Danish system of rule established in early England from the 9th to the 11th centuries , the Ealdorman ( German  Aldermann , Latinized form : comes ) was at the head of a Shire (= county), the most important administrative unit of the former Anglo-Saxon sub-empires. Together with the respective bishop , he chaired the county court and, in the event of war, commanded the county's contingent, which he reinforced as a powerful landowner through his often extensive personal following.

He was also a member of the Witenagemot , the council of the greats of the country. As a Witan , he was an advisor in all important questions of royal rule and exerted influence on the election of a king. The Ealdorman always belonged to the high nobility and was often related to the royal family. According to his name, he was a royal official who was installed in his office by the king, but who could also be dismissed by him. In the late period, several Shires were often grouped under one Ealdorman, so that this position was increasingly upgraded until they almost achieved the rank of duke (Nordic Jarl , derived Earl ) under King Canute .

One of the most famous Ealdormen / Earls is probably Harald Godwinson of Wessex, who later became Harald II.

See also

• Elder man for designation in Germany, primarily for the Hanseatic trading branches, the voting participants at the regional days of the Hanseatic cities and the heads of a guild .
• Parents in Bremen as spokespersons or heads of the merchants.

literature

• Henry Royston Loyn:  Ealdorman. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 6, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1986, ISBN 3-11-010468-7 , pp. 321–322.
• Karl-Friedrich Krieger a. a .: History of England from the beginning to the 15th century . 3rd edition Beck, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-406-33004-5 .