Mayor (historical)

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The mayor was not always the head of a town or a village municipality, but a representative of the citizenship under the mayor appointed by the village or town lord . In one village, this usually came from the peasant upper class and usually remained in office for life. He led the community meetings and presided over the village court .

Mayor of an Electoral Palatinate village in the 16th century

In the community there were two mayors, a mayor in court and a mayor in the Gemeind , next to the village court and counsel, both together with 18 members, which one achtzehender called. If they were not in debt, they would, like the mayor, stay in office for life. Those who were elected to the council by the villagers were elected judges , because the village court was complemented from among the councilors.

The mayor in the council is identical to the mayor in the court . He should bring everything that seems important to him to the court. He had to see to it that all orders from his superiors and all decisions of the court were carried out immediately and completely. When he left the village, he had to appoint another judge to represent him.

The mayor in the community was responsible for security and order. He supervised the night watch, and observance of the corridor rules was also his responsibility. He had to report any possible damage in the village, within the village fence or in the corridors , to the mayor and carry out his instructions immediately.

Once a year, at Christmas, new mayors were elected and the village rules were read out to the whole community (all residents) to remind them of their obligation to give notice .

In the presence of the mayor, a complaint was made to the mayor, who investigated the case and gave the result of his investigation to the court. He might have to collect the fine . If, through his fault, the violation of village law was not atoned for, he had to pay the fine himself at the end of his year in office.

Both mayors should demonstrate the completion of the tasks entrusted to them and the execution of the orders received in the annual audit. If the citizens did not confirm this or if a mistake they had made was later discovered, then they had to pay a heavy fine and repair the damage at their own expense.

All municipal offices were unpaid honorary offices. As a perk, the mayors received a small contribution from the community towards their wages for the community pastor .

literature

  • Gerhard Kiesow (arrangement): Schluchtern. An Electoral Palatinate village in the 16th century. Source texts edited and commented. BoD, Norderstedt 2004, ISBN 978-3833405181 , pp. 89-98.