castellan
The Castellan (in the 13th century Middle High German Kastelán , from medieval Latin castellanus , belonging to the castle ', from Latin castellum , castle', French "châtelain") is an inspector of a larger estate, for. B. a castle , a palace or a palace . The distinction between related official names such as burgrave , castle vogt , castle or castle captain is less in the tasks than in the geographical and temporal context.
Middle Ages and early modern times
tasks
Starting from the command over a castle (Latin castellum ) in the early Middle Ages , the functions and dignities then developed in different directions. In the German-speaking area, the castellans were either imperial officials (burgraves) or princely servants who were in command and who administered a specific jurisdiction in the castle or town and in the associated area. From the Renaissance onwards, the castellan was also the name of the decision maker (overseer) in a castle.
Castellany
A castellany was a district administered by a castellan. Castellans existed in most European countries in the Middle Ages until they were replaced by more modern forms of administrative organization .
The castellany comprised the castle district, the land in the vicinity of a permanent castle (fort) that was owned by the sovereign. The castellan exercised rule and jurisdiction there in the name of the sovereign, he was responsible for the army administration of the district.
Temporal and country-specific features
Franconian Empire
In the early medieval Frankish empire, the houseman or majordomo, who administered the royal seat, ultimately outstripped the king in power and became king in his place, had a prominent role compared to other castellans .
Western Europe
In Flanders and France there were areas with whose possession the title of castellan ( French châtelain ) was connected. They exercised civil and military authority until their power was later restricted.
Poland
In Poland , too, at the beginning of the formation of the state in the 10th and 11th centuries, castellans were in charge of the castles ( Polish grody , in the Latin official language castella ) and exercised them in terms of warfare and jurisdiction. The title castellan (Polish kasztelan ) remained after the abolition of the castellanias and the introduction of voivodships as a purely honorary title for nobles until 1795.
Switzerland
In Switzerland there were many names for the post of provincial governor , so Kastlan in the Bernese Oberland , Tschachtlan (in Simmental , borrowed from the Middle French chatelein ), governor ( Wallis ), Balivo , commissario ( Ticino ) and more.
Present function
In the present day castellans are state or private employees who regulate the administrative affairs of a castle on site. Most of the time, they are also charged with conducting guided tours and conducting scientific research.
The term castellan is also used today in the sense of a caretaker of public buildings living in the house.
Kastellan as a family name
Like many other professional and official titles, castellan became a family name that exists in different spelling variants. Like other family names derived from high offices (examples: king, bishop), the name castellan is not necessarily inherited from a public official, but instead possibly from a serf of a castellan.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Guido Castelnuovo: Kastlan. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ^ Waltraud Hörsch: Landvogt [Obervogt, Vogt]. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ a b castellan. In: Appointed. Federal Employment Agency, accessed on April 18, 2015 .