A ''Stodderkonge'' ("beggar king" or "vagrant king") was an official in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

during the 16th to 19th centuries who was appointed to supervise the

beggar Begging (also known in North America as panhandling) is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a beggar or panhandler. Beggars m ...

s within a town or city quarter. Only beggars with begging permits were allowed to beg and it was the ''Stodderkonge's'' responsibility to ensure that those without a permit were chased out of town or placed to work in the

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

.''Stodderkongen''
at kbhsmuseum.podbean.com.
2nd edn., Vol. XXII, p. 373 These 'beggar kings' were sometimes unpopular, as beggars were considered to be scroungers. In addition, there were examples of beggar kings who, together with the strongest of the beggars in one area, formed a band that kept other beggars out. The beggars in the band paid the beggar king their income in return for not being expelled. The duties of the beggar king were later transferred to the

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

department itself, and the special function of the beggar king lapsed in most places from the late 18th century onwards. In recent times, the word has taken on a new meaning, in that among the Danish vagabonds each year, a beggar king is chosen in connection with the Egeskov Market. One of the duties of the beggar king is to enact

justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

among the vagabonds and settle disputes.

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Stodderkonge''
entry in the ''Ordbog Over Det Dansk Sprog'' ictionary of the Danish language Poverty in Europe Scandinavian titles Medieval titles