The ''Burgvogt'' was the administrator of a castle in the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
.
[Dimitz (2013), p. 346.]
Duties and powers
The ''Burgvogt'' organized life in a castle, its general operation, husbandry and military defence. He was also in charge of jurisdiction within a castle district, i.e. within the castle and the surrounding area belonging to it. His office was known as a ''Burgvogtei''.
[Ebers (1796), pp. 502–503.]
History
Castles had been administered since the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...
by castle commanders, captains or governors (''Burghauptmänner''), also known as castellans (''Kastellane''). This led to the development of the terms ''Burgvoigt'', the man specifically in charge of organisation and jurisdiction, and ''Burggraf'' (English:
burgrave
Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from , ), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especially a royal or episcopal castle, and its territory called a ''Burgraviate'' or ''Burgr ...
), who ruled over the wider territory around a castle, the ''Burggrafschaft'' (English:
burgraviate
Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from , ), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especially a royal or episcopal castle, and its territory called a ''Burgraviate'' or ''Burgra ...
).
[
The title of ''Burgvogt'' retained its importance after the Middle Ages, as an influential administrator of a castle or palace, until around the end of the 18th century.
In the present day, the term ''Burgvogt'' is still used in German-speaking countries as the term for the administrator of a castle, usually one that serves tourist purposes.
]
References
{{Reflist
Literature
* Dimitz, August (2013). ''History of Carniola Volume III: From Ancient Times to the Year 1813'', Volume 3, tr. by Andrew J. Witter. Slovenian Genealogy Society International.
* Ebers, John (1796), ''The New and Complete Dictionary of the German and English Languages'', Volume 1. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Haertel.
External links
Burgvogt
Alemannic pages
Burgvogt
in the ''Deutsches Rechtswörterbuch'' (DRW).
German feudalism
Judges
Medieval titles
Titles of nobility of the Holy Roman Empire
Historical legal occupations