A ''pfleger'' was a

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

office holder 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 ...

, a type of

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 ...

or ''

vogt An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

'', who was responsible for the management and defence of a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

. In Bavaria there was also the title of ''pflegskommissär'', given to someone who represented a ''pfleger'' as required (in the sense of a "commissarial" or "acting" ''pfleger''). In the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

the ''pfleger'' developed into an official with administrative and juridical tasks. In the Old Empire, i.e. the

Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation 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 ...

until its dissolution in 1806, a church parish (''Kirchspiel'') or a

captaincy A captaincy ( , , ) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish colonies, Spanish and Portuguese colonies, Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule admin ...

(Hauptmannschaft; Hauptmann = captain) was usually the lowest level of administration. In the

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

, however, larger parishes were sometimes subdivided into '' Honnschaften''. Several parishes were combined into a ''Pflegamt'', or in the Rhineland a ''Pflege''. In charge of these offices was usually a ''pfleger'' or his representative who, as the administrative officer and

proctor Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: # In law, a proctor is a historica ...

, looked after public law and order and recorded agreements and treaties. For this purpose, ''pfleger'' were often recruited from the ranks of the lower nobility (vassals) in the countryside (''Landadel''). Sometimes there were ''pfleger'' who were promoted from the peasantry to hold office. Formerly the sovereign exercised the functions of the legislature; on his behalf the ''pfleger'' carried out the other two functions in a given area which was e.g. the size of a present-day county or '' Kreis''. The ''pfleger'' thus carried out the functions of today's district administrator and

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...

(in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

until 1918). ''Pfleger'' was also the title given to the head of an '' Amt'' in the administrative hierarchy of the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

. The Teutonic Order was divided into commandries, which in turn consisted of ''Amts''. The ''pfleger'' was basically a Teutonic knight and chief administrative officer of the ''Amt''. At a central location in the ''Amt'' there was always a Teutonic castle or ''

Ordensburg ''Ordensburg'' (plural ''Ordensburgen'') is a German language, German term meaning a "castle of a (military) order". It is used specifically for the fortified structures built by Crusades, crusading German Military order (religious society), m ...

'' where the ''pfleger'' had his seat. The function of the

Roman governor A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many Roman province, provinces constituting the Roman Empire. The generic term in Roman legal language was ''re ...

Quirinius Publius Sulpicius Quirinius (c. 51 BC – AD 21), also translated as Cyrenius, was a Roman aristocrat. After the banishment of the ethnarch Herod Archelaus from the tetrarchy of Judea in AD 6, Quirinius was appointed legate governor of Syria, ...

, in the province of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

was translated by

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

as ''Landpfleger'' (" happened that at the time of the Emperor Augustus, .... when Cyrenius was ''Landpfleger'' of Syria .... ").Lutheran Bible Clearly Luther assumed that at that time people would be familiar with the functions of a ''pfleger''.

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Pfleger'' in the glossary''Pfleger'' in castle terminology
Teutonic Order Medieval titles Law of the Holy Roman Empire