Fogd
Fogd (in Norwegian; also Norwegian fut, Danish foged, Swedish fogde, Finnish vouti) is a historical Scandinavian official title, translated as bailiff, relating to the administration of bailiwicks. He was in charge of the administration and collection of taxes on behalf of the government, either in a rural area or in a town.
Etymology and history
The word fogd came to
Responsibilities
The bailiff had police and prosecution powers and collected taxes and fines in a district.[1] For a time, the bailiff was also responsible for keeping track of foreigners. The bailiff issued and controlled passports.
In Sweden, with
The feudal lords (Norwegian: lensherrene) in Norway had bailiffs under them who collected taxes and fines and were responsible for maintaining order. Initially they were the personal servants of the lord, but by the early 17th century they had been transferred to the service of the king.[7] The bailiff had great power in the village council (bygdeting). At the parliament in Oslo, lay judges from a village in Eastern Norway complained about a bailiff who had come with a Swedish woman and threatened them: "Here is a woman I should have judgment on today." But the procedural rule in Norwegian law required two concurring witnesses to find someone guilty, and the bailiffs had not seen the woman before and had no opportunity to summon any witnesses and deal with the case according to the law.[8]
In 1497,
Between 1518 and 1521, large additional taxes were levied, and the peasants protested in parliament. They were supported by the bishop, who complained that the lord Hans Mule of Akershus Fortress was allowing his bailiff to plunder pilgrims. The lord of Bergenhus appeared armed at the Thing and levied an extra tax equivalent to 10% wealth tax. If there was no available money, he seized tapestries and boats. In the summer of 1521, the bailiff was killed at the court in Nordhordland. Christian II cracked down hard on the peasants, and several of the rebel leaders were executed. In 1526, farmers in Rogaland killed the lord's men and refused to pay taxes.[10]
In 1540, farmers from Raabyggelaget gathered "to kill all bailiffs and lensmenn".[11] With a huge club with sharp spikes, they made their way from Setesdal to Nedenes and killed the bailiff Nils Skredder there. Then they went towards Kvinesdal, but the lord Stig Bagge was not home. His men later captured the farmers and executed four of them. The leader described the "Hun army", a popular tradition about Attila's Huns 1,500 years earlier.[12] The story of the Hun army came to life again during the Hatter's Feud at Hønefoss in 1851.[10]
Recent times
In Norway, the bailiff's dealings with the municipalities and participation in the county council were abolished by an 1894 act on the reorganization of the civil service. The posts of bailiff were abolished in 1894. Instead, the posts of county treasurer and chief of police were created. Between 1888 and 1919, the office of bailiff was completely abolished.[13] Some tasks were transferred to the magistrate (sorenskriver ) and sheriff. According to the National Chairmanship Act, the county governor (amtmann), bailiff, magistrate and lensmann were excluded from election to the chairmanship in their own service district. The county governor and bailiff could not be elected as representatives, and chairmen were also excluded from this election.[14][15]
The last city bailiff's office in Norway, Oslo city bailiff's office (Oslo byfogdembete ), was headed by a magistrate called a city bailiff (byfogd) until 2006. Oslo byfogdembete was then headed by a sorenskriver until the merger with Oslo District Court on 26 April 2021.[16]
From 2008, the tax bailiffs (skattefogdene) were merged with the tax offices. The Act relating to Children and Parents designates a state agency called the grant bailiff (bidragsfogden). This function is the responsibility of the Labour and Welfare Service.[15]
The bailiff in popular memory: "Futen, the devil"
In Scandinavian folk tradition, the fut (bailiff) was a brutal and ruthless collector and enforcer of the authority granted to him by the king or local landlord. In fairy tales, he was the worst character[17] and often compared to the wolf. The bailiff is a figure in Peter Christian Asbjørnsen's Fanden og futen, printed in Norwegian Folktales. The office of fut was also the most risky office a Dane could hold in Norway – in the early stages of the Danish–Norwegian Union era, several of them were killed by offended and enraged peasants. The heavy tax burden was also the cause of numerous local rebellions.
The bailiff is also a character in several of Ludvig Holberg's plays, including Jeppe on the Hill and Erasmus Montanus.
See also
References
Notes
- ^ a b ""fogd"". Bokmålsordboka (in Norwegian). Language Council of Norway and University of Bergen. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ "advocate". www.etymonline.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ "Fogd". Leksikon:Fogd – lokalhistoriewiki.no. Norsk historisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ISBN 978-82-489-1569-0.
- ^ "Husaby". Nordisk familjebok (in Swedish) (Uggleupplagan ed.). 1909. p. 1338. Archived from the original on 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2023-04-27 – via Project Runeberg.
- ^ "fogde". Förvaltningshistorisk ordbok (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2022-10-30. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- OCLC 481786306.
- ^ Ersland & Sandvik 2008, p. 235.
- ^ Ersland & Sandvik 2008, p. 198.
- ^ a b Ersland & Sandvik 2008, p. 199.
- Dansk biografisk lexikon (in Danish). Vol. I. Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag. 1887. p. 417. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27 – via Project Runeberg.
- OCLC 873294108.
- ^ "Fogd". kildenett.no (in Norwegian). 2014-06-06. Archived from the original on 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ "Velgere, valgordning, valgte. NOU 2001: 3". Kommunal- og regionaldepartementet (in Norwegian). 2001-01-30. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ a b "Fogd". National Archival Services of Norway. Archived from the original on 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ "Oslo byfogdembete". Oslo Byleksikon (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ Møller, Jon (2021-01-14). "Typiske trekk ved eventyr - Norsk (PB)". Nasjonal Digital Læringsarena (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
Sources
- Ersland, Geir Atle; Sandvik, Hilde (2008). 1300–1625: Eit rike tek form. Norsk historie (in Norwegian Nynorsk). Hilde Sandvik (3rd ed.). Oslo: Det Norske Samlaget. p. 235. OCLC 247746220.
- "fögderi". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish).
- "fogde". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish).
- "Häradsfogde". Nordisk familjebok (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). 1910 – via Project Runeberg.
- "Kronofogde". Nordisk familjebok (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). 1911 – via Project Runeberg.
External links
- Munch, P. A. (1862). Det norske Folks Historie, 1355–1371 (in Norwegian). Faſte Slotte – via WikiSource.