Grand Burgher
A member class within the
In some instances, the Grand Burghers (Großbürger) or patricians ("Patrizier") constituted the ruling class.[1] This was true in autonomous German-speaking cities and towns of Central Europe that held a municipal charter, town privileges (German town law). Grand Burghers also existed as a ruling class in free imperial cities (such as Hamburg, Augsburg, Cologne, and Bern) that held imperial immediacy, or where nobility had no power of authority or supremacy.
Hierarchy
Burghership in general gave a person the right to exist in the territorial jurisdiction of the city-state or town of burghership, be an active member of its society, acquire real estate, pursue their specified economic activity or occupation, access social protection and participate in municipal affaires amongst many other exclusive constitutional rights, privileges, exemptions and immunities, especially that of the "grand" burghership (German: Großbürgerschaft).[1][4]
Grand Burghers held rich historical and cultural roles created and expanded over the decades, including union with other families of the same eminent status and branches of nobility, Grand Burghers were often of such extraordinary wealth and significant economic importance that they far exceeded the wealth and influence of even the most highest-ranking members of nobility, the latter often sought inter-marriage with elite grand-burgher families to maintain their noble lifestyles. The names of the individuals and families is generally known in the city or town where they lived, and in many cases, their ancestors had contributed to regional history. The conferred grand-burghership was in most instances
In Hamburg for example only the Grand Burghers were privileged to full unrestricted freedom of large-scale
Confer of burghership
As with the administration expense for conferring
German Revolution of 1918–19
Following the
Other states, other developments
It seems that this medieval German concept has been taken over by other countries and cities. In Hamburg, hereditary grand and ordinary petty burghership were existing before 1600,[9] and in like manner, France.[2] In 1657 the Dutch council of New Netherland for example established criteria for the rights of burghers in New Amsterdam (present day New York City), distinguishing between "great" and "petty" burgher rights following the distinction made in this regard in Amsterdam 1652.[6] In New Amsterdam during the mid-1600s, the ordinary petty-burghership was conferred at the administration expense of 20 Dutch florins, the hereditary great-burghership 50 fl.[6] 1664 the concept was assumed by Beverwijck (present day Albany).
See also
- Patrician (ancient Rome)
- Patrician (post-Roman Europe)
- Aristocracy (class)
- Gentry
- Hanseaten (class)
- Burgess (title)
- Bourgeoisie
- Bildungsbürgertum
- Estates of the realm
- Franklin (class)
- Junker
- Hereditary title
- Nobility
- National Liberal Party (Germany)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Titel: Lehrbuch des teutschen Privatrechts; Landrecht und Lehnrecht enthaltend. Vom Geheimen Rath Schmalz zu Berlin. Theodor von Schmalz, Berlin, 1818, bei Duncker und Humblot. Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in München. (English: Textbook of German Private Law; containing State Law and Feudal Law. By Privy Counsellor Schmalz of Berlin. Theodor von Schmalz, Berlin, 1818, Duncker and Humblot.) p. 46, 188 et al., in German, Bavarian State Library in Munich.
- ^ a b c Title: The Works of M. de Voltaire (translated from the French with Notes, Historical and Critical by T. Smollett, M.D., T. Francklin, M.A., and Others). Vol. 22, London, Publisher J. Newbery, 1763, General History, of Nobility, p. 155—167.
- ^ a b c Wörterbuch der schweizerdeutschen Sprache, Schweizerisches Idiotikon - Dictionary of the Swiss German Language, Verlag Huber Frauenfeld, Frauenfeld, Switzerland, 1881, Volume IV, Page 1584, in German.
- ^ a b c d Free Trade and its Reception 1815-1960: Freedom and trade, Volume 1, Andrew Marisson, Routledge Explorations in Economic History, London and New York, 1998, p. 110—111.
- ^ Willi Albers, Anton Zottmann, Organisation bis Sozialhilfe und Sozialhilfegesetz, Volume 6 of Handwörterbuch der Wirtschaftswissenschaften (HdWW), 1988, p. 681
- ^ a b c Janny Venema, Beverwijck: a Dutch village on the American frontier, 1652-1664, 2003, p. 107
- ^ ISBN 978-3-640-06933-0
- ^ Matthias Wegner: Hanseaten, Berlin 1999, S. 34: „In Hamburg wurde sehr genau zwischen dem großen und dem kleinen Bürgerrecht unterschieden, und nur wer dank seiner ökonomischen Verhältnisse imstande war, das große Bürgerrecht zu erwerben, verfügte über die uneingeschränkte Handels- und Gewerbefreiheit, durfte in den Senat, die Bürgerschaft und andere Ämter gewählt werden – und das waren nur wenige.“
- ^ a b Mirjam Litten, Bürgerrecht und Bekenntnis: Städtische Optionen zwischen Konfessionalisierung und Säkularisierung in Münster, Hildesheim und Hamburg, 2003, S. 30
Further reading
- Lehrbuch des teutschen Privatrechts; Landrecht und Lehnrecht enthaltend. Vom Geheimen Rath Schmalz zu Berlin. Theodor von Schmalz, Berlin, 1818, bei Duncker und Humblot. Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in München. (English: Textbook of German Private Law; containing State Law and Feudal Law. By Privy Counsellor Schmalz of Berlin. Theodor von Schmalz, Berlin, 1818, Duncker and Humblot.), in German, Bavarian State Library in Munich.