Schultheiß
Encyclopedia
In medieval Germany
, the Schultheiß (Middle High German
schultheize, from Old High German sculdheizo; Latinised as scultetus or sculteus) (in Switzerland
: Schultheiss; also: Schulthies, Schulte or Schulze) was the head of a municipality
(akin to today's office of mayor
), a Vogt
or an executive official of the ruler.
As official (villicus) it was his duty to order his assigned village or county (villicatio) to pay the taxes and perform the services due to the ruler. The name originates from this function: Schuld 'debt' +heißen 'to order'.
Later, the title was also used for the head of a town (Stadtschultheiß) or village (Schulze).
, Switzerland.
"Schultheiß" is also the base for one of the most common German last names, which exists in many variations such as Schulz
, Scholz
, Schulze
, Schulte
, Schulthies, Schulthess, Shultis (an Anglicized version in the USA) corresponding to the local variants of the pronunciation of the office. Another Anglicization is Shouldice. Schultheisz appears to be a Hungarian spelling of the surname.
In Poland, sołtys (derived from Schultheiß) is the name given to the elected head of a rural subdivision (usually a village, or part of a large village) known as a sołectwo.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Schultheiß (Middle High German
Middle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
schultheize, from Old High German sculdheizo; Latinised as scultetus or sculteus) (in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
: Schultheiss; also: Schulthies, Schulte or Schulze) was the head of a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
(akin to today's office of mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
), a Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
or an executive official of the ruler.
As official (villicus) it was his duty to order his assigned village or county (villicatio) to pay the taxes and perform the services due to the ruler. The name originates from this function: Schuld 'debt' +heißen 'to order'.
Later, the title was also used for the head of a town (Stadtschultheiß) or village (Schulze).
Modern use
Until as recently as 2007, "Schultheiss" was the title of the president of the government of the Canton of LucerneCanton of Lucerne
Lucerne is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population of the canton is . , the population included 57,268 foreigners, or about 15.8% of the total population. The cantonal capital is Lucerne.-History:...
, Switzerland.
"Schultheiß" is also the base for one of the most common German last names, which exists in many variations such as Schulz
Schulz
Schulz is a common German family name in Northern Germany. It is roughly equivalent to the English family name Constable; the German word Schulz originates from the local official known as Dorf-Schulz, a local law enforcement officer like a police officer or magistrate...
, Scholz
Scholz
Scholz is a German surname. It's the silesian version of the name Schultheiss.* Anke Scholz , German swimmer* Arnold Scholz , German mathematician* Elliot Scholz , FHB...
, Schulze
Schulze
Schulze is a common German family name. It may refer to:* August Schulze, rocket scientist recruited in 1945 by Operation Paperclip* Edmund Schulze , German organ builder, or four previous generations of his family in the same profession...
, Schulte
Schulte
Schulte may refer to:* Aloysius Schulte, St. Ambrose University president* Dieter Schulte , German labor leader* Eduard Schulte , prominent German industrialist* Edward J...
, Schulthies, Schulthess, Shultis (an Anglicized version in the USA) corresponding to the local variants of the pronunciation of the office. Another Anglicization is Shouldice. Schultheisz appears to be a Hungarian spelling of the surname.
In Poland, sołtys (derived from Schultheiß) is the name given to the elected head of a rural subdivision (usually a village, or part of a large village) known as a sołectwo.
See also
- similar medieval offices: VogtVogtA Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
, Meier, Altmann, VillicusVillicusVilicus , was a slave who had the superintendence of the villa rustica, and of all the business of the farm, except the cattle, which were under the care of the magister pecoris...
, Scholtisei. - SheriffSheriffA sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
, the equivalent office in medieval England - PatelPatelPatel is a surname of Indian origin, originally meaning "headman" or"village chief". Patels are socially, economically and politically the most dominant caste in Gujarat Patels are basically Kurmis or Kunbis and are found in various geographical locations. The Kunbi are an Indian subcaste...
, the equivalent office in medieval Gujarat