The diocesan governor ( no, Stiftamtmann) was the head government official that oversaw the civil administration within a
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
in the Kingdom of
Denmark-Norway and later in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
. The
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
of the diocese oversaw the religious administration in the diocese and together, the two officials were the highest officials in the diocese, reporting directly to the king.
Each diocese typically was made up of several
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
which were led by a
county governor ( no, amtmann). The diocesan governor oversaw all the county governors within the diocese. The diocesan governor was the king's representative in the diocese and their job was to ensure that the king's orders and laws were obeyed. The diocesan governor was also to make sure that the bishop of the diocese did not succumb to
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
or other problems.
Often, but not always, the diocesan governor also simultaneously held the role of county governor for one of the diocese's counties. The
diocesan governor of Kristiania was often called the ''vice-stadholder'', meaning he was just below the rank of the ''
stadholder
In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...
'' who was the
governor-general of Norway. The diocesan governor of Kristiania stood slightly higher in rank than the other diocesan governors in Norway.
In Norway, there traditionally were four diocesan governors starting in the late 1600s, but in the mid-1800s, there were two more dioceses created, so two more diocesan governors were added.
*
Diocesan Governor of Kristiania (1664-1918). This governor was based in
Kristiania
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
and oversaw the entire
Diocese of Kristiania. It was historically called the Diocese of Aggershuus (1664–1843) and Diocese of Christiania (1843–1877). This governor oversaw the counties of
Akershus amt,
Buskerud amt,
Kristiania amt,
Smaalenenes amt, and
Jarlsberg og Larvik amt (prior to 1864, it also included
Hedemarkens amt and
Kristians amt).
*
Diocesan Governor of Bergen (1660–1918). This governor was based in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
, oversaw the entire
Diocese of Bergen. This governor oversaw the counties of
Nordre Bergenhus amt,
Søndre Bergenhus amt
Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Municipal ...
,
Bergen amt, and part of
Romsdalen amt (prior to 1844, it also included
Finmarkens amt,
Nordlandenes amt, and
Tromsø amt
Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.
Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the 21s ...
).
*
Diocesan Governor of Kristiansand The diocesan governor of kristiansand was a government agency of the Kingdom of Norway. The title was (before 1919) and in 1919 all stiftamt were abolished in favor of equal counties ( no, fylker).
The (diocesan county) of ''Stavanger'' was esta ...
(1669–1918). This governor was based in
Kristiansand
Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporati ...
, oversaw the entire
Diocese of Kristiansand. Historically, this diocese was based in the
city of Stavanger from 1669–1681, when it was known as the Diocese of Stavanger. In 1662, the diocese was renamed as the Diocese of Christianssand and its headquarters were moved to the town of Christianssand. In 1870, the spelling was changed to Kristiansand. This governor oversaw the counties of
Bratsberg amt Bratsberg is a name of Norwegian origin and may refer to:
People
* Harry Bratsberg (also Harry Bratsburg), an American actor and director also known as Harry Morgan
Places
* Bratsberg, Trøndelag, a village in Trondheim municipality in Trøndelag ...
,
Lister og Mandals amt,
Nedenæs amt, and
Stavanger amt.
*
Diocesan Governor of Trondhjem (1687–1918). This governor was based in
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
, oversaw the entire
Diocese of Trondhjem. This governor oversaw the counties of
Nordre Trondhjems amt,
Søndre Trondhjems amt, and part of
Romsdalen amt.
*
Diocesan Governor of Tromsø (1844–1918). This governor was based in
Tromsø
Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.
Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the ...
, oversaw the entire
Diocese of Tromsø. This governor oversaw the counties of
Finmarkens amt,
Nordlandenes amt, and
Tromsø amt
Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.
Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the 21s ...
.
*
Diocesan Governor of Hamar (1864–1918). This governor was based in
Hamar
Hamar is a town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the traditional region of Hedmarken. The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake ...
, oversaw the entire
Diocese of Hamar. This governor oversaw the counties of
Kristians amt and
Hedemarkens amt.
Over time, the overarching role of the diocesan governor lost some of its significance and in administrative reforms in 1918, the job was abolished effective on 1 January 1919. During this reform, the county governors were re-named as .
References
{{Lists of county governors of Norway
Government of Norway
County administration of Norway