Ealdorman (, ) was a term in

Anglo-Saxon England Anglo-Saxon England or Early Medieval England, existing from the 5th to the 11th centuries from the end of Roman Britain until the Norman conquest in 1066, consisted of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms until 927, when it was united as the Kingdom o ...

which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied to the former kings of territories which had submitted to great powers such as Mercia. In Wessex in the second half of the ninth century it meant the leaders of individual shires appointed by the king. By the tenth century ealdormen had become the local representatives of the West Saxon king of England. Ealdormen would lead in battle, preside over courts and levy taxation. Ealdormanries were the most prestigious royal appointments, the possession of noble families and semi-independent rulers. Their territories became large, often covering former kingdoms such as Mercia or

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

. Southern ealdormen often attended court, reflecting increasing centralisation of the kingdom, but the loyalty of northern ealdormen was more uncertain. In the eleventh century the term ''eorl'', today's earl, replaced that of ealdorman, but this reflected a change in terminology under Danish influence rather than a change in function. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - ealdormen (British Library Cotton MS Tiberius A VI, folio 4r)

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - ealdormen (British Library Cotton MS Tiberius A VI, folio 4r)

Aldermen

Although earls may be regarded as the successors of ealdormen, the word ''ealdorman'' itself did not disappear and survives in modern times as alderman in many jurisdictions founded upon

English law English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. Principal elements of English law Although the common law has, historically, be ...

. This term, however, developed distinctly different meanings which have little to do with ealdormen, who ruled shires or larger areas, while aldermen are members of a municipal assembly or council, such as the City Council of Chicago and the City of Adelaide. Similar titles also exist in some Germanic countries, such as the Swedish ''Ålderman'', the Danish ''Oldermand'' and West Frisian ''Olderman'', the Dutch ''Ouderman'', the (non-Germanic) Finnish ''Oltermanni'' (a borrowing from the neighboring Germanic Swedes) and the German ''Ältester'', which all mean "elder man" or "wise man".

Aldermen

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