Starost

The starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. The Slavic root of starost translates as "senior". Since the Middle Ages, it has meant an official in a leadership position in a range of civic and social contexts throughout Central and Eastern Europe. In terms of a municipality, a ''starosta'' was historically a senior royal administrative official, equivalent to the County Sheriff or the outdated Seneschal, and analogous to a gubernator. In Poland, a ''starosta'' would administer crown territory or a delineated district called a '' starostwo''.

In the early Middle Ages, the ''starosta'' could head a settled urban or rural community or other communities, such as a church starosta, or an ''artel'' starosta, etc. The starosta also functioned as the master of ceremonies.

Poland

Kingdom of Poland

In the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Starosta was from the 15th century the office of a territorial administrator, usually conferred on a local landowner and member of the nobility, ''Szlachta''. Until the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, there were two types of Starosta:
*Castle Starosta, (formerly Castellan or ''capitaneus cum iurisdictione''), ''Starosta grodowy'' as local representative of the king, would supervise fiscal, judicial administration and matters of crime in a district, termed ''starostwo'', and
*Land-Starosta, ''Starosta niegrodowy'', ''capitaneus sine iurisdictione'', whose role (they were invariably male) was as overseer of crown land tenants and of the land tenure (see tenant-in-chief) without any real obligations. The absence of an Interdict against the accumulation of thus administered districts resulted in some nobles becoming immensely rich and earning the sobriquet, ''magnates''.

There were also ''general starosts'' who were provincial governors.
All starosts disappeared after the Kosciuszko Insurrection in 1794 and were not reinstated until after World War I when their role was altered.

Contemporary

In contemporary Poland, ''starosta'' designates a district administrator, who heads the district administration ''starostwo'' and manages a ''powiat'' district, akin to the leader of a town or rural council.

Czech Republic and Slovakia

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia ''starosta'' is the title of a mayor of a town or village. Mayors of major cities use the title ''primátor''. The term corresponds to the Austrian or German Bürgermeister.

Holy Roman Empire

Historically, the title "Starost" was also used in parts of the Holy Roman Empire but was not tied to ownership of land. The German word ''Starostei'' referred to the office or crown land district of a Starost. In German, the title starost/starosta is also translated as ''Hauptmann'' and analogous to a gubernator.

Other countries

*In Ruthenia (Kievan Rus) it was a lower government official.
*In Lithuania since 1991, ''seniūnas'' is the title of the head of a province.
*In Galicia and Bukovina under Austrian rule a starosta supervised the county administration.
*In Russia the word was used until the early 20th century to denote the elected leader of an ''obshchina''.
*In Ukraine during 1918 it was a post of an appointed official who represented the central government in regions. From 2015 is an official of a village that is a part of the united commune.
*In Romania, in the Middle Ages, the word was used until the early 19th century to denote the elected leader of the merchants or craftsmen guilds.

See also

* Offices in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
* Seniūnija
* Starets

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Ukraine: Starosta



{{Authority control

Heads of local government
Slavic titles
Noble titles
Polish titles
Polish words and phrases
Local government in the Russian Empire
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