![Crown of a Vidame of France](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Crown_of_a_Vidame_of_France.svg)
Vidame () was a
feudal title in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, a term descended from
mediaeval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functioned ...
. Like the
''avoué'' or ''advocatus'', the ''vidame'' was originally a secular official chosen by 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
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 ...
—with the consent of the
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
—to perform functions on behalf of the church's
earthly interest that were religiously inappropriate; this especially included violence, even in the service of justice, and to act as protector.
Unlike the ''advocatus'', however, the ''vice-
dominus
Dominus or domini may refer to:
* Dominus (title), a title of sovereignty, clergy and other uses
Art, entertainment, and media
* Dominus (band), a Danish death metal band
* Dominus (DC Comics), an alien character in DC Comics
* Dominus (Mar ...
'' was at the outset an ecclesiastical official, who acted as the bishop's lieutenant (''
locum tenens
A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...
'') or
vicar
A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...
. But the causes that changed the character of the ''advocatus'' operated also in the case of the ''vidame''.
The title of
Vidame de Chartres
Vidame de Chartres was a title in the French nobility. There are a few vidame titles in France, of which that of Chartres is probably the best known, because a number of holders have been notable in widely different ways over the centuries. Vid ...
is much the best known, having been held by several people distinguished in various fields and known by the title.
Although a vidame was in theory a relatively low-ranking title, in practice under the French medieval system it gained in prestige and seniority because of the unusually early dates the titles could be traced back to.
History
During the
Carolingian epoch, ''advocatus'' and ''vice-dominus'' were interchangeable terms; and it was only in the 11th century that they became generally differentiated: the title of ''
avoué
During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
'' being commonly reserved for a noble charged with the protection of an
abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The con ...
, that of ''vidame'' for one guarding an
episcopal see.
With the crystallization of the feudal system in the 12th century the office of ''vidame'', like that of ''avoué'', had become hereditary. As a title, however, it was much less common and also less dignified than that of ''avoué''. An ''advocatus'' was often a great
baron who added the function of protector of an abbey to his own temporal sovereignty; whereas a ''vidame'' was usually a petty noble, who exercised his office in strict subordination to the bishop.
A ''vidame'' usually took his title from the see he represented, but not infrequently a ''vidame'' styled himself, not after his official fief, but after his private
seigneury
''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (o ...
. Thus, the ''vidame'' de Picquigny was the representative of the
Bishop of Amiens, the ''vidame'' de Gerberoy of the
Bishop of Beauvais
The Diocese of Beauvais, Noyon, and Senlis ( la, Dioecesis Bellovacensis, Noviomensis et Silvanectensis; french: Diocèse de Beauvais, Noyon et Senlis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The di ...
(since King
Philip Augustus himself was a ''
pair de France
The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages.
The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...
'', i.e.
peer of the realm
A peer of the realm is a member of the highest aristocratic social order outside the ruling dynasty of the kingdom.
Notable examples are:
* a member of the peerages in the United Kingdom, who is a hereditary peer or a life peer
* a member of the ...
).
In many sees there was no ''vidame'', the functions being exercised by a
viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
or a ''
châtelain
Châtelain (from la, castellanus, derived from ''castellum''; pertaining to a castle, fortress. Middle English: ''castellan'' from Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman: ''castellain'' and Old French: ''castelain'') was originally the French title ...
''. With the growth of the central power and of that of the towns and cities, the ''vidames'' gradually lost their functions, and the title became merely honorary.
Functions
The chief functions of a ''vidame'' were to protect the temporal holdings of the see (called accordingly le vidamé or la vidamie), to represent the bishop at the count's court of justice, to exercise the bishop's temporal jurisdiction in his name (''
placitum In the early Middle Ages, a (Latin for "plea") was a public judicial assembly. origins can be traced to military gatherings in the Frankish kingdoms in the seventh century. After the Frankish conquest of Italy in 774, were introduced before the ...
'' or ''curia vice-domini''), and to exercise military command of feudal troops attached to the episcopal government. In return, he usually had a house near the episcopal palace, a domain within and without the city, and sometimes the right to levy certain dues on the city.
See also
*
Visdomino of Ferrara A ''visdomino'' (cf. ''vidame'', ''vicedominus'') was the representative of the Republic of Venice in the city of Ferrara from the late 13th century until 1509.
The first reference to a Venetian ''visdomino'' at Ferrara comes from about 1280. The ...
Notes
References
{{Reflist
*''Nouveau Larousse Illustré'' (undated, early 20th century; in French)
Christianity in the Middle Ages
Catholic ecclesiastical titles
Feudalism in France
History of Christianity in France
Noble titles