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in modern Norwegian or in Danish and older Norwegian spelling (; ) is a term with several distinct meanings in Nordic history. The Icelandic equivalent was a .
Stortingsmelding nr 22
(2000-2201) punkt 3; www.regjeringen.no{{dead link , date=December 2024
Fief-holder
The term traditionally referred to a holder of a royalfief
A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
in Denmark and Norway. As the fiefs were renamed '' amt'' in 1662, the term was replaced with '' amtmand''. In Norway these offices evolved into the modern '' fylkesmann'' office. Modern Norwegian historians often use the term (English: 'fief lord') instead of , although from the legal point of view, the king was the fief lord, and the title used by contemporaries was , not .
While the was a fief-holder from the nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...
, the was a civil servant
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...
who might be ennobled as a reward.
Modern police officer
The title is also used in an entirely different meaning in modern Norway, denoting the leader of a rural police district known as a .(2000-2201) punkt 3; www.regjeringen.no{{dead link , date=December 2024
See also
*Sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
References