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In
''Digital Dictionary of German Language'' It also appears in several European languages: In Hungarian as ''soltész'', in Slovak as ''šoltýs'' and ''škultét'', in Italian as ''scoltetto'' and ''sculdascio'', in
In medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
Germany, the ''Schultheiß'' () was the head of a municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
(akin to today's office of mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
), a '' Vogt'' or an executive official of the ruler. As official (''villicus'') it was his duty to order his assigned village or county (''villicatio'') to pay the taxes and perform the services due to the ruler. The name originates from this function: ''Schuld'' 'debt' + ''heißen'' 'to order'. Later, the title was also used for the head of a town (''Stadtschultheiß'') or village (''Dorfschultheiß'').
The office held by a ''Schultheiß'' was called ''Scholtisei'', ''Scholtisse'' (around 1400), ''Schultessy'', ''Schultissīe'', ''Schultissei'' (15th century); Latinized forms: ''sculdasia'' (10th century), ''scultetia'' (13th century).
The title first appears in the '' Edictum Rothari'' of 643 AD, where it is spelled in post-Roman Latin as ''sculdahis''. This title reappears again in the Lombard laws of Liutprand in 723 AD. The title was originally spelled in Old High German
Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...
as ''sculdheizo'' and in Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...
as ''Schultheize''; it was Latinised as ''scultetus Scultetus or Sculteti is the Latinized form of German family names Schultheiß, Schulze, Schulte, etc.
Notable people of the surname include:
* Abraham Scultetus (1566–1625), German professor of theology
* Bartholomäus Scultetus (1540–161 ...
'' or ''sculteus''. Alternative spellings include ''Schultheis'', ''Schulte'' or ''Schulze'', or in Switzerland ''Schultheiss''.Scholtisei, die''Digital Dictionary of German Language'' It also appears in several European languages: In Hungarian as ''soltész'', in Slovak as ''šoltýs'' and ''škultét'', in Italian as ''scoltetto'' and ''sculdascio'', in
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. It was also the administrative language in the former Western Roman Empire, Roman Provinces of Mauretania, Numidi ...
as ''sculdasius'', in Polish as '' sołtys'', in Romanian as '' șoltuz'', and in Dutch as '' schout''.
Modern uses
Until as recently as 2007, Schultheiss was the title of the president of the government of the Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. ''Schultheiß'' is also the basis for one of the most common German surnames, existing in many variations such as Schulz, Schultz, Scholz, etc., corresponding to the local variants of the pronunciation of the office. It also produced surnames in a number of other European cultures: see Schultheiss (surname) for a table. In Poland, '' sołtys'' is the name given to the elected head of a rural subdivision (usually a village, or part of a large village) known as a ''sołectwo
A sołectwo ( Polish plural: ''sołectwa'') is an administrative unit in Poland, an optional subdivision of a gmina
The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' ) is the basic unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. ...
''.
See also
* similar medieval offices: Vogt, , Villicus,Ealdorman
Ealdorman ( , )"ealdorman"
''Collins English Dictionary''. was an office in the Government ...
* Reichsvogt, nearly equivalent office in medieval Switzerland
* ''Collins English Dictionary''. was an office in the Government ...
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 ...
, the equivalent office in medieval England
* Patel, the equivalent office in medieval Gujarat
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schultheiss Heads of local government German feudalism German words and phrases