Clerk (municipal official)

As city clerk is called the medieval or early modern head of a municipal law firm. He was a more significant impact exercise as the only short term incumbent mayor by his education, experience and long service time on urban development often. A similar function exercised in the Netherlands from a pensioner ( Netherlands) ( Pensionaris ). In the municipality of Switzerland there is the town clerk as firm head today (with the village clerk has a similar function ).

• 5.1 Literature 5.1.1 Further Reading

The Office

Importance

The medieval and early modern city clerk stood at the head of the municipal administration (top municipal official ), making it one - especially in the imperial cities - the most powerful men in the city. In the documents he is often referred to simply as a writer, scribae or as notarius civitatis. Today's modest and subordinate sounding write operation does not meet the larger and more essential tasks of the former incumbent. His business experience and his knowledge of the law brought the town clerk in the function of a permanent advisor for Mayor and Council. The relatively good salary, the growing circle task, the high level of responsibility and the social and political standing in the city and beyond potential candidates for the office of town clerk attracted to.

Tenure

It was common practice to order the city clerk for a longer time. If nothing came between, resulted usually a position in life. The intent was there to ensure continuity in the urban policy. The official city leaders, the mayor, this requirement could not guarantee for their short term and the short-term bills.

A city that is desperately needed someone

• The full overview possessed, because in his hands all the threads together,
• Who was familiar with the correspondence of the city and important dates monitored,
• Who knew the city regulations and deal with it knew
• Who was in a position to the difficult balance of pledged imperial city between the ideas and demands of the lien Lord ( regional rulers, prince, bishop) and those of the Pledgor ( Emperor ) to uphold,
• The guaranteed that formal acts of urban policies ( acts ) duly expired,
• The necessary intervention in the cycle initiated in time,
• Helped to correct errors resulting rapidly,
• The daily was able to respond to deficiencies and needs of the political and administrative authorities,
• Could resolve a detected in the legal daily business need for regulation by appropriate proposals or laws definitions
• The very careful and skillfully evaded outward in all its internal administrative activities and had to be concealed.

These demands could satisfy a town clerk only if you gave him an opportunity, according to his position to gain experience and implement it.

Requirements

At the beginning sufficient regard to the letter and the Latin language. Later was an activity in a major law firm only possible with a comprehensive management education. At least since the 15th century had to prove an academic or legal training aspiring town clerk, with a college degree was not initially kept absolutely necessary. In many, especially larger cities, but we preferred a jurist.

For a town clerk any case it was essential to have knowledge of the law, because without them he could his duties, especially as law enforcement officer and as agent in processes and political negotiations fail to comply.

When hiring a lawyer was found for the city the opportunity to let him act the same as a notary public. The author of the Reformation of Emperor Sigismund from 1438 called directly that all imperial cities should have a city clerk, who was a notary public, " it wa notturftig Wurd, make ( Notary ) instrument ze he did sy that you kainen other sought or seek was ordered, "and then said:" man ir hatt gnug with ain in ainer instead of ".

Tasks

Core task of the town clerk was the making of urban charters (including the City Code) and the correspondence, which he could have done the pure paperwork at least in major cities by assistant clerk and often firm pupils.

In addition to the town clerk was responsible for not infrequently the task to monitor court proceedings and to make judgments. Here it should - also due to his legal skills - have had many significant influence on the judgment tenor.

The town clerk was also an important partner of the municipal government (Mayor and City Council ) in planning of urban development, including at the sub-areas such as human resources policy.

At major conferences and negotiations, let the city from its top diplomats to the town clerk, represented as an authorized representative. Cities had sometimes make statements in political complications, protests or appeals. This was made rather against a legal person of one's home as against external notaries. Also allowed to prefer certify statements of third persons of interest in politics sometimes by their own officers notary. As the city governments are reluctant determined their original certificates to trust the hands of strangers, and to send over the country, including certification by a notary public was desired, who was also a city official. When a foreign notary was feared strangers could take unpleasant insight into the conditions of the city.

It is important to note that there was no universal written down public and private law in that time. In his daily work, the town clerk recognized in this area need for regulation. Very often he was therefore also with the design of new urban laws and statutes entrusted. Many writers are rendered in the field of legal development pioneered and made thereby in the history of a name.

Examples are Ulrich Zasius as the author of Freiburg city law of 1520 and its pupil Johann Fichard as the creator of the Frankfurt municipal law Reformation (1571 and 1578). Several town clerk also occurred as a writer of law books, so in particular Conrad Heyden, who created the Klagspiegel to 1436, and Ulrich Tengler, who wrote the layman mirror ( 1507). By Jakob Köbel are legal writings known about the court order ( 1523), Public Law ( 1532) and German Law ( posthumously in 1537 ).

According to the importance of his duties to the town clerk was mostly the highest salary of all city employees to ( the mayor or city master was regularly volunteer work ), he could often additionally improve by Notary Services and the training of young writers.

The Town Clerk or Council Secretary should be distinguished from the syndics, the jurists of the cities, which often belonged to the Council of the city itself with a special status. Thus, the Free Imperial City of Lübeck in the early modern period up to three syndics at the same time and for the management of three additional scribe, of which the oldest as prothonotary and applying the most recent called a registrar was.

Important city clerk

As can be seen from the following list, major city writers often did an excellent job in the development of written law; some also as a historian ( historian ). In the biography of many town clerk falls beside additional scientific activity often on their proximity to the humanist movement.

• Gottfried Hagen (* 1230, † 1299 ), town clerk of Cologne, a specialist in legal documents ( certificates)
• John Rothe (* 1360, † 1434 ), Town Clerk, canons, historian and author of the Eisenach law books ( "Chain Book")
• Conrad Heyden (* 1385, † 1444 ), town clerk of Schwäbisch Hall, created the Klagspiegel ( to 1436 )
• Hans vom Staal (* 1419, † 1499 ), town clerk of Solothurn, played an important role in the absorption of Solothurn in the Confederation
• John Castle woman (* 1430, † 1495 ), Writers in Görlitz ( 1463-1482 ), wrote the mayor mirror, the statement for the office of mayor, with reference to Plato, Aristotle and Cicero ( 1476 )
• John Purgold, town clerk of Eisenach ( from 1491 ), the right book wrote about the city council and the council people (early 16th century) on the basis of written by the priest and Eisenach town chronicler Johannes Rothe Eisenach law books
• Ulrich Tengler (* 1447, † 1511), Writers in Nördlingen ( from 1479 ), bailiff in Heidenheim ( Brenz ) ( from 1485 ), later Governor in Blenheim (Donau), wrote the Layenspiegel ( 1507)
• Hermen Bote, (* 1450, † 1520), customs clerk in Braunschweig, Middle Low German chronicler and writer
• Sebastian Brant (* 1457/1458, † 1521), town clerk of Strasbourg (since 1503), and later imperial councilor and assessor of the manorial court in Speyer, Layenspiegel and Klagspiegel issued ( 1509 )
• Paul Snow Bird (* 1460, † after 1514), Writers in Zittau ( 1470 ) and Bautzen (from 1497 ), humanist ( Latinized Paul Niavis ) and reformer of Latin
• Thüringstrasse Fricker (* around 1429, † 1519), town clerk in Bern ( from 1465 )
• Ulrich Zasius (* 1461, † 1535), clerk and notary with the Bishop of Constance ( from 1483 ), town clerk in the Aargau Baden ( Switzerland ) ( from 1489 ), town clerk of the city of Freiburg (from 1494); Author of the Freiburg city justice ( 1520)
• Jacob Köbel (* 1462, † 1533), Town Clerk to Oppenheim ( 1494-1533 ), printer, publisher, mathematical and legal writer, wrote Gerichtsordenug Antzeigung and NTRODUCTION Judicial Ordenung ( Court Procedure, 1523), unbelievable revelation ( Public Law, 1532) and Teutsche Jura. Regulae LL. Final speeches, rules vnnd Bekürtzung beder rights ... From ordinary successions, except semi- wills ... ( 1537 )
• Konrad Peutinger (* 1465, † 1547), town clerk of Augsburg ( 1497-1534 ), lawyer and humanist, including close confidant and imperial councilor Maximilian I, the largest private academic libraries possessed north of the Alps, Tabula Peutingeriana ( 1507)
• Johann Fichard (* 1512, † 1581), town clerk of Frankfurt am Main, creator of the Frankfurt municipal law Reformation 1571/1578
• Mathias Baux, (* in Mennekrath ), town clerk of Erkelenz ( 1544-1558 ), wrote in 1550 the Erkelenzer Chronicle and the Erkelenzer law book
• Johann Textor (* 1582, † 1626 ), lawyer and historian, from 1608 Writers in Haiger, known as the author of Nassauische Chronicle ( Herborn, 1617).
• Johann Adolph Höltich († 1704), was Doctor of Laws, 1670 Town Clerk of Mölln and lawyer to Lübeck.