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Fogd (in Norwegian; also Norwegianfut, Danishfoged, Swedishfogde, Finnishvouti) is a historical Scandinavian administrative function, and official title. They werebailiffs in charge of the administration and collection of taxes on behalf of the government, either in ruralbailiwicks or in towns.
The wordfogd came toNorwegian viaDanishfoged. The early Swedish term wasfoghate. These terms, and their continental relatives such as GermanVogt and DutchVoogd ultimately all derive from the termadvocatus, or advocate. Within the medievalHoly Roman Empire, such advocates or Vogts were not legal representatives (as in modern English), but instead executed the functions of higher powers, such as lords and abbeys, in their name. TheLatin term(ad)vocatus literally means "called upon".[1]
The term appears sporadically in Norwegian sources from the 14th century in the formsfógt,fóguti,fólguti, orfógutr.[2]Old Norsefóguti (and its other spellings) and Norwegianfut also go back to Latin.[3] The title of bailiff replaced the title ofbryte [sv;da] (Danishbryde) on farms in the Middle Ages, but reflects largely the same office: to be responsible for and manage some kind of property on behalf of its owner. This could be a farm, a piece of land, or a castle, in which case the title of bailiff is seen almost as a replacement for the title ofjarl. In thehusby estates, later calledkongsgård (Swedishkungsgård), the bailiff ruled. Hence one of the older words for bailiff:husabyman.[4] Another synonym isprefectus.[5]
The bailiff had police and prosecution powers and collected taxes and fines in a district.[1] For a time, the bailiff was also responsible for keeping track of foreigners. The bailiff issued and controlled passports.
In Sweden, withMagnus IV's 1350city law (Swedish:stadslagen), the king's bailiff was included as a member of the magistrate, the 'elders' of a city, who supervised municipal activities, police and justice, and acted as a court of law.
The feudal lords (Norwegian:lensherrene) in Norway had bailiffs under them who collected taxes and fines and were responsible for maintaining order. Initially they were the personal servants of the lord, but by the early 17th century they had been transferred to the service of the king.[6] The bailiff had great power in the village council (bygdeting). At the parliament in Oslo,lay judges from a village inEastern Norway complained about a bailiff who had come with a Swedish woman and threatened them: "Here is a woman I should have judgment on today." But the procedural rule in Norwegian law required two concurring witnesses to find someone guilty, and the bailiffs had not seen the woman before and had no opportunity to summon any witnesses and deal with the case according to the law.[7]
In 1497,Knut Alvsson's bailiff Lasse Skjold was killed at theThing inRomerike, Norway, when he came to collect taxes. His brutal behavior was the cause, and around 180 farmers fromUllensaker andNes supported the murder. The farmers were fined, but were found to have acted more or less in self-defense, and Alvsson was subsequently deposed as lord and stripped of his fiefdoms.[8]
Between 1518 and 1521, large additional taxes were levied, and the peasants protested in parliament. They were supported by the bishop, who complained that the lordHans Mule [no] ofAkershus Fortress was allowing his bailiff to plunder pilgrims. The lord ofBergenhus appeared armed at the Thing and levied an extra tax equivalent to 10%wealth tax. If there was no available money, he seized tapestries and boats. In the summer of 1521, the bailiff was killed at the court inNordhordland.Christian II cracked down hard on the peasants, and several of the rebel leaders were executed. In 1526, farmers inRogaland killed the lord's men and refused to pay taxes.[9]
In 1540, farmers from Raabyggelaget gathered "to kill all bailiffs andlensmenn".[10] With a huge club with sharp spikes, they made their way fromSetesdal toNedenes and killed the bailiff Nils Skredder there. Then they went towardsKvinesdal, but the lordStig Bagge [no] was not home. His men later captured the farmers and executed four of them. The leader described the "Hun army", a popular tradition aboutAttila'sHuns 1,500 years earlier.[11] The story of the Hun army came to life again during theHatter's Feud [no] atHønefoss in 1851.[9]
In Norway, the bailiff's dealings with themunicipalities and participation in thecounty council were abolished by an 1894 act on the reorganization of the civil service. The posts of bailiff were abolished in 1894. Instead, the posts of county treasurer and chief of police were created. Between 1888 and 1919, the office of bailiff was completely abolished.[12] Some tasks were transferred to the magistrate (sorenskriver [no;da;de]) and sheriff. According to the National Chairmanship Act, the county governor (amtmann), bailiff, magistrate andlensmann were excluded from election to the chairmanship in their own service district. The county governor and bailiff could not be elected as representatives, and chairmen were also excluded from this election.[13][14]
The last city bailiff's office in Norway, Oslo city bailiff's office (Oslo byfogdembete [no]), was headed by a magistrate called a city bailiff (byfogd) until 2006.Oslo byfogdembete was then headed by asorenskriver until the merger withOslo District Court on 26 April 2021.[15]
From 2008, the tax bailiffs (skattefogdene) were merged with the tax offices. The Act relating to Children and Parents designates a state agency called the grant bailiff (bidragsfogden). This function is the responsibility of theLabour and Welfare Service.[14]
In Scandinavian folk tradition, thefut (bailiff) was a brutal and ruthless collector and enforcer of the authority granted to him by the king or local landlord. In fairy tales, he was the worst character[16] and often compared to the wolf. The bailiff is a figure inPeter Christian Asbjørnsen'sFanden og futen, printed inNorwegian Folktales. The office offut was also the most risky office a Dane could hold in Norway – in the early stages of theDanish–Norwegian Union era, several of them were killed by offended and enraged peasants. The heavy tax burden was also the cause of numerous local rebellions.
The bailiff is also a character in several ofLudvig Holberg's plays, includingJeppe on the Hill andErasmus Montanus.