AVogt (pluralVögte) was a title and office in theOld Swiss Confederacy, inherited from thefeudal system of theHoly Roman Empire, corresponding to the Englishreeve. The German termVogtei is ultimately a loan from Latin[ad]vocatia.
There were two basic types ofVogteien:Obervogteien (alsoLandgerichte,innere Vogteien) were administered by reeves (Obervögte,Venner) residing in the city, usually elected from among the city parliament, who visited their territories on certain fixed days to act as judges or collect taxes. They were represented by local lieutenants (Untervögte).
Reichsvogt was the term for aVogt, that was nominated by the king as the representative of theHoly Roman Empire, and was especially in today's Switzerland in theHigh Middle Ages a very influential position.[1]
The second type ofVogtei was aLandvogtei where theLandvogt ("sheriff" or "bailiff") resided permanently, usually in a castle within theLandvogtei known asLandvogteischloss. There are several buildings still so identified, e.g. inBaden and inWillisau. ALandvogt was an official acting on behalf of the Confederacy or one or several cantons, ruling a condominium (Gemeine Herrschaft) of several cantons, notably acting as a judge for capital crimes (Blutgericht). The title first appears in 1415. The cantons took turns in appointing aLandvogt for a period of two years.
In exceptional cases, the population of theLandvogtei was allowed to elect their ownLandvogt. This concernedOberhasli in particular, which was nominally a subject territory ofBern, but enjoyed a special status as a military ally.
The office ofLandvogt was abolished in 1798, with the foundation of theHelvetic Republic.
The notion offremde Vögte ("foreign reeves") is central toSwiss national mythology, since the early Confederacy in the 14th century is commonly believed to have had the main purpose to expel imperial judges. One of the core points of theFederal Charter of 1291 is that theEidgenossen "will accept or receive no judge in the aforesaid valleys, who shall have obtained his office for any price, or for money in any way whatever, or one who shall not be a native or a resident with us." The "foreignVögte" were replaced by nativeAmmänner called into office by theLandsgemeinde.
The termfremde Vögte is still in use polemically inSwiss politics, particularly by conservatives, in the context ofSwitzerland and the European Union.
