Sysselmann

Sysselmann/Sýslumaður is a Norwegian, Faroese and Icelandic title of local government. It was used during the Middle Ages as a noble title. A sysselmann sometimes assigned fiefs to a lensmann.[1]

In Norway, the term sysselmann has been revived twice in modern times as a special form of local government. The Governor of Svalbard holds the title, but the Norwegian government has decided to make it gender-neutral, and the term sysselmester will be used from the 1st of July 2021.[2] The Governor of Erik the Red's Land held the title from 1931 to 1933.

On the Faroe Islands, the title has been in use since the Middle Ages; there are currently three sysselmann there.[3] They are tasked as the head of the police in their district (Syssel/Sýsla), and also administer the local grindadráp.

The English version of this word is sheriff.

References
  1. Mikael Berglund, Cross-border Enforcement of Claims in the EU: History, Present Time and Future, ISBN 9041128611, 2009, page 101
  2. https://svalbardposten.no/sysselmannen-blir-sysselmester/19.13350
  3. vev.fo (only the headline is there and one sentence, the article of the national Faroese radio has been removed due to new website, but the sentence tells it: Tríggir sýslumenn í staðin fyri seks. In English: 3 sysselmann instead of 6)


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.