The Role Model of the Village wójt in Southern Poland Until the End of the Eighteenth Century in the Light of Oaths of Office

Abstract

Research on role models in Polish historiography has a long tradition, but until now it has usually focused on the representatives of the elite and upper classes: monarchs, queens, bishops, knights and nobles. The author of this study set out to identify the ideal model of a rural mayor in southern Poland until the end of the 18th century, using the content of official oaths as his source material. The choice of source was due to the performative nature of the oath, which always contained a model of institutional behaviour. The starting point for the discussion is the spread of the oath of municipal village headmen in the Polish translation by Bartłomiej Groicki and its evolution towards meeting the expectations of neighbours from the community, but above all of the manorial authorities. The mayor, chosen from among the peasants, manoeuvred between the manor and the cottage – it was the neighbours who presented candidates for mayor to the manorial authorities, but the final decision always rested with the landowner. As the most important official of the rural community and the head of the rural court, the village administrator undertook to settle disputes fairly, be loyal to the owner of the village, maintain order and collect taxes reliably. The oaths also confirm the growing dependence of the rural administration on the manorial authorities during this period. The results of the study provide a new perspective on the institutional model of the mayor's role as a key element of rural administration.