This article is about the medieval function (under different names redirecting here). For the modern legal profession, see Advocate. For the modern French legal office, see Avoué (legal office). For the German surname, see Vogt (surname). For the place, see Vogt, Germany. For the Dutch surname, see Voogd (surname).
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During the Middle Ages, an advocatus (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: Vogt; French: avoué) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as an abbey. Many such positions developed, especially in the Holy Roman Empire. Typically, these evolved to include responsibility for aspects of the daily management of agricultural lands, villages and cities. In some regions, advocates were governors of large provinces, sometimes distinguished by terms such as Landvogt (in German).
While the term was eventually used to refer to many types of governorship and advocacy, one of the earliest and most important types of advocatus was the church advocate (advocatus ecclesiae). These were originally lay lords, who not only helped defend religious institutions in the secular world, but were also responsible for exercising lordly responsibilities within the church's lands, such as the handling of legal cases which might require the use of a death penalty. The positions of these office-holders eventually came to be seen as inheritable titles themselves, with their own feudal privileges connected to them.
The advocatus as an officer of a court of law first appeared in the 12th and 13th centuries, concomitant with the rediscovery of Roman law.[1]
^Jean-Louis Gazzaniga, "Advocate", in André Vauchez (ed.), Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages (Oxford University Press, 2002).
advocacy, one of the earliest and most important types of advocatus was the church advocate (advocatus ecclesiae). These were originally lay lords, who not...
The title of Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, or Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre, has been ascribed to Godfrey of Bouillon in his role as the first Latin ruler...
Kingdom of Jerusalem, refused the title of king choosing instead the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, that is Advocate or Defender of the Church of the Holy...
title of king, he agreed to rule as prince (princeps) under the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, or Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre. He was the second...
a term descended from mediaeval Latin vicedominus. Like the avoué or advocatus, the vidame was originally a secular official chosen by the bishop of...
Latin term advocatus: "παράκλητος [does not have] any independent meaning of its own, it is in fact a calque for the Latin term advocatus meaning a person...
distasteful. 'Lord Protector' has also been used as a rendering of the Latin Advocatus in the sense of a temporal Lord (such as a Monarch) who acted as the protector...
governance of the city it was Godfrey who took leadership and the title of Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, Defender of the Holy Sepulchre. The presence of troops...
from a word Voyt (wójt), which was borrowed via German Vogt from Latin advocatus. Other versions may include Wojtenko (Polish or German spelling). Notable...
practised as an advocate, pleading cases before the emperors (probably as advocatus fisci, an important official of the imperial treasury). It was in 147...
In 1264 Benedetto entered the Roman Curia, perhaps with the office of Advocatus. He served as secretary to Cardinal Simon de Brion, the future Pope Martin...
if he was the same person as Udon, also count of Limburg from 1065 and advocatus of the Abbey of Sint-Truiden. He was the younger son of Waleran I, Count...
herself advocatus of Arras until 1216, when Daniel had reached age 21 and become Lord of Béthune. She however remained Lady of Dendermonde and advocatus of...
Canonization Congregation for the Causes of Saints Maiorem hac dilectionem Advocatus Diaboli Oblatio vitae Positio Beatification and canonization process in...
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