- Palatinus
Palatinus, (plural: Palatini) Latin for 'palatial', enters in designations for various ecclesiastical offices, primarily, of certain high officials in the papal court.
Medieval Palatine judges
In the Middle Ages, the
judices palatini ("papal palace judges") were the highest administrative officers of the pope's household; with the growth of the temporal power of the popes they acquired great importance. These judices palatini were
* chief were theprimicerius notariorum andsecundarius notariorum , the two superintendents of the papal "notarii" (notaries), who superintended the preparation of official documents, conducted judicial investigations and exercised jurisdiction in legal matters voluntarily submitted by the interested parties to the papal court; they were the highest officers of thepapal Chancery and of the archives of theLateran Palace .
* thenomenculator oradminiculator (originally perhaps two distinct officials), who took charge of, and decided upon, petitions to the pope. (The nomenculator was superseded in the course of the ninth century by the protoscriniarius, or superintendent of the Roman public schools for scribes.) *The arcarius and saccellarius were the highest financial officers, custodians of the treasures of the pope'sLateran Palace , who had charge of the receipt and payment of moneys.
* The "primicerius defensorum" and "secundicerius defensorum", being superintendents of thedefensores , who aided and protected widows, orphans, captives and other needy persons, had the supervision of charitable institutions. These various offices developed from the end of the fourth century, with the formation of thepapal household . Their functions covered the whole central administration of the papacy, both at Rome and in the outlying possessions ("patrimonia") of the Roman Church. The judices palatini were also employed as papal envoys; they also had definite duties in the solemn processions and other great church ceremonies at which the pope was present in person. Their authority continued down until the middle of the eleventh century, when the reforms of the papal administration, inaugurated after the troubles of the tenth century, placed the Cardinals in that position at theRoman curia , which the judices palatini had previously occupied, and the latter gradually disappeared.Later papal palatini
In later times the designation palatini has been borne by certain cardinals, whose position brings them into constant relation with the pope, and who formerly resided in the papal palace, and by the highest prelates of the pope's
personal suite .For long the cardinales palatini were: the cardinal prodatary, the
Cardinal Secretary of State , theCardinal secretary of Briefs and theCardinal secretary of Memorials , but popePius X has abolished the two last-mentioned positions; the holders of the other two are still called cardinales palatini, or "palatine cardinals" but only the cardinal secretary of State lives at the Vatican.The "prælati palatini" are:
*the majordomo (maggiordomo)
* the high chamberlain (maestro di camera)
* the auditor of the pope (uditore santissimo )
* the pope's theologian (maestro del sacro pallazo ), who is always a Dominican.Lay counterparts
*In the times of the French kings and of the German emperors, there were "comites palatini", counts palatine who originally presided in the High Courts of Justice of a palatinate as representatives of the Crown.
*In Germany the counts palatine were entrusted, afterOtto I (931-73), with the supervision of the imperial lands and revenues, and were also imperial judges. The court officials bearing this title, introduced byEmperor Charles IV (1346-78), had various powers, partly judicial, partly administrative.
*In medieval Poland a "Palatyn" ("Palatinus") was initially the highest title at the King's court. Later, every local Prince had his own "Palatinus", often the actual ruler of a Duchy. With the partial reunification of the Kingdom the ducal "Palatini" remained in their place and ruled the former Principalities (now renamed to Palatinates, "Palatinatus") under the King. The title got merged with that of "Wojewoda" ("Dux Exercituum", "Herzog"). A son of a "Palatinus" was titled "Wojewodzic" ("Palatinida") and would often become a "Palatinus" at his father's death, but these titles never got officially hereditary and formally remained granted for lifetime by the King. Today, the palatinal families ("rodziny wojewodzińskie", descendants of the "Palatini"), remain the highest strata of Poland's aristocracy.ource
Catholic [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11417a.htm]
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