Denmark Jurisdictions

Stift
Also called a bispedømme or diocese, it is the highest church jurisdiction in Denmark. A stift was split into smaller deaneries that were then divided into parishes. The diocese was run by the bishop, who was the spiritual supervisor of all priests. The diocese kept records such as histories of the parishes/priests, some land records (especially concerning the diocese property), and court records. Marriage records were also kept by the diocese. For additional information about the Danish stift, see this article.

Pastorat
A pastorat is a set of typically 2 or more parishes in which one priest is responsible. For more information on the pastorat, see this article.

Amt
The amt in Denmark is the county, or the immediate civil jurisdiction under the country itself. The amt was established in 1662, and was in effect until 2007 when Denmark was re-divided into 5 regions. For more information about amts, see articles for 1662-1793, and 1794-1970.

Herred
The herred is the next civil jurisdiction level under the amt. It has existed since at least 1232, and usually comprises multiple parishes. For more information on herreds, see this article.

Kommune
The kommune is one of the smallest political jurisdictions in Denmark. Today's kommunes were first established in 1841, but the idea of the kommune has existed since abt 1660. Some records that you may find under the kommune include tax records, kommunal censuses, military levying rolls, street records, etc. For more information about kommunes, see this article.

Birk
The birk refers to a small court district separate from the herred. There were royal, ecclesiastical, and nobility birks. The number of birks increased in 1660, when the lord was given jurisdictional authority over the area of the estate. For more information about birks, see this article.

Lægd
A lægd was used to indicate the number of farms in a parish that together would provide one soldier for military purposes. Records of all the males within each lægd number were recorded. For more information about lægd, see this article.


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