VIDAME, a French feudal title. The vidame (Lat. vice dominus) was originally, like the avoue (advocatus), an official chosen by the bishop of the diocese, with the consent of the count (see ADVOCATE). During the Carolingian epoch, advocatus and vice-dominus were interchangeable terms ; it was only in the i i th century that they became differentiated, the title of avoue being commonly reserved for nobles charged with the protection of an abbey, that of vidame for those guarding an episcopal see. In the 12th century the office of vidame, like that of avoue, had become an hereditary fief. As a title, however, it was less common and less dignified than that of avoue. The advocati were often great barons who added their function of protector of an abbey to their own temporal sovereignty ; the vidames were usually petty nobles, who exercised their office in strict subordination to the bishop. Their chief functions were : to protect the temporalities
of the see, to represent the bishop at the count's court of justice, to exercise the bishop's temporal jurisdiction in his name, and to lead the episcopal levies to war.
See A. Luchaire, Manuel des institutions franoises (Paris, 1892) ; Du Cange, Glossarium (ed. Niort, 1887) , s. "Vice-dominus" ; A. Mallet, "ttude hist. sur les avoues et les vidames," in Position des theses de l'Ecole des chartes (an. 1870-72).