Hospodar

Gospodar or hospodar is a term of Slavic origin, meaning "lord"[1] or "master". The compound (Belarusian: гаспадар, Bulgarian: господар, Macedonian: господар, Serbo-Croatian: gospodar, господар, Ukrainian: господар) is a derivative of gospod[1] / gospodin, transl. (L)ord / gentleman or Sir (spelled with a capital G, Gospod / Gospodin, it translates as Lord for God).

Etymology

An interesting etymological conundrum, an origin of honorific in the large Slavic language family based on "gospodь", is reflected by number of theories surrounding it. The most recent one is proposed by linguist Adrian Poruciuc, who asserts an early borrowing from the Old Germanic compound "gōd-spōd" (which translate as "good fortune"), in opposition to proposed theory and explanation based on Proto-Slavic compound gostьpodь, and which is, also, still visible in English compound "godspeed".[2]

Gospodar v. hospodar

The pronunciation "hospodar" of a word written as "господар" in some Slavic languages, which retains the Cyrillic script, could be due to the influence of either Ukrainian, where the first letter is pronounced as [ɦ], or that of the Church Slavonic, where it is pronounced as [ɣ].[1]

Slavic usage

In the Slavic language family, compound "gospodar" / "hospodar" is usually applied to the master/owner of a house/household or other property and also the head of a family or clan. In some languages, the hospodars house is called "hospóda", while in other, such as South Slavic, "gospoda" translates as "gentry" is just plural derived from "gospodin" and "gospodar". There is also an alternative form for the head of the household, "gazda", "gazdarica" as a feminine, and "gazdinstvo" as a household and/or property. "Gazda" form is also common in Hungary. "Gospod/Hospod" is used exclusively when referring to the God (Lord).

In Slovene, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian and Bulgarian, "gospodar" (господар) means a "master", "lord", or "sovereign lord". Other derivatives of the word include "gospodarstvo" which means ownership, household and property, and economy; in Bulgarian, Russian, Macedonian, and Serbo-Croatian gospodin (господин) which translates as "Sir", "gentleman" and/or "Mister" and "gospodstvo", while "Gospod" refers to God and is identical to Russian gospod` (господь, "the Lord"[3]) and gosudar' ("sovereign").[4]

In Slovene gospod ("Mister", "gentleman"), the Polish gospodarz ("host", "owner", "presenter") usually used to describe a peasant/farmer (formal name for a peasant/farmer is "rolnik," and common is "chłop" which also means "guy"), and the Czech hospodář (archaic term for "master"). All forms stem from the Proto-Slavic word gospodü (господъ). In Slovak and Czech, the word Hospodin (capitalized) is an older and rare address of God. Related to it is hospodár, in a stricter sense an owner or manager of a farm or similar establishment (poľnohospodárstvo) or agriculture is composed of "field" and hospodár. In a broader sense, a manager of any resource. The verb hospodáriť is translated as "to manage", esp. money and property. In Czech, the word Hospodin (capitalized) is another address to God. Related to it is hospodář referring to a person, that manages some property (e.g. steward, major-domo, bailiff, manciple or bursar), especially in agriculture (e.g. husbandman, farmer, landowner).

Medieval usage examples

The title was used briefly towards the end of the Second Bulgarian Empire. In 1394–95, Ivan Shishman of Bulgaria referred to himself not as a Tsar (as traditionally), but as a gospodin of Tarnovo, and in foreign sources was styled herzog or merely called an "infidel bey". This was possibly to indicate vassalage to Bayezid I or the yielding of the imperial title to Ivan Sratsimir.[5]

The Ruthenian population of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania used the term to style Grand Duke of Lithuania; in that sense it is also used in official documents (e.g. Statutes of Lithuania), given that Chancery Slavonic was an official language in the eastern parts of the Grand Duchy.

As a term denoting authority the word gospodar has also been the subject of ironic derision. A good example is the song "Gospodar" from the early 1980s by the Slovene punk rock band Pankrti.[6]

Non-Slavic usage

The rulers of Wallachia and Moldavia were styled hospodars[1] in Slavic writings from the 14th century to 1866; the English equivalent of this title is Lord (with the meaning of autonomous ruler). Hospodar was used in addition to the title voivod (that is, Duke). When writing in Romanian, the term Domn (from the Latin dominus) was used. At the end of this period, as the title had been held by many vassals of the Ottoman Sultan, its retention was considered inconsistent with the independence of the United Principalities'[1] (formalized from Romania only in 1878 — replacing the tributary status).

The term made its way into the Romanian language after many centuries, but under a different meaning gospodar (female: gospodină) means a good manager of a household or a property (gospodărie).

Hungarian word gazda = "potentate", "rich landowner" is borrowed from the language of Southern Slavs who inhabited today's Hungary before the arrival of the Hungarians, aka Magyars, to Europe.

See also

Notes
  1. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hospodar" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 801.
  2. Poruciuc, Adrian; Poruciuc, Norbert (1 December 2015). "An Etymological Proposition: Old Germanic Gōd-Spōd 'Good Fortune' As Source Of Old Church Slavonic Gospodь 'Lord, Master'". Messages, Sages and Ages. 2 (2): 7–12. doi:10.1515/msas-2015-0006. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  3. used only for God
  4. Thompson, Della (2010). Oxford Essential Russian Dictionary. Oxford: OUP Oxford. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-19-957643-2. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  5. Павлов, Пламен (2006-07-18). Цар Константин II Асен (1397-1422) - последният владетел на средновековна България (in Bulgarian). LiterNet. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  6. Pankrti (2003). "Gospodar". Spika (in Slovenian). 11: 300. Bibcode:2003Spika..11..300G. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
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