Jitnicer was a court office in Moldavia and Wallachia. The holder was responsible for the court granary. The name derives from the romanian jitniţă (granary), from the derived from the Slavic žitnica, derived from žito (rye)
Initially a servant, in the 16th century the jitnicer was promoted in Moldavia to the rank of boyar seated in the sfatul domnesc (princely council), this function being first mentioned in 1558. His responsibilities were to collect, store and distribute the grains of the court. In the 17th century, his responsibilities were extended to supervise, with the pitar, the bread entitlements distributed to the court servants and to the foreign visitors. In the 18th century, the jitnicer was ranked seventh or eighth in the princely council.
In Wallachia, the office of jitnicer was instituted only in the 1670s, during the reign of voivodes Grigore I Ghica and Gheorghe Duca.
The jitnicer was assisted in carrying out his duties by lower ranked offices holders such as the second or third jitnicer, the cămăraş de jitniţă (accountants) and the dieci de jitniţă (clercs).
Though these responsibilities were not carried out any more in the 19th century, jitnicer was kept as an honorary title.
References[]
- Magazin Istoric - anul V, nr. 5 (50), mai 1971
- Mihai Dim. Sturdza - Familiile boiereşti din Moldova şi Ţara Românească - Vol. I - Ed. Simetria, 2004 - ISBN 973-85821-7-2
- Organizarea de stat a Tarilor Romane in secolele XIV-XVII. Administratia centrala. [1]