{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.starosta","code":"thing-q7231714","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q7231714/","name":"starosta","alternateNames":["castle governor","tenutary","starosta of Lida","Starosta of Loutsk","Mayor of Słonim","Governor of Rochester Castle","Governor of Stirling Castle","starosta of Przemyśl","Tenutary of Warszawa","headman of Letychiv village","Mayor of Ciechanów","Staroste of powiat bydgoski"],"kind":"thing","status":"research-draft","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Society, people and institutions","entryKind":"thing","plane":"SOC","domain":["SOC.PER"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A title for an official or elder in Slavic and Baltic lands, from a word meaning elder, used in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for royal officials who administered crown estates called starostwa or held judicial and military powers, including castle governors and holders of tenancies, as in the starostas of Lida, Lutsk and Slonim the registry names, and today used for the head of a county, powiat, in Poland, a mayor in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and a village or community elder in Ukraine and Russia; Governor of Rochester Castle names an English office and appears misfiled.","purpose":"Let an agent explain the title starosta, relay its historical and modern meanings by country from historical and administrative sources, describe the named offices and flag misfiled aliases, and distinguish starosta from voivode, castellan, wojt, mayor in other systems and the English castle governor.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Slavic origin","Historical crown officials","Modern local government roles","Meaning varies by country"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a starosta is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a starosta, and how does the title differ from voivode, castellan, wojt and mayors elsewhere?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about history, modern Poland, Czechia or another country?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"offices","name":"Offices","description":"Named offices.","findings":[{"id":"offices-finding","name":"Offices","description":"Offices.","questions":[{"text":"What were castle governors, tenutaries and the starostas of Lida, Lutsk and Slonim, and why is Rochester different?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific office?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"Commonwealth.","layers":[{"id":"crown","name":"Crown estates","description":"Crown estates.","findings":[{"id":"crown-finding","name":"Crown estates","description":"Crown estates.","questions":[{"text":"How did starostas administer crown lands in Poland-Lithuania?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"grod","name":"Grod courts","description":"Judicial powers.","findings":[{"id":"grod-finding","name":"Grod courts","description":"Grod courts.","questions":[{"text":"What judicial powers did grod starostas hold?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"modern","name":"Modern","description":"Modern offices.","layers":[{"id":"poland","name":"Poland","description":"Polish counties.","findings":[{"id":"poland-finding","name":"Poland","description":"Poland.","questions":[{"text":"What does a Polish county starosta do today?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits powiat?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"czech","name":"Czechia","description":"Czech mayors.","findings":[{"id":"czech-finding","name":"Czechia","description":"Czechia.","questions":[{"text":"How is a Czech starosta elected and what powers does the office have?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits municipalities of the Czech Republic?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Language.","layers":[{"id":"etymology","name":"Etymology","description":"Etymology.","findings":[{"id":"etymology-finding","name":"Etymology","description":"Etymology.","questions":[{"text":"How does starosta derive from words for old and elder?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits village elder?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"russia","name":"Russia","description":"Russian usage.","findings":[{"id":"russia-finding","name":"Russia","description":"Russia.","questions":[{"text":"How was starosta used for village and church elders in Russia?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits obshchina?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain what a starosta was or is in a stated country and period.","Distinguish historical Polish-Lithuanian starostas from present-day county heads and village elders."],"mustNot":["Conflate the meanings of starosta across different countries and centuries.","Treat a specific starosta or office, such as that of one town, as the general title.","File unrelated English offices under this title.","Attribute acts to a named historical office holder without a source."],"requiresHuman":["Correcting records of who held a present-day starosta office."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Titles of office carry history of rule over peasants and estates that should be told honestly.","Present-day office holders are public figures whose records must be accurate."],"affectedParties":["Office holders","Residents of the counties","Historians"]},"owners":{"steward":"The state that creates the office; today the county or local government.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q599151","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"official","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth","type":"related"},{"target":"voivode","type":"related"},{"target":"Governor of Rochester Castle","type":"related","note":"misfiled alias"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.starosta","Wikidata: Q7231714 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7231714)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["Polish county head: starosta powiatowy note - since 1999","Czech usage: mayor of a municipality note","etymology: from star, old note"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Slavic official or elder title","Castle governor, tenutary, starosta of Lida, starosta of Lutsk, mayor of Slonim, Governor of Rochester Castle","Voivodes governed provinces; castellans held castles; wojts head rural communes; English castle governors are a different office","Not a physical object; an office or title."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain historical and modern meanings","relay country differences","describe named offices","flag misfiled aliases"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Conflating country-specific meanings","Treating instances as kinds","Misfiled English office"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Polish Act on County Self-Government of 1998","Czech Municipalities Act"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Naming officials and elders.","grod starostas with judicial powers","non-grod starostas holding estates","modern Polish county starostas","Czech and Slovak mayors","village elders"]}},"sources":[],"openQuestions":["The registry alias Governor of Rochester Castle should be moved to English offices","Should named starostwa be split off as instances?","How should historical sources be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q7231714/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q7231714/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T22:21:40Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"missing"},"notes":{"interaction.properties":"Plane SOC: no invented physical properties.","sources":"Written from model knowledge without web access; claims are unverified."},"score":0.938}}