Referendary

Referendary is a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organisations in Europe.

Secular

The office of referendarius (plural: referendarii, from the Latin refero, "I inform") existed at the Byzantine Court. Such officials reported to the Emperor on the memorials of petitioners, and conveyed to the judges the Emperor's orders in connection with such memorials.

During the Frankish Empire's Merovingian period, the official who would later be known as the chancellor (cancellarius) was termed the referendarius.

Other medieval kingdoms also had a referendary, e.g., Anianus, who in 506 CE compiled the Breviary of Alaric for that king of the Visigoths.

Later the office proliferated and thus became devalued, as reflected in compound titles differentiating some such offices, e.g., in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In later iterations of the Polish state, the title occurred again, e.g., as "referendary of state."

A referendary can also be an official (Grand Chancellor) in an order of knighthood, e.g. the Order of Saint Lazarus.