In its juridical study entitled “Les diverses espèces de noblesse... “[The diverse kinds of nobility...] Claude François Ménestrier (XVIIIth century) defines the Vidame as “...a secular lord who represented the bishop in the exercise of temporal justice and in the command of armies incompatible with the episcopal nature.” (p.498) To these judicial and military powers various powers according to each dioceses were added: Collection of tax, guard of the episcopal palace and management of the estates of the bishop. Such was the charge of the Vidame during the Carolinian epoch until the 15th century. Later it consisted only as an honorary title and some feudal aspects until the French revolution. The hereditary titles received before the French Revolution are still valid today by few noble families, foremost in France. As the episcopal charge of "vice dominus" (Vidame) is nowadays more that of a venerable historical element, the honorary and noble title of Vidame is granted full legitimacy to deserving Christians by bishops of various denominations. A bishop thus restores this ancient honorary title if he so pleases.

Indeed, in accordance with an ancient tradition now older than a millennium, the Bishops, Archbishops, Abbots of monasteries, but also the Metropolitans (Metran) and Patriarchs possess a real "ius honorum", which is exercised only partly. The “ius honorum” is the prerogative and the right of a sovereign (and/or spiritual) power, authorized by the law and/or the custom to create and to grant the nobility, noble titles, the knighthood, coat of arms, and honorary decorations and distinctions of merit. The "fons honorum” (source or fountain of honors) rests within the person, the assembly or the elected body entitled to the “potestas” or to the public powers as materialized by the political or spiritual sovereignty, and sometimes both. The “fons honorum” is within a reigning or abdicated monarch (in exile) or the head of royal houses. Usually the latter ones don’t grant nobility and noble titles, but only chivalric dynastic orders and honorary decorations. The “fons honorum” finds also its source in an organized and instituted religion. It is just simply confided to the supreme or local head of such church. The pontiffs, bishops, etc., who are by tradition and by historical right have held in past times all the “ius honorum” and thus retain still some of its prerogatives. Among these ones, is the right to create orders of chivalry, to grant knighthood and decorations of merit, such as the Chivalric Order of the Holy Cross (by the late Greek-Melkite Patriarch Maximos V Hakim), the Order of Saint Stephen (by the late Cardinal König of Vienna), the Order of Saint Augustine (by the Anglican Archbishop of Canterburry) , the Order of the Mount Athos, the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle (by the late Oecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras), and the Holy Chivalric Order of St. Michael the Archangel (by Archbishop Mar Melchizedek, Eparchy of Nebraska), as well as the Medal of Merit of Saint Rombaut (Cardinal Danneels, Archbishop of Brussels) etc..The Roman Order of the Holy Sepulcre is leaded by a Grand-Master who is always a Cardinal. Some Orthodox patriarchs and bishops grant the nobiliary title of Archon (Oecumenical Patriarchate) and also the title of Vidame.The Roman Pope, as sovereign of the Papal State, the Vatican, has granted for ages the nobility and noble titles, and also as head of the Roman Catholic Church the knighthood, with decorations and medals to deserving persons. Since Pope Paul VI reign, these noble concessions have become rather the exception, yet continue in the appointment of honorary or titular prelates. The episcopal “fons honorum” is more or less extensive in the the Latin and Oriental Catholic Churches. Moreover, in the Byzantine, Oriental and Orthodox traditions, the Abbots of monasteries with episcopal status are considered as heads of “cities of God” ,as in the ancient state-cities of the Greece. Therefore, such Abbots may also be a “fons honorum”, if they so desire. According to tradition, the Orthodox Patriarchs of the national Greek, Russian, Coptic Churches, etc , including the Roman Pope (as Patriarch of Occident or the Latin Church) are also authentic and legitimate sources of honors particularly in the area of knighthood. The Orthodox patriarchs and bishops bestowed since centuries honors of distinction which the help the Church in its spiritual mission, e.g. the Orthodox Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Moscow, the Archbishop of Sinai, the Orthodox Metropolitan or bishop of the Eparchy of Nebraska (U.S.A.) etc. - Religious leaders also grant honors in a sovereign state where the Monarch himself awards honors. In this way the Tzar of all Russia was crowned by the Patriarch of Moscow, as still today the King or the Queen of England being crowned by the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury and in the past time the kings of France by the Archbishop of Reims. Moreover in the Orthodox tradition, the faithful recognize without hindrance the right of their hierarchs to grant honors because the Canon Law excludes from their side all submission to a temporal authority (although each Orthodox jurisdiction is geographic or national by nature). The “ius honorum” of the Patriarchs, Metropolitans or Bishops was never based on a territorial sovereignty whereas such was generally the case with the Western clergy. Moreover, the actual Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church recognizes indirectly yet clearly the existence of the “fons honorum” by the Bishops, Archbishops, Patriarchs and their Pope. Let us read specially: Canon 1336, §1-Poenae expiatoriae quae delinquentem afficere possunt aut in perpetuum aut in tempus praefinitum aut in tempus indeterminatum...hae sunt: ...2° privatio potestatis, officii, muneris, iuris, privilegii, facultatis, gratiae, tituli, insignis, etiam mere honorari;...” [Canon 1336: §1-The expiatory penalties which can affect a delinquent, either in perpetuity or for a determined time in advancement...are the following: ...2° the deprivation of a power, an office, a charge, a right, a privilege, a power, a title , a regalia of distinction, also if purely honorary.

From the 8th century on, the episcopal throne is the symbol of the “postestas episcopalis”. The Old Testament brings to the forefront the throne as royal attribute and the throne of God as image of the universal kingship of the Lord and of his infinite glory. This symbol is also directly linked to the imperial throne of Occident and Orient, and to the “cathedra Petri”, the Holy See of saint Peter, pontifical throne and supreme rostrum of the master who teaches.

Moreover the bishops holds a sometimes important part of the public power. In these times he is responsible for the Christians of “his” city". As spiritual father he exceeds rapidly his Church’s mission and assumed also a part of the public mission confided by the State, and that from the Roman Empire up to the "Ancien Régime", and locally even beyond that time. Still from the end of the Roman Empire to the Middle Ages, and especially in several places until the 17Ith century, the “potestas episcopalis”, partially sovereign, makes an Occidental and Oriental bishop a kind of monarch governing his clergy and his believers. The faithful have to be governed in the name of God by the Prince and the Bishop with respectively the “potestas principalis” (power of the Prince) and the “potestas episcopalis” (episcopal power) which are complementary and reciprocal. Thus the authentic episcopal principalities appeared, as well as duchies and earldoms where the bishop enjoyed a temporal and spiritual sovereignty. This also applies partially to the Abbotical power; for instance, in Italy the monastic territories of Cava, Cassino, or still Seborga with its Prince-Abbot, or also bishoprics as the episcopal principality of Liège (Belgium in the sphere of influence of the Holy Roman Empire). In this context of the exercise of the double “potestas episcopalis et publica” by the bishops and sometimes by abbots we recognize the charge of “defensor” (defender) who will later be in charge of Vidames and Advocates in accordance with the “ius honorum” linked to the Titulars of the “potestas episcopalis”.

In this way a law of the Emperor Honorius in 409 A.D. gives the bishop and his clergy in association of with the powerful landlords (“possessores”) the responsibility to elect a “defensor”, the military head and judicial official destined to protect the population of the abuses of the powerful. In 742-743 A.D., under the Roman Pope Zachary, a German Council was held, presided by Charlemagne and assisted by Saint Boniface. At this occasion the Saint does forbids “...to the servants of God always and everyplace to take up arms, or to fight, or still to take part in a war and the military expeditions.”(MGH, Epist. 3,56). Under Charlemagne the charge of advocate (advocatia) appears. The advocate (“advocatus” or "Vogt" in German , or "valvassor" or "Vidame" in England, or "Archon" in the Byzantine world) soon only called "Vidame", was in charge of the judicial and military affairs under the authority of the bishop. The officers remained active throughout the Middle Age. Accordingly, a capitular law of 803 reads: “Let the bishops and abbots have advocates who possess in the earldom their own inheritance. Let there be honest and good ones, with the will to conclude the [judicial] cases according to honesty and justice.” (MGH, Capitularia I, pg.170, 1951).

During May and June of 813 A.D., this charge of Advocate was reorganized by the Church during the Council of Mainz at a time when the Churches of the Occident and Orient were still in full communion, i.e., before the schism of 1054. This local Council took place in Mainz, Germany in the monastery of Saint Alban. It was convoked by order of the Emperor Charlemagne in the presence of four “missi dominici” (representatives of the Emperor), the four Archbishops (of Cologne, Mainz, Salzburg and Worms), thirty bishops and twenty-five abbots and an indeterminate number of laymen. The Fathers of the Council promulgated 56 canons which were enforced first in the empire of Charlemagne. They later became part of the Church for centuries to come as elements of the Western Canon Law. One can find here notably the reminder that the bishop only manages properties of the Church, but he has to be assisted by laymen. Moreover, the clergy are invited to abstain from the secular affairs. Also in its article 50, the Council of Mainz decrees: “Omnibus episcopis abbatibus cunctoque clero omnimo praecipimus vicedominos, propositos, advocatos si deffensores bonos habere.” [We decree that it is good for the bishops, abbots and other clerics to have Vidames, employees, advocates and defenders.]

Louis le Débonnaire (the 'easy-going') (814-840) in the Second Book of Laws, (ch.28) deals also with these affairs as Flodoard in his Second Book of his History (10th century) which describes the duties of bishops, abbots and abbesses indicating “...ut bonos et idonneos (sic!) vicedominos et advocatos haberent, et undecimque fuisset justitias perficerent.” [”...they should have good and capable Vidames and Advocates, and were he should come, they should accomplish acts of justice...”] The charges of Vidame and advocate were never effectively abrogated by any ecclesiastical decree, even if they fell in disuse by the 16th century as an office and in the 19th century as a title of nobility.