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Referendary is the English form of a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organizations in Europe.
During the Frankish Empire's Merovingian, the official who would later be known as the chancellor ( cancellarius) was termed the referendarius. See also Royal Administration of Merovingian and Carolingian Dynasties.
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 of the Polish state, the title occurred again, e.g., as "referendary of state".
A referendary can also be an official (Chancellor) in an order of knighthood, e.g. the Order of Saint Lazarus.
From these referendarii developed the court of the Signatura ( Collegium referendariorum Signaturæ votantium), concerning which there are various papal constitutions. Pope Innocent VIII (1484–92) introduced a distinction between the referendarii on questions of favours and of justice, whence developed the "Signatura gratiæ" and the "Signatura justitiæ", each competent to give final decision within its sphere. Utriusque Signaturae Apostolicae Referendarius (attested for Joseph Simeon Assemani), or shorter referendarius utriusque signaturae (attested for Francesco Sforza Pallavicino), 'Referendary of both signatures', was a specific title in the Roman Curia, apparently combining both competences.
In the court of the "Signatura justitiæ" developed a distinction between the prelates entitled to vote ( prœlati votantes) and those whose duties were confined to reporting on individual cases ( prœlati referendarii). The whole body gradually lost all practical importance, especially after the loss of the Papal States, and was entirely abolished at the reorganization of the Curia by Pius X.
All law graduates must article as Referendars for two years before being admitted to practice. The traineeship is intended to provide practical knowledge that cannot be taught at university. Encyclopædia Britannica: "Referendar (German Jurisprudence)" During the trainee phase, law graduates are employed and paid by the state. Trainees pass through different stages, working as a law clerk at different types of courts, for the local public prosecutor's office, and at lawyers' offices. The training comprises several stages that give the Referendar experience working under supervision in various fields of law.
For trainee teachers the preparatory service lasts between 18 and 24 months depending on the state. During this time, Referendars are employed by and paid for by the state as candidates for the 'upper' or 'senior' service ranks as government employees ( Beamter), depending on which type of school they are training at. A teacher's traineeship consists of academic courses as well as hands-on teaching. At the end of the traineeship, trainee teachers take their Staatsexamen to qualify for government employment as teachers.
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