Sheriff's Office (Civ3)/Civilopedia

Perhaps the most famous sheriff from the Middle Ages who exists in popular culture is the 
Sheriff of Nottingham. He is the principal villain in the Robin Hood story, but he is also 
a fictional character. The office of sheriff existed in England prior to the Norman Conquest 
(1066 CE). He held supreme power in the county (shire), though his duties and jurisdiction were 
restricted by the crown over time. The sheriff combated crime and unrest, but at some points 
in history he also judged offenses and enforced tax collection. In fact, during some periods 
the sheriff paid the crown to keep his office and then collected revenues from the shire’s residents. 
This could obviously lead to abuse of power and corruption through bribery, extortion, and false 
arrests. But villainy among sheriffs was probably the exception, not the rule, and the 
common folk benefited from having just administrators who could uphold the laws.