On steormæle is heafodstol (eac heafodburg and heafodburh hatte) seo heafodlice burg oþþe tun gesibb hire wealde. Heo is nean a seo burg þe lichamlice befehþ þæt setlærn and þæt gemotærn þæs setles wealdes and is geseted be lage.

Þa setlu wealdes on mægenum underriciscum domum sind gewunelice heafodstolas gehaten, ac æfter læssum wealdendum underdælum, word swelce fylces tun, fylces setl, oþþe byrig setl sind eac gebrocen.

Þær sind maniga gelimpunga þær ricu oþþe oðre anstandendas habbaþ manige heafodstolas. On Suþaffrican, to bȳsne, se wealdenda heafodstol is Pretoria, se lagsettenda heafodstol is Næsstun, and se demenda heafodstol is Blotsmanwelle, þe is þæt gelimp þæs gesemes þætte gesciepede þæt Suþaffrican Gæd on 1910.

In oðerum landum, se "wyrcenda" and "geseteda" heafodstol mæg wesan gesundrod for wyrcendlicum intingum, wrycende gelimpunge þære þe burg is gecuþ to "þæm heafodstole" þe nis soþlice healdend þæs setles wealdes:

• Yamoussoukro wæs geseted to riciscum heafodstole of Elpendbanriman in 1983, ac æfter 2004 wæs þæt greatoste dæl wealdes setlærna and ærendstaðola giet licgende in Abidjane
• Sucre is giet se gesetednesslica heafodstol Bolifie, ac þæt mæste dæl þæs riciscan wealdes hæfþ lang forlæten þone landscipe for La Paz
• Amsterdam is se nemneda ricisca heafodstol þara Niðerlanda þeah þæt Niðerlendisce weald, heafod rices and hiera Hiehsta Domærn sitteþ on þæm Eorles Hæge.

On swelcum gelimpungum is seo burg þe hielt þone wealdenda heafodsto gewunelic understanden wesan se "ricisca heafodsto" ongemang elemanna. To bȳsne, Santiago is understanden wesan se heafodstol of Cilan þeah hire Gemot is in Falparegse.

To heafodlicum stede wealdes þæs landscipes oþþe rices, se heafodstol gecyndelice atihteþ þa steormællice geanmetedum and him þara cræftas sind þorftene to welwyrcendum wealde swelce æswutolas, tidingwriteras, and folclices rædes cneordlæcendas. Ieldre heafodstolas habbaþ eac oft growen on fornytte steormællice, lifwisisce, oþþe andgietfule stolas. Swelc is huru seo gelimpung Parises on Franclande and Buenos Airese Argentinan ongemang riciscra heafodstola, and Irkutskes oþþe Saltlagburge on Uta on heora landscipum. Naþȳslæs swelc halgung mæg wesan wiðerwinnende. Seo settung of Brasilie in Brasiles inlande wæs gedon be dæl to eowienne þæs gewealdes gesundrodnesse fram þæm crodenan and gewemedan ealdan heafodstole Rio de Janeiro. Þæt geweald Suþcorean gehet on 2004 þæt hit wege his heafodstol fram Seoule to Geongi-Gongtscu — þeah þe þæt word "Seoul" self mænþ "heafodstol" in þære Coreiscan spræce.

Seo gæderung wealdlices and feohhweorfunglices oþþe lifweglices domes nis nanum wisum woruldwide. Þeawlice heafodstolas magon feohhweorfunglice aþeostrian fram bifylclicum ofersteallum, swa swa hit gelamp mid Thebane, þe aþeostrode fram Alexandrie, Nantscing fram Scanghai, oþþe Edinburg fram Glasgowe. Þæt geafeall cynecynnes oþþe lifweges cuðe eacswa wyrcean þone deaþ his heafodstoles, swa swa hit gelamp be Bablonie and Cahocie. Æac wæron manige niwlice heafodstolas, swelce Abuja and Ottawa, rædlice geseted onweg fram feohhweorfunglicum stowum and nabbaþ giet weaxen greate to niwum feohhweorfunglicum burgum.

Andefen þæra eacnunge niwlicra caserrica and geþeodrica, heafodstolas habbaþ worden tacn for heora ricum heora gewealdu,, and gesetede be gewealdlicum andgiete. Ungelice midealdum ceastrum, þe wæron geset æghwær wealda heold his gemot, is seo ceosung, edsettung, staðoling, oþþe se onfeng niwlices heafodstokes carful gelimpung. To bȳsne:

• Forworht and neahlice unwunod Athenas wæs andwended on heafodstol niwan anstandendes Creclandes for þæm hopan to acwicienne þone þrym geara;
• Petrus I Russena Casere beweged his weald to Sanctes Petres Byrig to giefenne þæm Russiscan Caserrice Uesterna gelicnessa, þa hwile þe Kemal Atatürk dyde gelice þære eastweardan wegunge to Ancyre, onweg fram Oþomaniscre Constantinopolis;
• Seo ceosung oþþe staðolung "unsidre" burge, burg unbehlæst mid landscipiscum oþþe steormællicum andwlitan, apeliende þa annesse niwes rices, swa swa Madrid on Spenum, Ottawa in Canadan, and Canberra in Australie onmang oðrum;
• Under þære Americaniscan Ingefeohte, formicel feoh wæs gebrocen to werienne Hwæscingatun fram þære Geþoftedum Ricum American infare þeah þe þæt lytele geþoftscipes geweard moste mann swa gedon bemetendlice and eaðe on þære ielde linroda and þæs feorwriteres.

• Getæl riciscra heafodstola:
  • æfter namum
  • æfter landum (eac mid þære mæstan burge)
  • æfter worulddælum and landum
• Getæl stærlicra riciscra heafodstola
• Getæl heafodstola underriciscra anstandenda
• Getæl rica mid manugum heafodstolum