Seneschal

In France, since the time of the Merovingians - the seneschal was originally a steward whose duties were to oversee the serving of meals during dinners and feasts - in this capacity he is also known from chronicles under the name dapifer . Over time, however, he turned into one of the highest dignitaries, who was in charge of the internal routine at the court. The duties of the seneschals included the organization of feasts and court ceremonies, as well as the management of servants, like the English Lord Steward ( High-Steward ), while he was the judge , the royal armies of the domain were also under his command, while the king commanded the army kingdoms.

In the German state, the place of the seneschal was occupied by the steward ( Truchsess ). The dukes of Normandy , Burgundy , Brittany , Hyeni , counts of Flanders , Champagne , Toulouse had their seneschals from among the knights . When these possessions were transferred to the crown, royal officials began to control Seneschalism (judicial districts).

The seneschals of the royal court bore the title of Grand Seneschal ( Grand Sénéchal ) or Seneschal of France (sénéchal de France). In the X-XII centuries. the Seneschal service remained the most important service of the king, but in 1191 it was abolished by the decision of Philip-Augustus , due to too much concentration of power in one hand. After the death of the last Seneschal of France - Thibault V de Blois , the position was abolished, the duties of the Seneschal were divided among themselves by the constable , the camearies and the supreme administrator of the court , who replaced the Seneschal with regard to the management of the court and servants.

Having abolished the title of seneschal as a court post, Philippe Augustus turned them into purely judicial officials who performed duties in southern France, who were assigned to the north in the north - that is, to administer the court and head the administration, manage military affairs and manage the finances of a certain region under their jurisdiction and bore the name of senashalism. The court was built on the basis of the common law of the region, the jurisdiction of the Seneschal included both civil and criminal cases.

After the sixteenth century, the seneschals retain exclusively military functions.

Finally, the post disappears after the French Revolution .

The position of Senaschal also existed in the wealthy senior houses of France. The Seneschal Senor was at first the manager of the estate, often serfdom , but over time he acquired the functions of the ceremonies of the master , manager and administrator of feasts; according to the English historian H.S. Bennett, he should have known “the size and needs of each estate; the number of acres of land to be plowed, and how many seeds are needed for sowing. He had to maintain contact with all the elders of the villages or local bali, oversee how they dispose of the master's property and treat the peasants. He must know exactly how much bread can be baked from a quarter of the grain, and how many cattle can be grazed on each pasture. He must constantly observe the interests of the lord, so that none of the lord's property is damaged or stolen. He should constantly take care of the lord's income, both monetary and otherwise, and ensure that they are paid on time. In other words, he had to be omniscient and omnipotent . "

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• Historical Dictionary, article "Seneschal."

• Senechal // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.