Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ducal, or noble household during the Middle Ages and early Modern period – historically a steward or majordomo of a medieval great house.

The meaning of SENESCHAL is an agent or steward in charge of a lord's estate in feudal times.

seneschal, in medieval and early modern France, a steward or principal administrator in a royal or noble household. As time went on, the office declined in importance and was often equivalent to that of a bailiff (q.v.); the office and title persisted until the French Revolution.

2 meanings: 1. a steward of the household of a medieval prince or nobleman who took charge of domestic arrangements, etc 2..... Click for more definitions.

A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equal to the northern French bailli.

Seneschal definition: An official in a medieval noble household in charge of domestic arrangements and the administration of servants; a steward or major-domo.

Mar 8, 2025 · seneschal (plural seneschals) A steward in charge of a nobleman's estate. A viceroy; one governing in place of a ruler.

Define seneschal. seneschal synonyms, seneschal pronunciation, seneschal translation, English dictionary definition of seneschal. n. An official in a medieval noble household in charge of domestic arrangements and the administration of servants; a steward or major-domo.

The Seneschal was the senior steward in charge of all ceremonies and domestic arrangements as well as the administration of justice in a large medieval household. The word is Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin “seniscalus”, from a Germanic compound of words meaning ‘old’ and ‘servant’.

In old European law. A title of office and dignity, derived from the middle ages, answering to that of steward or high steward in England. Seneschals were originally the lieutenants of the dukes and other great feudatories of the kingdom, and sometimes had the dispensing of justice and high military commands.