A
seneschal was an administrative officer in the houses of important nobles in the
Middle Ages and
early Modern period, equivalent to a
steward or
stolnik. In a medieval noble household a seneschal was in charge of domestic arrangements and the administration of servants. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the seneschal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French
bailiff ().