seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

(''siniscallus'', Vulgar or old Frankish Latin, also ''dapifer'') was an officer of an aristocratic household assigned to manage the domestic affairs of the lord. During the course of the twelfth century, the seneschalship also became an office of military command.

Power of the Angevin Seneschals

The seneschal came also to act as a business manager, coordinating between the receivers of various landholdings and the chamber, camera or treasury, and the chancellory or chapel. When the

counts of Anjou The Count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou, first granted by Charles the Bald in the 9th century to Robert the Strong. Ingelger and his son, Fulk the Red, were viscounts until Fulk assumed the title of Count of Anjou. The Robertians ...

began acquiring large territorial holdings outside of their traditional patrimony, their rule became more and more absentee. With the rule of

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

, the office of seneschal had become almost vice-regal. The seneschals of Anjou, like those appointed in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

, and

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...

had custody of demesne fortresses, the regional treasuries, and presidency of the highest court of regional custom. Although there is no direct evidence that an Exchequer court of Anjou existed, traces of a Poitevin Exchequer and detailed records of the Gascon Exchequers during the reign of

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry a ...

would indicate that there most likely was a functioning exchequer, probably at

Chinon Chinon () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. The traditional province around Chinon, Touraine, became a favorite resort of French kings and their nobles beginning in the late 15th and early 16th centuri ...

which served as the central treasury and chief stronghold of Anjou,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, and

Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vie ...

Seneschals Appointed by the Angevin Kings of England

* Stephen of Tours or Marçay, knight ( la, miles) of Tours (appointed no later than 1160, served until 1189 when he was imprisoned for fiscal mismanagement) * Payen de Rochefort, lord of Rochefort-sur-Loire (1189–1190) * Stephen of Tours (Marçay) (restored, 1190–1196) *

Robert of Thornham Robert of Thornham (or Robert de Turnham) (died 1211) was an English soldier and administrator. The namesake of his landowner father, he was the younger brother of Stephen of Thornham. Robert made his reputation in connection with the conquest o ...

(1196–1199), English knight, eventual lord of Mulgres (

Mulgrave Castle Mulgrave Castle refers to one of three structures on the same property in Lythe, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. One of these, known as the "old" or "ancient" castle, was by legend founded by Wada, a 6th-century ruler of Hälsingland. T ...

), his nephew Thomas de Furnes was castellan of Angers in 1199 * Aimery VII,

viscount of Thouars The first viscounts of Thouars appeared at the end of the 9th century, somewhat earlier than those of Châtellerault, Lusignan, etc. They represented the count of Poitou (also the duke of Aquitaine) in the territory he had enfeoffed to them. Th ...

(1199–1200) *

William des Roches William des Roches (died 1222) (in French Guillaume des Roches) was a French knight and crusader who acted as Seneschal of Anjou, of Maine and of Touraine. After serving the Angevin kings of England, in 1202 he changed his loyalty to King Philip I ...

, lord of Sable, (1200–1202) * Brice the Chamberlain (1202–1203)

Capetian Seneschals of Anjou

* William des Roches, (1199–1200, 1204–1222) * Amauri I de Craon, lord of Craon and Sable (1222–1226) the office continued down the male line of the Craon family

References

* Painter, Sidney; ''The Reign of King John'' * Warren, W.L.; ''Henry II (English Monarchs)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Seneschal Of Anjou Domestic work 12th century in France 13th century in France Historical legal occupations Legal history of France