Seneschal in Scandinavia

Last updated

Seneschal of the Realm, riksdrots (Swedish), rigsdrost (Danish), drottsete (Norwegian), or valtakunnandrotsi (Finnish), (other plausible translations are Lord High Steward or Lord High Justiciar) is a Danish and Swedish supreme state official, with at least a connotation to administration of judiciary, who in medieval Scandinavia was often a leader in the government.

Contents

Background

The word drots/drost seems to be of German origin ( Truchsess ) and means a steward or a leader of the household; in Dutch language however, a drost or drossaard was a historical kind of bailiff in parts of the Low Countries. During the Scandinavian Early Middle Age it developed into an even more powerful political position. The drots was responsible of administering royal justice. Other powers easily became added to the position. The Lord High Constable (marsk) and Lord High Chancellor were the other officers that sometimes held the premiership. The Drots held the privilege to be the Regent during a minority or absence of the king.

Quite often, the drots acted as a kind of governor who was the king’s representative and at least officially had precedence over other officials. Less powerful holders of the office of drots often went into the background in favour of the chancellors or other high officers of state. [1]

The office seems to have appeared in Denmark in the 13th century and a bit later in Sweden and Norway. In Sweden, it acquired the official role of "second-in-command" and the regentship at the disappearance of the ancient office of Riksjarl with Birger jarl as the last holder of that office. It was not quite unusual that also mighty princes like Dukes, as well as royal consorts, had their own drost.

In all three countries the post was abolished in the 1380s. In Denmark it was replaced in importance by the pre-existing title of Steward of the Realm. In Sweden it was soon revived before the mid-15th century and in the 17th century in a new version as Riksdrots, "Drots of the Realm" or "Imperial Drost", which was also used in Denmark for a short while after 1660.

In North Western Germany the word “Landdrost” was used for noble district caretakers until the 19th century. In Hanover the heads of the governmental regions, Landdrosteien, were called Landdroste until 1885.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Stadtholder</i> Low Countries governing official from 14th to 18th centuries

In the Low Countries, a stadtholder was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The stadtholder was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and Habsburg period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles VIII of Sweden</span> King of Sweden

Charles VIII, contemporaneously known as Charles II and called Charles I in Norwegian context, was king of Sweden and king of Norway (1449–1450).

Chancellor is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the audience. A chancellor's office is called a chancellery or chancery. The word is now used in the titles of many various officers in various settings. Nowadays the term is most often used to describe:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Chancellor</span> Great Officer of State in the United Kingdom

The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The lord chancellor is appointed by the sovereign on the advice of the prime minister. Prior to the union of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain, there were separate lord chancellors for the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. There were Lord Chancellors of Ireland until 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord High Treasurer</span> English government position

The Lord High Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in England, below the Lord High Steward and the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.

Justiciar is the English form of the medieval Latin term justiciarius or justitiarius. The Chief Justiciar was the king's chief minister, roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Government in medieval monarchies generally comprised the king's companions, later becoming the royal household, from which the officers of state arose, initially having household and government duties. Later some of these officers became two: one serving state and one serving household. They were superseded by new officers, or were absorbed by existing officers. Many of the officers became hereditary and thus removed from practical operation of either the state or the household.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor-general of Norway</span> Norwegian head of state in absence of the monarch

The governor-general of Norway, was the appointed head of the Norwegian Government in the absence of the monarch, during the union with Denmark and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord High Chancellor of Sweden</span>

The Lord High Chancellor, literally Chancellor of the Realm, was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from 1538 until 1799, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Privy Council. From 1634, the Lord High Chancellor was one of five Great Officers of the Realm, who were the most prominent members of the Privy Council and headed a governmental branch each—the Lord High Chancellor headed the Privy Council. In 1792, more than a century after the office's abolishment in 1680, it was revived but was then finally abolished seven years later in 1799.

<i>Advocatus</i> Medieval office-holder

During the Middle Ages, an advocatus was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as an abbey. Many such positions developed, especially in the Holy Roman Empire. Typically, these evolved to include responsibility for aspects of the daily management of agricultural lands, villages and cities. In some regions, advocates were governors of large provinces, sometimes distinguished by terms such as Landvogt.

The Lord High Constable was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from the 13th century until 1676, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Swedish Privy Council and, from 1630 and on, the head of the Swedish Council of War. From 1634, the Lord High Constable was one of five Great Officers of the Realm.

The Lord High Steward or Lord High Justiciar was a highly prominent member of the Swedish Privy Council from the 13th century until 1809, excluding periods when the office was out of use.

The Great Officers of the Realm were the five leading members of the Swedish Privy Council from the later parts of the 16th century to around 1680. With the constitution of 1634, the five officers became heads of five different branches of government. The same constitution also declared that the great officers were to act as regents during the minorities of kings or regnal queens. All great officers of the realm were abolished by king Charles XI of Sweden. The Lord High Steward and the Lord High Chancellor offices were revived in the late 18th century, but were soon removed again.

A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent them in a country and who may have a mandate to govern it in their name; in the latter case, it is synonymous with the position of regent, vicegerent, viceroy, king's lieutenant, governor, or deputy.

The Hofmarschall was the administrative official in charge of a princely German court, supervising all its economic affairs.

The Lord High Admiral or Admiral of the Realm was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from c. 1571 until 1676, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Swedish Privy Council and the head of the navy and Admiralty of Sweden. From 1634, the Lord High Admiral was one of five Great Officers of the Realm.

The Lord High Treasurer was a highly prominent member of the Swedish Privy Council between 1602 and 1684, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The Lord High Treasurer was head of the Kammarkollegiet and, from 1634, one of five Great Officers of the Realm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steward of the Realm (Denmark)</span>

Steward of the Realm was an office at the Royal Danish Court. With the coronation of Eric VII of Denmark in 1396, it became an important office, taking over the role of the Seneschal as the de facto prime minister of the country. Prior to that the Rigshofmester had merely been the administrative leader of the Royal Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie</span> Swedish statesman and military man

Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie was a Swedish statesman and military man. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1647 and came to be the holder of three of the five offices counted as the Great Officers of the Realm, namely Lord High Treasurer, Lord High Chancellor and Lord High Steward. He also served as Governor-General in the Swedish dominion of Livonia.

Admiral of the Realm was a military and political title given to nobles in Denmark-Norway, Sweden and Holy Roman Empire.

References

  1. ↑ "Baron Gabriel Gustafsson Oxenstierna".


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.