Seneschal of Anjou

The Seneschal of Anjou (siniscallus, Vulgar or old Frankish Latin, also dapifer) was an officer of an aristocratic household assigned to manage the domestic affairs of the lords of Anjou.

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 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, the office of seneschal had become almost vice-regal.

The seneschals of Anjou, like those appointed in Normandy, Poitou, and Gascony had custody of demesne fortresses, the regional treasuries, and presidency of the highest court of regional custom.