A seneschal (/ˈsɛnəʃəl/) 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 (French:sénéchal) was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailiff (bailli).