Seneschal of the Realm (; ; ;
; 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
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
was often a leader in the government.
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
A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary.
Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...
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
chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
s or other high officers of state.
The office seems to have appeared in
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
in the 13th century and a bit later in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
and
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. 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
Birger Jarl or Birger Magnusson (21 October 1266) was a Swedish statesman and regent, ''Swedish jarls, jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjälbo, who played a pivotal role in consolidating Sweden after the civil wars between the House of Eri ...
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
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
the word “Landdrost” was used for noble district caretakers until the 19th century. In
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
the heads of the governmental regions, Landdrosteien, were called ''
Landdrost
''Landdrost'' ({{IPA, nl, ˈlɑndrɔst, lang, Nl-landdrost.ogg) was the title of various officials with local jurisdiction in the Netherlands and a number of former territories in the Dutch Empire. The term is a Dutch compound, with ''land'' mean ...
e'' until 1885.
See also
*
Lord High Steward of Sweden The Lord High Steward or Lord High Justiciar (Swedish: ''Riksdrots'' or only '' Drots'') 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.
Middle Ages
The ...
References
Political history of Denmark
Political history of Sweden
{{Sweden-hist-stub
nl:Drost