lournd of Medieval History ELSEVIER Journal of Medieval History 21 (1995) 167-193 The local administrative system of France under Philip IV (1285-1314) - baillis and seneschals Hiroshi Takayama* Faculty of Letters, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan Abstract In this article, I propose a new framework for understanding the administrative structure of France under Philip IV. I focus on baillis and seneschals, who were two types of major officials governing local districts (bailliages or s(n~chauss~es) in France by the late thirteenth century. Baillis were usually located in the northern part of France, while seneschals were found in the south. It has been generally assumed that, despite their different titles, baill& and seneschals had almost identical functions in royal administration. I call this overly simplified understanding into question, and suggest that baill& and seneschals had completely different administrative functions, reflecting the different char- acteristics of bailliages and s~n~chauss~es. In the bailliages, under the direct control of the king, baillis and their subordinate officials were delegated a small portion of the king's power ("a qualitative division of royal power" was made). In the s~nOchauss~es outside the direct protection of the king's military power, seneschals were entrusted with full royal powers, including that of military force ("a quantitative division of royal power" was made). It is well known that baillis and seneschals played an important role in local administration in medieval France. According to Joseph Strayer and other scholars, baillis and seneschals were local officials who had almost identical functions in administration, but were called baillis in the northern part of the kingdom and seneschals in the southern part. 1 According to Strayer, HIROSHI TAKAYAMA is associate professor of history at the University of Tokyo. He studied with John Boswell at Yale and his book The Administration of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily has been published in Japanese and in English. * Correspondence address: Ochiai 5-2-2-301, Tama-city, Tokyo 206, Japan. Fax: +81 423 71 8253. 1Jean Favier, Philippe le Bel (Paris, 1978), 79; Jean Francois Lemarignier, La France mOdi~vale, institutions et soci~t~s (Paris, 1970), 340; James W. Fesler, "French field administration: The beginnings," Comparative Studies in Society and History, 5 (1962/3), 82-83; Robert Fawtier, The Capetian Kings of France, Monarchy and Nation 987-1328, trans. L. Butler and R. J. Adam (London, 1960), 178-179, 189-190; Francois Olivier-Martin, Histoire du droit fran~ais des origines a la R~volution, (2 ° tirage, Paris, 1975), 232-233. 0304-4181/95/$09.50 © 1995 - Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved SSDI 0304-4181(94)00815-9