Royal Administration of Merovingian and Carolingian Dynasties

The royal household of the early kings of the Franks is the subject of considerable discussion and remains controversial. This discussion is aimed at identifying the major categories of participants in the administration and those who made the major historical impacts. Every king of the Franks from Clovis I to Charles the Bald had a large cadre of advisors and bureaucrats that helped implement their regime. These supporters of the crown are frequently unknown, but often are ancestors of the later rulers of France. This is not intended to be a complete list of those supporting the kings but to serve as a guide for further study. A general discussion of the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties can be found in the associated main articles. See also Government of the Carolingian Empire.

Mayors of the Palace. Under the Merovingian kings, the mayor of the palace (maiores palatii or “great man of the palace") was the manager of the household of the Frankish king. The office existed from the sixth century, and during the seventh it evolved into the power behind the throne. Some of the more significant mayors were:

See main article Mayors of the Palace.

Counselors to the King. After the ascendance of the mayors of the palace to the heads of government, future kings understandingly did not place so much power in their underlings, but still relied on senior councillors (or counselors), mostly from the clergy. Major players included:

Lord Chancellor. The officer of state responsible for the judiciary and was responsible for seeing that royal decrees were enrolled and registered by the sundry parlements, the provincial appellate courts. Some significant lord chancellors include:

See the main article Lord Chancellor of France.

Seneschal. The royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration (in French, sénéchal). Some important seneschal were:

See the main article Seneschal.

Administrator of the Fisc. Also known as the Master of the Coin. The fisc was the system applied to the royal demesne which paid taxes from which the royal household was meant to be supported. The only recorded Administrator of the Fisc is:

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