Mayor of the palace | Merovingian Dynasty, Frankish Kingdom, Charlemagne

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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/mayor-of-the-palace/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Grimoald-Merovingian-official" topicid="246263">Grimoald</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/mayor-of-the-palace"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref76445"></span>mayor of the palace</strong>, official of the western European kingdoms of the 6th–8th century, whose status developed under the <span id="ref76446"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Merovingian-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Merovingian</a> <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="Franks" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Franks" data-type="EB">Franks</a> from that of an officer of the household to that of regent or viceroy. The Merovingian kings adopted the system by which great landowners of the Roman Empire had employed a <em><span id="ref76447"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/major-domus" class="md-crosslink ">major domus</a></em> (mayor, or supervisor, of the household) to superintend the administration of numerous, often scattered, estates. The Merovingians appointed a <em>major palatii</em> (mayor of the palace) to perform a similar function. The mayor gradually acquired further duties and powers: he obtained authority over court personnel, advised the king on the appointment of counts and dukes, protected the <em>commendati</em> (persons commended to the king) and the king’s wards, and eventually even came to command the royal army.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">It was probably a long series of Merovingian child kings from the late 6th century onward that enabled the mayors of the palace, as tutors of the young rulers, to gain control of the government. Eventually, they maintained it even when the kings had come of age. At first liberal to, and thus supported by, the landowning <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="aristocracy" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aristocracy" data-type="MW">aristocracy</a>, some mayors later became strong enough to act severely toward them.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">From the second quarter of the 7th century, members of the <span id="ref76448"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Carolingian-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Carolingian</a> family usually held the mayoral power in the Frankish kingdom of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Austrasia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Austrasia</a>. After <span id="ref76449"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pippin-II-Carolingian-mayor" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pippin II</a> of Herstal had defeated the Neustrians at Tertry in 687, the three Frankish kingdoms of Austrasia, Neustria, and Burgundy were united under his <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/de-facto" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">de facto</a> rule as mayor of the palace. His grandson <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pippin-III" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pippin III</a> the Short set aside the Merovingian king <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Childeric-III" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Childeric III</a> in 751 and had himself elected king, becoming the first of the Carolingian <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynasty" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynasty" data-type="MW">dynasty</a>.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":371074,"pageLength":283,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.36"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.36' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Mayor of the palace | Merovingian Dynasty, Frankish Kingdom, Charlemagne | Britannica