Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also known by the Latin name, maior domus, used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries. It could be compared with a count palatine. A title is a prefix or suffix added to a persons name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. ... An office is a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organisation with specific duties attached to it (see officer, office-holder, official); the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one... Statue of Charlemagne (also called Karl der Große, Charles the Great) in Frankfurt, Germany. ... // Overview Events The Roman-Persian Wars end. ... (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... Graf is a German noble title equal in rank to a count or an earl. ...

During the 7th century, the office of Mayor of the Palace developed into the true power behind the throne in Austrasia, the northeastern portion of the Kingdom of the Franks under the Merovingian dynasty. The majordomo had the real decision power, while their kings had only a ceremonial function. Austrasia & Neustria Austrasia formed the north-eastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. ... For other uses, see Franks (disambiguation). ... For other uses of the term Merovingian, see Merovingian (disambiguation). ...

The office became hereditary in the family of the Pippinids. After Austrasia and Neustria were reunited in one kingdom, Pippin III — Majordomo since 747 — took the crown of the Merovingians in 751 to establish the line of Carolingian kings. His son Charlemagne assumed even greater power when he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800, thus becoming one of the most prominent figures in European history. Pippinid are the members of a family of Frankish nobles whose eldest scion served as major-domo, de facto ruler, of the Frankish Kingdom nominally ruled by the Merovingians. ... Neustria & Austrasia The territory of Neustria originated in A.D. 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities. ... Pepin III (714 - September 24, 768) more often known as Pepin the Short (French, Pépin le Bref; German, Pippin der Kleine), was a King of the Franks (751 - 768). ... Events Abu Muslim unites the Abbasid Empire against the Umayyads. ... Events Pippin the Short is elected as king of the Franks by the Frankish nobility, marking the end of the Merovingian and beginning of the Carolingian dynasty. ... Charlemagne (2 April 742 or 747 – 28 January 814) (also Charles the Great; from Latin, Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus), son of King Pippin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, was the king of the Franks from 768 to 814 and king of the Lombards from 774 to 814. ... The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ... Events December 25, Rome, coronation of Charles the Great (Charlemagne) as emperor by Pope Leo III. Celtic monks begin work on the Book of Kells on the Island of Iona. ...

The function of majordomo (from major domus) can also refer to the senior servant in a large, usually aristocratic, household. Ranking above the butler, the majordomo is responsible for all managerial and financial affairs concerning his employer's households. This term, now seldom used, was common in Europe until the early 20th century. Significantly, the French term now used as equivalent to butler still is majordome. A majordomo is the head (major) person of a domestic staff (domo), one who acts on behalf of a usually absent owner of a typically large residence. ... Servant has a number of meaning: A servant is another word for domestic worker, a person who is hired to provide regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. ... Aristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an upper class known as aristocrats. ... // For other uses see Butler (disambiguation) The butler is a senior servant in a large household. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

See also

• Franks (main article on Frankish kingdoms)
• List of Frankish Kings (includes list of Arnulfing mayors)
• List of the Mayors of the Palaces