# Placitum

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{{Short description|Public Judicial Assemblies in the Middle Ages}}
In the early [Middle Ages](/source/Middle_Ages), a '''{{lang|la|placitum}}''' ([Latin](/source/Latin) for "plea") was a public judicial assembly. {{lang|la|Placita}} origins can be traced to military gatherings in the [Frankish kingdoms](/source/Francia) in the seventh century. After the [Frankish conquest of Italy](/source/Siege_of_Pavia_(773%E2%80%9374)) in 774, {{lang|la|placita}} were introduced before the end of the eighth century.<ref name=arnoux>Mathieu Arnoux, "Placitum", in [André Vauchez](/source/Andr%C3%A9_Vauchez) (ed.), ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages'' (James Clarke & Co, 2002; Oxford Reference Online, 2005).</ref> Also known as "Marchfields" or "Mayfields" (based on the month of the gathering), early meetings were used as planning sessions for military expeditions.<ref>{{Cite book|last=[Bury](/source/J._B._Bury)|first=J.B.|url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgemedieva00whit|title=The Cambridge Medieval History - Vol. 2; The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundation of the Western Empire|publisher=[Macmillan](/source/Macmillan_Publishers)|year=1913|location=New York|pages=669–673|asin=B004L62L1K}}</ref>

Originally, the term most commonly referred to the {{lang|la|placitum generalis}}, or {{lang|la|conventus}}, a plenary assembly of the entire kingdom, whereat military and legislative matters, such as the promulgation of [capitularies](/source/capitularies), predominated over judicial functions. The nature of these assemblies is described by the ninth-century prelate [Hincmar](/source/Hincmar) in his {{lang|la|[De ordini palatii](/source/De_ordine_palatii)}}. Later, the term {{lang|la|placitum}} came primarily to prefer to the public court presided over by the {{lang|la|centenarius}} or to the higher court of the count (otherwise called a {{lang|la|mallus}}). The frequency at which {{lang|la|placita}} were held was governed by capitularies. All free men were required to attend and those who did not were fined. Eventually, because the counts, their deputies (the [viscount](/source/viscount)s) and the centenars abused their power to summon in order to profit from the fines, men were required to attend no more than three {{lang|la|placita}} a year. The presiding magistrate usually brought with him judges, notaries and {{lang|la|scabini}} to address questions of law.<ref name=arnoux/>

The public {{lang|la|placitum}} declined in the tenth and eleventh centuries as the process of "[feudalization](/source/Feudalism)" turned formerly public offices into seignorial jurisdictions. Nonetheless, the language and procedures of the {{lang|la|placita}} survived down to the end of the Middle Ages, while the tradition of the {{lang|la|placita generalia}} was continued in the [estates general](/source/The_Estates) and the [estates provincial](/source/States_Provincial_(France)).<ref name=arnoux/>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Wendy Davies and Paul Fouracre (eds.), ''The Settlement of Disputes in Early Medieval Europe'' (Cambridge, 1992).

Category:Francia
Category:Popular assemblies
Category:Medieval politics

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Placitum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placitum) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placitum?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.