Domestic authority was represented by the mund, or head of the family, also called rex (the king), who exercised a special power over the persons and goods of his dependents, a guardianship, in fact, with certain rights and prerogatives, and a sort of civil and political responsibility attached to it.  Thus the head of the family, who was responsible for his wife and for those of his children who lived with him, was also responsible for his slaves and domestic animals.  To such a pitch did these primitive people carry their desire that justice should be done in all cases of infringement of the law, that the head was held legally responsible for any injury which might be done by the bow or the sword of any of his dependents, without it being necessary that he should himself have handled either of these weapons.

Long before the commencement of the Merovingian era, the family, whose sphere of action had at first been an isolated and individual one, became incorporated into one great national association, which held official meetings at stated periods on the Malberg (Parliament hill).  These assemblies alone possessed supreme power in its full signification.  The titles given to certain chiefs of rex (king), dux (duke), graff (count), brenn (general of the army), only defined the subdivisions of that power, and were applied, the last exclusively, to those engaged in war, and the others to those possessing judicial and administrative functions.  The duty of dispensing justice was specially assigned to the counts, who had to ascertain the cause of quarrels between parties and to inflict penalties.  There was a count in each district and in each important town; there were, besides, several counts attached to the sovereign, under the title of counts of the palace (comites palatii), an honourable position, which was much sought after and much coveted on account of its pecuniary and other contingent advantages.  The counts of the palace deliberated with the sovereign on all matters and all questions of State, and at the same time they were his companions in hunting, feasting, and religious exercises; they acted as arbitrators in questions of inheritance of the crown; during the minority of princes they exercised the same authority as that which the constitution gave to sovereigns who were of full age; they confirmed the nominations of the principal functionaries and even those of the bishops; they gave their advice on the occasion of a proposed alliance between one nation and another, on matters connected with treaties of peace or of commerce, on military expeditions, or on exchanges of territory, as well as in reference to the marriage of a prince, and they incurred no responsibility beyond that naturally attached to persons in so distinguished a position among a semi-barbarous community.  At first the legates (legati), and afterwards the King’s ambassadors (missi dominici), the bishops and the dukes or commanders of the army were usually selected from the higher court officials, such as the counts of the palace, whereas the ministeriales, forming the second class of the royal officials, filled inferior though very honourable and lucrative posts of an administrative and magisterial character.