In the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, a (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

for "plea") was a public judicial assembly. origins can be traced to military gatherings in the Frankish kingdoms in the seventh century. After the Frankish conquest of Italy in 774, were introduced before the end of the eighth century.Mathieu Arnoux, "Placitum", in André Vauchez (ed.), ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages'' (James Clarke & Co, 2002; Oxford Reference Online, 2005). Also known as "Marchfields" or "Mayfields" (based on the month of the gathering), early meetings were used as planning sessions for military expeditions. Originally, the term most commonly referred to the , or , a plenary assembly of the entire kingdom, whereat military and legislative matters, such as the promulgation of

capitularies A capitulary ( Medieval Latin ) was a series of legislative or administrative acts emanating from the Frankish court of the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties, especially that of Charlemagne, the first emperor of the Romans in the west since ...

, predominated over judicial functions. The nature of these assemblies is described by the ninth-century prelate

Hincmar Hincmar (; ; la, Hincmarus; 806 – 21 December 882), archbishop of Reims, was a Frankish jurist and theologian, as well as the friend, advisor and propagandist of Charles the Bald. He belonged to a noble family of northern Francia. Biography E ...

in his . Later, the term came primarily to prefer to the public court presided over by the or to the higher court of the count (otherwise called a ). The frequency at which 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 viscounts) and the centenars abused their power to summon in order to profit from the fines, men were required to attend no more than three a year. The presiding magistrate usually brought with him judges, notaries and to address questions of law. The public declined in the tenth and eleventh centuries as the process of " feudalization" turned formerly public offices into seignorial jurisdictions. Nonetheless, the language and procedures of the survived down to the end of the Middle Ages, while the tradition of the was continued in the estates general and the estates provincial.

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