79:. It could decide on war, in which case a campaign would begin immediately. There is no evidence in Merovingian sources, however, that campaigns were more likely to begin in March or early spring than any other time of the year. The Marchfield was also a place for royal patronage, the meting out of rewards and punishments and maintaining a direct link between the king and the soldiery. The assembly could also act as a tribunal, trying persons accused of high treason. It was also an occasion for kings to issue
66:(575–596) promulgated edicts at three assemblies on March 1 in the last decade of his reign. The assembly may not have happened every year nor necessarily opened March 1, but there was an expectation that a major assembly would be held around that time.
69:
The
Marchfield was a military and political assembly and men came armed. It was in effect a mustering of the army, and may have had its origins in the Franks' service as
86:
The
Marchfield appears to have been instituted in Lombard Italy in the 8th century. This was an assembly for enacting laws. All of the dated laws of kings
276:
256:
Du Champ de Mars mérovingien au Champ de Mai carolingien: Éclairages sur un objet fugace et une réforme de Pépin, dit «le Bref»
221:
87:
62:
period (751–888). The evidence for the
Marchfield in the Merovingian period is indirect. For example, King
116:
208:
271:
161:
127:
187:
182:(2018), "Assembly Politics in Western Europe From the Eighth Century to the Twelfth", in
179:
24:
265:
216:
212:
183:
63:
80:
149:
59:
55:
224:, Volume II: The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundation of the Western Empire
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153:
76:
71:
131:
44:
95:
91:
40:
160:(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp. 50–82, at 61 and 64.
119:(1974), "Was the Marchfield Part of the Frankish Constitution?",
211:(1913), "Gaul under the Merovingian Franks: Institutions", in
58:
period (481–751). The earliest reference is from the early
152:(2020), "The Western European Kingdoms, 600–1000", in
194:, 2nd ed. (New York: Routledge), pp. 511–529, at 514.
50:
There is no reference to an annual "field of March" (
242:(New York: Routledge), pp. 43, 82, 128, 135 and 145.
240:Warfare and Society in the Barbarian West, 450–900
234:
232:
145:
143:
141:
139:
43:between the 6th and 8th centuries and of the
8:
226:(New York: Macmillan), pp. 133–158, at 135.
112:
110:
204:
202:
200:
175:
173:
106:
7:
16:Public Assemblies in the Middle Ages
14:
39:), was an annual assembly of the
222:The Cambridge Medieval History
190:and Marios Costambeys (eds.),
1:
158:The Cambridge History of War
156:and David A. Graff (eds.),
293:
166:10.1017/9781139025492.003
277:Kingdom of the Lombards
28:
132:10.1484/j.ms.2.306163
238:Guy Halsall (2003),
47:in the 8th century.
31:), later called the
117:Bernard S. Bachrach
98:are dated March 1.
254:Stoclet, Alain J.
192:The Medieval World
209:Christian Pfister
121:Mediaeval Studies
284:
243:
236:
227:
206:
195:
177:
168:
147:
134:
114:
292:
291:
287:
286:
285:
283:
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281:
262:
261:
258:.Brepols, 2020.
251:
249:Further reading
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237:
230:
207:
198:
188:Janet L. Nelson
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171:
148:
137:
115:
108:
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17:
12:
11:
5:
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180:Timothy Reuter
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135:
105:
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100:
52:campus Martius
29:Campus Martius
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13:
10:
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4:
3:
2:
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217:J. P. Whitney
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213:H. M. Gwatkin
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197:
193:
189:
185:
184:Peter Linehan
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176:
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111:
107:
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99:
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84:
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78:
74:
73:
67:
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64:Childebert II
61:
57:
53:
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46:
42:
38:
37:Campus Madius
34:
30:
26:
22:
255:
239:
220:
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120:
85:
81:capitularies
70:
68:
51:
49:
36:
32:
20:
18:
150:Guy Halsall
126:: 178–185.
60:Carolingian
56:Merovingian
54:) from the
266:Categories
154:Anne Curry
102:References
77:Roman army
21:Marchfield
88:Liutprand
72:foederati
219:(eds.),
45:Lombards
33:Mayfield
272:Francia
96:Aistulf
92:Ratchis
75:in the
41:Franks
25:Latin
215:and
94:and
19:The
162:doi
128:doi
268::
231:^
199:^
186:,
172:^
138:^
124:36
109:^
90:,
83:.
27::
164::
130::
35:(
23:(
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