capitularia

Capitularia, the plural of capitularium and often rendered as capitularies in English, are a class of royal statutes issued in the form of short articles called capitula. They date from the late 7th to the 9th centuries, with their most influential period under the Carolingian dynasty. Scholars refer to them collectively as Capitularia regum Francorum or Capitularia Carolingiana, reflecting their origin in the Frankish empire and their later study as a scholarly corpus.

Capitularia were intended as practical guidelines for governance across the realm. They cover administrative order, church affairs, legal procedures, taxation, military service, and the management of royal estates. Issued by kings and implemented through provincial officials such as counts, bishops, and missi (envoys), the capitula aimed to standardize practice, strengthen royal oversight, and transmit policy through local authorities.

Notable examples include the Capitulare de villis vel curtis imperii, a widely cited decree on the management of royal estates, and various otros capitula addressing regional administration, for instance capitulary provisions concerning Saxony and the missi. The form is typically concise, organized as short articles, and transmitted in manuscript collections rather than as a single code. The contents reflect the administrative and ecclesiastical concerns of the Carolingian state and its efforts to centralize authority.

Legacy and significance: capitularia are a key source for understanding early medieval governance, state formation, and church–state relations. They influenced later medieval legal practice and show how rulers attempted to regulate diverse aspects of imperial administration across broad territories.