The government of the realm was managed by two groups of ministers—the royal household, or _palatium_, and the provincial governors. [Sidenote: The Royal Household.] The household followed the person of the king in all his movements. It was mainly composed of personal companions, bound by the oath of fidelity, the _comites_ of earlier days, who had once formed the king’s war-band, but now constituted his ministers and officials. These personal adherents were called by the Franks _antrustions_. We have already seen that the Goths called the same class _saiones_, and the English _gesiths_. The chief of the royal household, or _palatium_, was the official whom later generations usually called the _Major Palatii_, or ‘Mayor of the Palace.’ He was the king’s first servant, charged with the overseeing of the rest of the household officials, and ready to act at need as the king’s other self in matters of war, justice, or administration. In the days of the first warlike Frankish kings the Mayor of the Palace was kept in his place by the activity of his master, and was no more than an important official. But, as the Merovings decayed in personal vigour, their mayors grew more and more important, till at last we shall see them taking the place of regent and practical substitute for the king. The old English monarchies had no officials who can be compared in importance to them, but, under the Anglo-Normans, the position of the Justiciar was much like that occupied by the Frankish _Major Palatii_. After the Mayor of the Palace, the chief ministers of the royal household were the Marshall (_comes stabuli_), charged with the oversight of the royal stables; the _Comes Palatii_, who acted as legal adviser and assessor to the king; the Treasurer; and the _Referendarius_, or royal secretary. Though primarily household officials, all these are occasionally found detached from the court on external business, commanding armies, or sent on embassies. At first all the posts were given to Franks, save that of the Referendarius, to fill which it would have been hard to find an educated man of Teutonic blood. But, by the end of the sixth century, men of Gallo-Roman origin were occasionally found in occupation of them, and in the seventh century this became quite common. In 605 we find even the office of _Major Palatii_, the most important of them all, in the hands of the Gallo-Roman Protadius.