The New International Encyclopædia/Missi

MISSI (Lat., those sent). Officials sent out by the Frankish kings for special purposes. Under Charles the Great the missi dominici were the Emperor’s special representatives. The Empire was divided into a number of districts; into each district each year two missi, one a lay noble, the other an officer of the Church, were sent to hold court, hear complaints, redress grievances, and make a special report to the Emperor. By this means Charles sought to control the counts and to centralize the government. The enquêteurs, employed by Saint Louis, had similar functions. Consult Adams, Civilization During the Middle Ages (New York, 1894).