First of all, it is imporatant to know that a Carolingian
Court is not based in one place. A Carolingian court is moving between court
places, they are called „Pfalz“
They could be located in or near a city as well as connected
to a monastery. A third variant would have been near a „Königshof“ which was a
big farmstead in possession oft he Kings‘ family.
Though many of them were used and partially remodeled after
the Carolingian Period, there is a big amount of archaeological evidence from
that sites. As the Carolingian Empire included a large area, Pfalzen are based
in several modern countries. They are spread through the realm in distances
that could be covered by horse relatively easy. Some oft hem were bigger and
better equipped, so that the court could stay there for a longer time, for
example when hibernating.
To name a few in Germany, there would be Paderborn [1],
Ingelheim[2],
Aachen[3]
with many, many more to add. In France, examples are Saint-Denis or Rouen[4]
in the Netherlands Nijmegen, in Belgium Tournai.
So, the court is on the move a lot. The „Pfalz“ would have
several buidlings because all the people belonging to the court would accompany
the king and had to find accomodation as well. All the people and their horses
of course also needed food and drink.
There had tob e a „Palas“, a chapel and an Estate. When there,
the king met with the Local Lords, and acted as a judge. The palas had a great
hall for meetings and for holding court.
We have some insight on how politics worked in the
Carolingian Period through historians and Chronists of that time[5].
Also documents have survived which illustrate the decisions made[6].
[1] Lutz Fenske, Jörg Jarnut und Matthias Wemhoff (Hrsg.): Splendor palatii. Neue Forschungen zu Paderborn und
anderen Pfalzen der Karolingerzeit (Deutsche Königspfalzen 5;
Veröffentlichungen des Max- Planck-Instituts für Geschichte 11/5). Göttingen
2001
[2] Walter Sage, Die Ausgrabungen in der Pfalz zu Ingelheim am Rhein 1960-1970, Francia 4,
1976, 140-160
[3] Frank Pohle, Die Erforschung der karolingischen Pfalz Aachen, Rheinische Ausgrabungen
70, Darmstadt 2015.
[4] Jaques Le Maho, Die erzbischöfliche Pfalz von Rouen (Frankreich) zu Beginn des 9.
Jahrhunderts, Splendor palatii 5, 193-210.
[5] Simon MacLean, History and politics in late Carolingian and Ottonias Europe: The
Chronicle of Prüm and Adalbert of Magdeburg. Selected sources translated ans
annotaded with an introduction by Simon MacLean, Manchester Medieval sources
series 2017.
And of course: Paul Edward Dutton, Charlemagne’s courtier:
the complete Einhard, readings in medieval civilizations 3, Toronto 2009.
 
[6] Reinhold Rau (Ed.), Quellen zur kaolingischen Reichsgeschichte, Darmstadt, 2008 (for
scholars available as web ressource)