COMMUNE

medizeval term applied to municipal corporations which developed in Middle Ages; in many particulars exempt from common law, some of them became city-states. The various barbarian tribes which overran the Rom. Empire often left fortified towns standing, and in these medieval c. sprang up; sometimes, however, an artificial town was organized, generally to be distinguished by its symmetrical planning — central market-place, relation of streets, etc. In Germany, fortified Rom. towns were usually’ in X. cent. seats of bisheprics and ruled by bp’s with civil and military as well as ecclesiastical jurisdiction over town and _ district. The chief liberty of the town was that its inhabitants could not be impleaded outside its bounds, and an important enactment for the country at large was that runaway serfs who dwelt in town for a year and a day became free. Corporations developed XI. to XIII. cent’s, obtaining imperial charters of liberties; town council ( Rat), composed of burghers and burgomasters, imposed fines for breach of peace and levied duties, while merchants became incorporated in guilds. Encroachment of towns on privileges of bp’s and nobles led to wars and establishment of many imperial cities, under immediate control of emperor; these were nearly all disfranchised, 1815, having decayed. In Italy, c. was also head of bishopric, but important difference was that it was also seat of nobles, inhabitants being cla ified as capitani, chief nobles, valoa orz, landowners dependent on the capitant, and the industrial cla (popolo, the people). Lombard merchants were important in VIII cent.; their cities obtained imperial charters, and in XII. cent. defeated emperor in war, using quarrels between papacy and empire to consolidate their power. OC. was composed of popular a embly, council, and executive body of 12 consules. Kstablishment of podesti as head of the city led to tyrannies of Visconti of Milan, Scala of Verona, Carrara of Padua, etc. Florence saw many battles between her democracy and nobles and final establishment of rule of Medici; Venice became ruled by small oligarchy of nobles and merchants; Rom. municipal freedom was overthrown by popes and not reinstated until modern times. Fr. municipalities in south resembled those of Italy in constitution, but generally remained villes consul a ires: those of north resembled Ger. c. or Eng. borough, often having mayeur, burgenses, etc. Span. towns became of importance: gy acting as outposts against. oors.