German town law (German: Deutsches Stadtrecht) or German municipal concerns (Deutsches Städtewesen) refers to town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. 'City rights' redirects here See also Municipal charter. Town privileges were important features of European Towns during Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent.
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Town law in Germany
As Germans began establishing towns throughout northern Europe as early as the 10th century, they often received town privileges granting them autonomy from local secular or religious rulers. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as 'City rights' redirects here See also Municipal charter. Town privileges were important features of European Towns during Such privileges often included the right to self-governance, economic autonomy, criminal courts, and militia. The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service Town laws were more or less entirely copied from neighboring towns, such as the Westphalian towns of Soest, Dortmund, Minden, and Münster. Westphalia (Westfalen) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Bielefeld, Bochum, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Münster Soest ( pronounced) is a City in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Dortmund (ˈdɔʁtmʊnt is a City in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Minden is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Minden-Lübbecke. Münster ( is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the As Germans began settling eastward, the colonists modelled their town laws on the pre-existing 12th century laws of Cologne, Lübeck in the north (Lübeck law), Magdeburg roughly in the center (Magdeburg rights), and either Nuremberg or Vienna in the south (South German law). Lübeck ( is the second largest City in Schleswig-Holstein, in Northern Germany, and one of the major The Lübeck law was the constitution of a municipal form of government developed at Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein after it was made a free city in 1226 Magdeburg ( Low Saxon: Meideborg ˈmaˑɪdebɔɐx the Capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Magdeburg Rights (Magdeburger Recht or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted with Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria.
Because many larger cities such as Braunschweig and Hildesheim grew through the agglomeration of neighboring towns, some previously self-contained settlements were split between regions utilizing differing town rights variants. Braunschweig, known as Brunswiek in Low German, is a city of 245810 people (as of 31 December 2007 located in Lower Saxony, Germany. is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste In the study of human settlements an agglomeration is an extended City or Town area comprising the built-up area of a central place ( usually a Municipality
The granting of German city rights modelled after an established town to a new town regarded the original model as a Rechtsvorort, or roughly a legal sponsor of the newly-chartered town. For instance, Magdeburg became the sponsor of towns using Magdeburg Rights, and its lay judges could rule in ambiguous legal cases in towns using such rights. Certain city rights became known under different names, although they originally came from the same source; the name of some city variants designates the Rechtsvorort they became famous from, not necessarily that that specific style of rights originated from the Rechtsvorort.
As territorial borders changed through the passage of time, changes to German city rights were inevitable. During the course of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the town laws of many places were modified with aspects of Roman law by legal experts. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar Roman law is the legal system of Ancient Rome. As used in the West the term commonly refers to legal developments prior to the Roman/Byzantine state's adopting Ultimately, the older towns' laws, along with local autonomy and jurisdiction, gave way to landed territorial rulers. With the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, almost all of the 51 reichsfrei cities of the Holy Roman Empire were mediatised by the territorial princes; the remaining imperial free cities of Frankfurt, Bremen, Hamburg, and Lübeck became sovereign states. The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany in 1795 &ndash 1814, during 1803 ( MDCCCIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Imperial immediacy (Reichsfreiheit or Reichsunmittelbarkeit) was a privileged feudal and political status a form of statehood which a City, religious The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany in 1795 &ndash 1814, during In the Holy Roman Empire, a free imperial city (in German: freie Reichsstadt) was a City formally ruled by the Emperor only &mdash Bremen (ˈbʁeːmən is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany (official name Stadtgemeinde Bremen / City Municipality of Bremen Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany The only remnants of medieval town rights (statutes) included in the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch of 1 January 1900 were single articles concerning family and inheritance laws. The Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (or BGB) is the Civil code of Germany. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar The cities of Hamburg, Bremen, and Berlin are currently administered under Landesrechte, or laws of the federal states of Germany. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.
Town layout
Many towns granted German city rights had already existed for some time, but the granting of town law codified the legal status of the settlement. Many European localities date their foundation to their reception of a town charter, even though they had existed as a settlement beforehand.
Cities with German city rights often had similar layouts. Somewhat isolated was part of the city contained the residence and castle of the regional ruler, along with a cathedral. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral The city proper was centered around a market square which featured a church for wealthy merchants and artisans. Market Square may refer to any Market square. Market Square may also refer to;Specific market squares In Canada Market Square Streets led out from the market in a planned grid system or concentric circles in which less wealthy citizens lived; riverfront sections of a city were designed with semicircles. The perimeter of the city was guarded by defensive walls, gates, and moats. See also List of cities with defensive walls A defensive wall is a Fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors A gate is a point of entry to a space enclosed by Walls or an opening in a Fence. A moat is deep broad Trench, usually filled with Water, that surrounds a structure installation or town normally to provide it with a preliminary line of If the city had already existed as a settlement, pre-existing defenses were sometimes incorporated into the fortifications. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for Cities whose layouts depict this type of urban planning include Wrocław, Kraków, Vienna, Brno, and Prague. Wrocław (Breslau Vratislav Vratislavia or Wratislavia Yiddish: ברעסלוי) is the chief City of the historical region of Lower Silesia Kraków, in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow (ˈkrækaʊ M-W: krăk'ou krāk'ō is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Brno ( IPA:; Brünn is the second-largest City in the Czech Republic. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic.
Towns with German law developed in differing density depending on their locations. In much of northern Europe, the regular positioning of many smaller cities was planned. In the middle region, towns were compactly located near another as a continuation of the dense cities of middle Germany. Central Germany is not the exact center of Germany, but is mainly used for a region which connects the three federal states - Saxony, Thuringia and In the south the town density was meager, although there existed many markets which lacked town charters. Sao Paulo Stock Exchangejpg|thumb| Virtual market arena where buyer and seller are not present and trade via intemediates and electronical information
Eastward colonization
German town law was frequently applied during the Ostsiedlung of Central and Eastern Europe by German colonists beginning in the early 13th century. This article covers the medieval eastward migrations of Germans This article is about a type of political territory For other uses see Colony (disambiguation. Because many areas were underpopulated or underdeveloped, local rulers offered urban privileges to peasants from western Germany to induce them to immigrate eastward. Some towns which received a German law charter were based on pre-existing settlements, while others were constructed anew by colonists. Many towns were formed in conjunction with the settlement of nearby rural communities, but the towns' urban rights were jealously guarded. Initially German town law was applied only to ethnic Germans, but gradually in most localities all town-dwellers were regarded as citizens, regardless of ethnic origin.
Lübeck law spread rapidly among the maritime settlements along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea and was used in northern Mecklenburg, Western Pomerania, and parts of Pomerelia and Warmia. The Lübeck law was the constitution of a municipal form of government developed at Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein after it was made a free city in 1226 The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. Mecklenburg ( Low German: Mekelnborg) is a region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Western Pomerania is a translation of "Vorpommern" (also "Hither Pomerania" both redirect here Pomerelia (Pommerellen is a historical region in northern Poland. Warmia (Warmia Latin: Varmia) or Erm(eland ( is a region between Pomerania and Masuria in northeastern Poland It formed the basis of Riga law in Riga, used in the lands of the Livonian Order in Livonia, Estonia, and Courland. Riga (Rīga riːga) the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava. The Livonian Order was autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1418&ndash1561 Livonia (Līvõmō Latvian and Livonija Estonian: Liivimaa; Finnish: Liivinmaa; German and Swedish: Livland Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region Courland (Kurzeme Kurland Latin: Curonia / Couronia; Kuršas Kuramaa Kurlandia Курляндия Курляндія Kuurinmaa is one of the historical
Magdeburg law was popular around the March of Meißen and Upper Saxony and was the source of several variants, including Neumarkt-Magdeburg law (Środa Śląska), used extensively in Upper Silesia, and Kulm law, used in the territory of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia and along the lower Vistula in Eastern Pomerania. Magdeburg Rights (Magdeburger Recht or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted with The March or Margraviate of Meissen (Mark(grafschaft Meißen was a mediæval principality a march, of the Holy Roman Empire in the area of the modern The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. Środa Śląska (Neumarkt in Schlesien is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Upper Silesia (Horní Slezsko Oberschlesien Latin: Silesia Superior; Górny Śląsk Silesian: Gůrny Ślůnsk) is the southeastern part Kulm law, Culm law or Chełmno Law (Kulmer Recht Kulmer Handfeste; Jus Culmense vetus Prawo chełmińskie was a German legal Constitution The monastic state of the Teutonic Knights (Deutschordensland sometimes known in English by the German term Ordensstaat (ˈɔːdn̩ˌʃtɑːt or "Order-State" The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. Prussia is a historical region in Central Europe extending from the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea to the Masurian Lake District. Other variants included Brandenburg, Litoměřice, and Olomouc law.
Litoměřice law and codes based on that of Nuremberg, such as Old Prague and Cheb law, were introduced into Bohemia during the reign of King Wenceslaus I, while German colonists introduced Brünn (Brno) and Olmütz (Olomouc) law in Moravia. Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Wenceslaus I Premyslid ( Czech Václav I) (c 1205 &ndash September 23 1253) was King of Bohemia from 1230 to 1253 Moravia (Morava; Morawy Moravie Moravia is a historical region in central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, one of the former Czech lands. South German law, broadly referring to the codes of Nuremberg and Vienna, was used in Bavaria, Austria, and Slovenia, and was introduced into the Kingdom of Hungary during the rule of King Béla IV. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west The Kingdom of Hungary (short form Hungary) was a considerable state in Central Europe that existed from 1001 to 1918 then from 1919 to 1946 Béla IV (IV Béla (1206 &ndash 3 May 1270 King of Hungary and Croatia (1214-1270 Duke of Styria (1254-1258 Jihlava law was a variant used frequently by mining communities in Bohemia, Moravia, the mountains of Slovakia, and Transylvania. Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body Slovakia (long form Slovak Republic; Slovak:, long form, is a Landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million Transylvania (Ardeal or ro ''Transilvania'' Erdély, see also other denominations) is a Central European region located in the eastern half of the Carpathian Other town laws were only suitable for or were modified to fit local conditions, such as Głubczyce, Görlitz, Goslar, Lüneburg, Lwówek Śląski, Nysa, Spiš, and Székesfehérvár laws.
Resulting from the reign of King Casimir III of Poland, numerous towns were chartered with Neumarkter law throughout the Kingdom of Poland in the 14th century, especially in Masovia, Galicia, and Volhynia. Casimir III the Great (Kazimierz Wielki April 30 1310 – November 5 1370 last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty (1333–1370 was the son of King Władysław The Kingdom of Poland ( pol Królestwo Polskie, lat Regnum Poloniae, ukr Masovia or Mazovia (Mazowsze is a geographic and historic region situated in eastern Poland 's Masovian Plain. Galicia (Галичина ( Halychyna) Galicja is a historical region in East Central Europe, currently divided between Poland and Ukraine, Many Transylvanian Saxon settlements in Transylvania, especially in the regions of Altland, Burzenland, and Nösnerland, received South German law in the 14th century. The Transylvanian Saxons (Siebenbürger Sachsen Erdélyi szászok Saşi are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania (Siebenbürgen from the 12th The Burzenland ( Barcaság Ţara Bârsei is a historic and ethnographic area in southeastern Transylvania, Romania with a mixed population ( German The Nösnerland ( Naszód Năsăud is an historic region of northeastern Transylvania in present-day Romania centered between the Bistriţa and
In the 15th century, many towns in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were chartered with the Neumarkter law used in much of Poland, although this was done through the duplication of Polish administrative methods instead of German colonization. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje In the 16th century Muscovy granted or reaffirmed Magdeburg rights to various towns along the Dnieper acquired from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое княжество Московское was a medieval Russian polity centered on Moscow between 1340 and For the rocket see Dnepr rocket. For other uses see Dnieper (disambiguation. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic After the Partitions of Poland, Magdeburg law continued to be used in western Imperial Russia until the 1830s. The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya
It is important to keep in mind that although many towns outside of the Holy Roman Empire had significant German populations, in some cases a town being a "German city" referred to its legal system based on German law, not necessarily meaning it had a German population. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in Especially in Eastern Europe, most towns had minimal German populations, if any at all.
See also
References
- Christiansen, Eric. A list of towns in Europe with German town law. Year of law granting is listed when known Kulm law, Culm law or Chełmno Law (Kulmer Recht Kulmer Handfeste; Jus Culmense vetus Prawo chełmińskie was a German legal Constitution The Lübeck law was the constitution of a municipal form of government developed at Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein after it was made a free city in 1226 Magdeburg Rights (Magdeburger Recht or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted with This article covers the medieval eastward migrations of Germans 'City rights' redirects here See also Municipal charter. Town privileges were important features of European Towns during The Northern Crusades. Penguin Books. London, 1997. ISBN 0-14-026653-4
- Krallert, Wilfried. Atlas zur Geschichte der deutschen Ostsiedlung. Velhagen & Klasing. Bielefeld. 1958.
- Magocsi, Paul Robert. Historical Atlas of Central Europe: Revised and Expanded Edition. University of Washington Press. Seattle. 2002. ISBN 0-295-98193-8
- Westermanns Atlas zur Weltgeschichte. Georg Westermann Verlag Braunschweig. Berlin. 1963.
This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article as of retrieved 6 May 2006. 'City rights' redirects here See also Municipal charter. Town privileges were important features of European Towns during Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
External links
- History of city rights in Schleswig-Holstein (German)
- Map showing the spread of German town laws throughout Westphalia (German)
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