Cities and Towns in Medieval Central Europe

This chapter studies cities and towns in medieval Central Europe. In the Middle Ages, the lands of Central Europe experienced two decisive transformations: first, the foundation of monarchies and Christianization between the eighth and the eleventh centuries, and second, social and economic changes in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. These were also the strongest catalysts for the development of "old centers" and "new towns," respectively. The early centuries of urbanization were dominated by the Church and princely or royal initiatives; old centers were above all hubs of administrative (secular and ecclesiastic) and military power; their economic functions followed from these roles. Over the thirteenth century, this urban network underwent fundamental changes, to a great extent due to the arrival of new settlers, so that new towns developed into centers of regional and long-distance trade and production. The settlers followed ius Theutonicum-a flexible juridical concept created to accommodate newcomers' immunities and obligations in areas that were not under the tight control of the Holy Roman Empire.