The rise of medieval towns started during the 13th century. The specific origins of the town concept are an obscure mystery lost in history. Some speculate that they evolved from fortifications built during the Viking invasions. However, it is uncertain whether that is true. What is certain is that they became a central staple of medieval Europe, shaping economic and political growth. As such, the rise of towns is among the most significant developments from the High Middle Ages.
First, it is important to distinguish the medieval differences between a town and a city. In the modern world, a town is merely a smaller city. Inversely, a city is a large town. They are generally more populated with greater economic significance on a state, province, nation, etc. However, size did not define whether something was a city or a town in the medieval West. The defining factor was whether there was a bishop and a cathedral. The term “town” encompassed all localities with a concentration of people who were generally given certain rights by their feudal lord. The term “city” was a subcategory of all towns. If a town had a bishop and a cathedral, it was considered a city.
Governmental representation was one of the significant products of medieval towns. All of the towns and cities were built on a lord’s land. Because of the feudal system which granted all land to the lords, people needed a charter from their lord to build a town on his property. It was mutually beneficial for both parties as those charters gave townsmen quasi-self-governance, and in exchange, the lord received a large tax base. In time, townsmen demanded more and more freedom. The Magna Carta was an incredibly significant manuscript written in 1215 that declared that monarchs were not above the law and that taxation could not be levied without representation in Parliament.
However, the communal liberties that people obtain should not be confused with individual liberties. The towns did wonders in providing townsmen with representation in government and a rational legal system, but their concept of liberty was far from complete. In his famous essay Liberty of the Ancient Compared with that of the Moderns, Benjamin Constant establishes the stark contrast between ancient and modern liberty. The two liberties could be rephrased as communal versus individual liberty. The townsmen during the High Middle Ages were very free in the ancient sense. They had representation in government and the lords fought to promote prosperity as a prosperous town would attract more people, increasing his tax base. Moreover, the people often stood up to lords attempting to capture one of his runaway serfs, making the towns “sanctuary cities.” By ancient standards, the people basked in liberty. It was certainly progress in the right direction, but their liberty was far from perfect. Unfortunately, there were incredibly strict regulations on trade. Guild members often formed monopolies and used state power to discourage and even penalize competition in the marketplace. All the prices were preset. Anyone who sold above the predetermined price was violently persecuted. The infringement on free enterprise and free competition was so grotesque that it was even illegal for someone to sneeze in front of their store because that drew attention to their storefront. Unfortunately, the restrictions on free enterprise and competition negatively impacted the consumers. Instead of receiving the best products and the best prices—a guaranteed outcome in a free market—medieval consumers were subject to paying outrageous prices for mediocre products. And so, while medieval towns were instrumental in advancing communal liberty, they made little progress in advancing individual liberty and a capitalistic free market.
In conclusion, towns were among the most influential developments in the West during the Middle Ages. The concentration of people made trade and the division of labor easier. Towns were also instrumental in giving people representation in government, which constitutes the very fabric of liberty. While they did not have true individual liberty because of the regulations on commerce, the movement towards a representative government proved to the be groundwork through which individual liberty was attained in future generations.
Asher Sisneros 