The Middle Ages

Horowhenua Chronicle, 25 October 1911, Page 4

The Middle Ages

NATIONAL CONSTITI'TIONS.

(By the Gloy .Man).

la tracing the various inci;!e.nkil developments of the Middle Ages, we must not forget the general , trend. Two great forces wore being consolidated and eidaiging their boundaries of influence. Rome was losing its power as the centre of Kmpire, hut- gaining in ecclesiastical importance; and Germany was becoming the Kmpire ot Kuropo. Thus Ihe two great power* of the .Middle Ages we.i'e the ("nurch and the Empire. Though in a different- way. Home was in the middle ages becoming more inlluential in the world than it was in ancient days; tor then the chinch and nations ol tinEast always lefused to acknowledge either the Ei.tpcmr or the Hiwhop of Old Home. lint as the borne ot the Spiritual head of the Church, Home was becoming universally important. E\ery nation supported the Church, and the Rope of Rome was ack nowli dged the head of the Ohuroll everywhere. That which had been known a* the Reman Empire of the \\ eftt had become a German state. All t.lvc Teutonic nations whi"h we have roughly called The German State, started their e\i>ten,-e.s with much the .same kind ol Government. Over eac<h nation there wa< a president called a King or Knjuig -the k.mwing one. The ancient Teutons elected' their Kn':_s. but they _ were usually chosen from ■>u ' particular | lamilv. Ibis nl l-111.! ii eh-'cting Kings !a-te ! in i'.ngl.iml till the ,\.".rnian (. omjnest. I he King bad a Council im-n who had become celebrated in the I'ath'M for their wi-'d'Oin. i'u. y v.'ere men ol ripe years. And th"n there was a general Assembly. The Assembly was looked uj)on as the congregation of the whole people of the nation. Such constit-utioes were formed in the Teutonic nation* when those nations were part of the great Roman Empire; and they were common to all. A special distinction was made in the German states, when 1 it was acknowledged that by virtue of being elected a German King, that, man had a right to become a Roman Emperor. As lor tho people, they were of three classes: nobles, freemen and slaves. Slaves were made in two ways: either as ounishnient lor some crime, or by reason of being taken prisnncis in war. There was also a kind of voluntary slavory, when men would attach themselves to a noble as his companions or men. liv a well-defined •bond they became his property, and swore to be faithful to him in all his adventures, expecting also to share whatever plunder or reward came to him through his adventures or by favour of tho King. The King would grant land to his nobles on condition of military service: and the noble, in his turn, would apportion parts of that land to his vassal as a pledge of securing service in time of war. This land was called a fief or fee. and was held under a hat was known as a feudal tenure. Some land, however, belonged to a person without any responsibility to noble or King. This was called allodial land. Hut the owner of such land was usually glad to change its condition* for a feudal tenure, in order to secure the protection of a noble or the King. It will be seen that all ownership of land was held on the principle of work for the iState: and the work was of a military nature. And it will also be see' nthar the natural tendency wotdd lie for the already rich and powerful to become more so; and the smaller owners to become poorer. The poor freeman invariably sank into a state ol complete dependence. A man so sinking would not become an actual slave; that is to say, he did not form part <>f that section ot the community which could be bought and sold by other men. But they were known as serfs and villeins. 'Hies:, were not bound, to men. but to land. They were the servants of whoever for the time occupied the land to which they were attached. As the years of the Middle Ages progressed the serfs became tihe larger class, and the slaves became less and less. The various classes generally merged into two: nobles and serfs. Slaves were raised into the self class; and freemen sank into that same class; for they could not hold their own against the nobles who had the more definite protection and favour of the King. The Assembly soon lost its large democratic character. At first every freeman had a right to sit at its moetiugs; inu all could not come in person ; and those who were able to como the long distances irained power; and these who were unable lost power. It' was not till the thirteenth conlury that it became the general custom to elect men to represent a group of other men for this national Assembly. In some parts of Europe the A'ssom'bly quite died out; in other parts only the rich and powerful men found their way to a seat at the deliberations. Another development must be mentioned. Each district had a tendency to consider itself .as selfcontained ,and looked upon its representative to the Assembly with awe. At livst he was merely a kind of governor of the district, and was chosen by the rest _: but the selection being so often made from one family, this governor <rrew into a hereditary princ. and was called a Duke or Count. He acknoMdedged the King as his Lord, for his dominion was a fief, but in the province carried himself and acted as an independent sovereign.