KROPOTKIN the citizen-himself an artisan-cultivator-had tried to induce country folk to help in his enfranchisement. For two centuries, the citizens of_Italy, Spain and Germany carried on a stubborn war against feudal lords. Prodigies of heroism and perseverance were displayed by citizens in that war against the feudal castles. They drained themselves to become masters of the castles of feudalism and to cut down the feudal forest that enveloped them. But they only half succeeded. Then, tired of war, they madepeace over tlie head of the peasant. To buy peace they delivered the peasant to the lord, outside the territory which was conquered by thecommune. In Italy and Germany they even ended by recognizing the lord as fellow citizen on condition that he resided within the commune. In other parts they ended by sharing his domination over the peasant. And the lord avenged himself on these common people, whom hehated, by drenching their streets in blood during the struggles and acts of revenge of noble families, that were not carried before communal judges and syndics, whom the nobles despised, but were settled by the sword in the street. The nobles demoralised the towns by their munificence, their intrigues, their great style of living, their education received at the· bishop's or the king's court. They made the citizens espouse their family struggles. And the citizen ended by imitating the lord, and became a lord in his tum, enriching himself by the labour of serfs encamped in the villages outside the city walls. Thereafter, the peasant lent assistance to rising Kings, Emperors, Tsars and Popes, when they began to build their kingdoms and to bring the towns under subjection. When not marching by their orders, the peasant left them free to act. In the country, in fortified castles, situated in the midst of rural populations, royalty was slowly constituted. In the twelfth century it existed but in name, and to-day we know what to think of the· rogues, chiefs of little bands of brigands, who adorned themselves with this title, which after all, as Augustin Thierry has so well demonstrated, had very little meaning at that time; in fact the Norse fishermen had their "Nets' Kings," even the beggars had their "Kings"- the word having then simply the meaning of "temporary leader". Slowly, tentatively, a baron more powerful or more cunning, succeeded here and there by force, money, sword, and poison in rising above liis fellows. The Church no doubt bestirred itself to support him. But it was never in one of the free cities, which had their noisy forum, their Tarpeian rock, or their river for the tyrants, that royal authority succeeded in constituting itself: it was always in the country, in the village. After vain attempts to constitute this authority in Rheims or in Lyons, it was established in Paris, an agglomeration of villages and boroughs surrounded by a rich country, which had not yet known 26 , Biblloteca G,no Bianco
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTExMDY2NQ==