Burgrecht
Encyclopedia
A Burgrecht was a medieval
agreement, most commonly in southern Germany
and northern German-speaking
Switzerland
. It came to refer to an agreement between a town and surrounding settlements or to include the specific rights held by a city or town.
The word Burgrecht is first used by the St. Gall
monk Notker the German in about 1000 AD to refer to the Roman
civil law. Later, in the southern German region, it came to refer to inheritance laws and the rights that were tied to specific castle or city. In the territory, that would become Switzerland, starting in the 13th Century, the term Burgrecht began to expand. It grew to mean any agreement between a city with other cities, monasteries, individuals (especially nobles with domination and ownership rights), organizations or personal corporations covenants and agreements that include a citizenship clause. These agreements could be indefinite or limited and renewable. The oath of citizenship with which the Burgrecht was sealed gave this agreement special weight in comparison to other alliances. The Verburgrechteten (those covered by the Burgrecht agreement) were allowed to enjoy, often limited, citizenship privileges including military and court protection was well as market access. The city received additional influence outside the city and better coverage of their markets. The distribution of duties and rights in Burgrecht treaties reflects the power relationship between the parties.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
agreement, most commonly in southern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and northern German-speaking
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It came to refer to an agreement between a town and surrounding settlements or to include the specific rights held by a city or town.
The word Burgrecht is first used by the St. Gall
Abbey of St. Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall is a religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. The Carolingian-era Abbey has existed since 719 and became an independent principality during the 13th century, and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. It was...
monk Notker the German in about 1000 AD to refer to the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
civil law. Later, in the southern German region, it came to refer to inheritance laws and the rights that were tied to specific castle or city. In the territory, that would become Switzerland, starting in the 13th Century, the term Burgrecht began to expand. It grew to mean any agreement between a city with other cities, monasteries, individuals (especially nobles with domination and ownership rights), organizations or personal corporations covenants and agreements that include a citizenship clause. These agreements could be indefinite or limited and renewable. The oath of citizenship with which the Burgrecht was sealed gave this agreement special weight in comparison to other alliances. The Verburgrechteten (those covered by the Burgrecht agreement) were allowed to enjoy, often limited, citizenship privileges including military and court protection was well as market access. The city received additional influence outside the city and better coverage of their markets. The distribution of duties and rights in Burgrecht treaties reflects the power relationship between the parties.