Borders and Walls Made of Privileges? Urban Communities and the Rivalry in Drapery in the Surroundings of Ypres during the 14th Century

Abstract

This article deals with several conflicts between Flemish cities in the fourteenth century that concerned export-oriented drapery. The focus is made on the contradictions between one of the powerful Flemish cities, Ypres, and two of the smaller neighbouring towns, the monastic town of Poperinge and Langemark that produced drapery resembling that manufactured in Ypres. The author also draws a comparison with a similar conflict between Saint-Omer and the monastic town of Arques in the county of Artois. The study of these contradictions is mostly based on documental sources and gives an opportunity to find out what measures the cities resorted to in order to protect the well-being of their artisans and drapers. For example, Ypres and Saint-Omer obtained privileges over their neighbouring regions with monopoly rights to produce cloth meant for export; their rivals (Langemark, Poperinge) made attempts to get excluded from such “monopolies”; the cities in question also used legal methods of regulation (arbitrage, appeals to supreme courts) and sometimes employed force to convince smaller towns to observe their “monopoly”, especially during revolts. Additionally, the author defines various forces that took part in the process of balancing the interests of the rival cities and towns: the count, the lords of the towns, urban authorities, supreme courts (the Council of Flanders, the Parliament of Paris), and deans of the craft guilds of the cities. The measures used by the rival towns often brought no durable results, but the search of means to protect their interests in long-time conflicts itself shows the high level of self-organisation reflected in what urban authorities, city craft-guilds, and the urban communities did.