Medieval city of France and Germany: the Сritical Vision of Professor L. M. Berkut

Abstract

In the article the author makes an attempt to analyze the most common theories of the emergence of a medieval city and the concept by the medievalist Leonid Berkut devoted to this issue. It is shown the his critical vision regarding the historical process of the causes and evolution of a medieval city. X–XI centuries became a turning period in the history of Western Europe. There were significant changes in the development of agriculture, crafts and trade, feudal affairs were completely formed. In addition to these important social phenomena, another significant process began in the development of feudal Europe: along with ancient cities, new medieval cities began to emerge as a concentration of crafts and trade, an administrative- legal and religious center. The medieval city became an essential factor of social development then. How and where, why, under what conditions did the new cities arise? Today there are more than a dozen theories of the origin of the medieval city: Romanistic, patrimonial, market, burg, guild, mark, merchant and their varieties. Each of these theories is debatable. Leonid Nikolaevich Berkut (1879–1940) Ukrainian medieval historian studying the Medieval ages a lecture in Kyiv, Warsaw, Don universities, educator, doctor of historical sciences, professor. He devoted his monographs to the topic: "History of French Cities in the Middle Ages", "The Fate of French Cities in the Middle Ages", "Imperial Privileges and City Rights of the XII century in Germany", "History of German Cities in the Middle Ages”. In his works, the scientist also touched upon the issue of the phenomenon of the emergence of a medieval city. For L.Berkut, the the formation and development of a medieval city in the Western Europe could not be the same (не зрозуміло). The development of the cities depended on many different reasons: the degree of division of labor in agriculture and crafts, trade routes, international relations, cultural and religious institutions (monasteries, bishops’ chairs), the development of law, strategic considerations in the construction of fortresses, the degree of interest of the feudal lord in the growth of cities. Also, one cannot ignore the reasons of the political development of medieval countries: the centralization or decentralization of supreme power. L. Berkut was not only a thorough researcher presented the Western urban schools on the development of a medieval city, but also an active participant in the scientific debates that unfolded on this issue in Ukrainian and Russian historiography of the 20th century.