"Udel" and other forms of surety : stability at a high price

Abstract

The article deals with the surety called "Udel": an amount of money paid (or pledged) by noble citizens of towns in upper Germany upon their admission to the citizenry (13th–16th c.). The sum was agreed contractually and replaced the condition of home ownership within the city walls partly or entirely. It was kept by the cities as a guarantee for good conduct. In periods of conflict, nobles (as well as abbeys) often wanted to give up citizenship for political reasons before the agreed minimum term. In this case, the amount was forfeited. After wars, Burgrechte as contracted naturalisations sometimes involving huge surety payments formed part of the peace treaties and represented an encumbrance on future agreements and relationships. The main questions of the paper are: What is an Udel and where can it be found? How does it fit into the political, financial and fiscal structures of the city and its partners? Were there alternatives to citizenship with an Udel? How did an Udel change pre-existing connections, feudal relations, alliances and the political landscape or how was it superimpose upon them? The article focusses on the political effects of the surety payments in medieval towns. Examples from Bern and the surrounding area underline the relevance of the widespread phenomenon.