Identifier: sixthousandyears01sand (find matches)
Title: Six thousand years of history
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Sanderson, Edgar, d. 1907
Subjects: World history
Publisher: Philadelphia : E.R. DuMont
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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n of justice, this wouldbe simply giving immunity and license to crime; in theMiddle Ages, the right of sanctuary was often a protec-tion to innocence. Between the Eleventh and Fifteenth Centuries we havea time of revival and of recovery from the state of degra-dation and poverty in Europe. The darkness growsfainter, the twilight conies, the sky reddens, at last thesun bursts forth amidst the lingering mists of prejudiceand ignorance and superstition. The rise and growthof important towns are at once the signs of reviving civ-ilization at this period of European history, and the act-ive causes of continued progress. With the advent ofthe Teutonic nations the Roman towns had decayed,because the new inhabitants of the old Roman worldwere not fond of the restraints of existence within walledinclosures. As civilization was developed in new formsthe old towns recovered some of their former impor-tance, and new towns everywhere arose. Many werefounded in Germany by the Emperors of the Saxon
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ow H — Z ^ 5 _ CIVILIZATION IN MIDDLE AGES 417 dynasty, and the growth of commerce was a powerfulagent in the creation and development of new centers ofpopulation and wealth. Some of these new or revisedcities became powerful and independent commonwealthsplaying a great part in the history of the Middle Ages.Towns were in many cases the result of a reactionand protest against feudal violence. As vassals gath-ered for protection around the castles of feudal lords andaround monasteries and churches, towns had their be-ginnings in hamlets. The inhabitants then became bur-ghers, dependent on the lords of the castles or on themonastic bodies. Unions and confederations also aroseamong those who were connected in the cultivation ofthe soil in particular districts. They agreed to renderto each other such aid and service as they had beenobliged to render to their feudal lord. The first thingwas to erect a tower with a bell, to be rung as a signal tomeet for defence, and so a kind of rude mil

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