What is Medieval commune?
{{no sources|date=January 2024}} [[Medieval]] townspeople in western [[Europe]] during the period of the [[High Middle Ages]] needed protection from lawless [[noble]]s and bandits. The [[walled city]] was protection from direct assault, but once a townsperson left the city walls, he or she was at the mercy of often violent and lawless nobles in the countryside. Because much of medieval Europe didnt have anything like a [[police force]] each city had to provide its own protection for citizens both inside the city walls, and outside. In order to do this towns formed what are called communes. C'''ommunes''' ''were sworn allegiances of mutual defense''. When a commune was formed, all participating members gathered and swore an oath together, in public, they would defend each other in time of trouble. In addition they would swear to maintain the peace within the city proper. What did it mean for a commune member to defend another? Obviously if a commune member was attacked outside the city it was too late to call for help as it would be unlikely anyone would be around in time. Instead the commune would promise to exact [[wikt:revenge|revenge]] on the attacker, the promise of revenge being a form of defence. However, what would happen if the attacker was a noble who had a [[castle]], too strong for the townspeople? This was often the case and certainly the town commune could not gather the people to attack a castle. Instead they might attack the nobles family, or burn his crops, or kill his [[serfs]], or destroy his orchards. It was eye for eye violent revenge. The commune movement started in the [[11th century]] in northern [[Italy]] which had the most urbanized population of Europe at the time, and in what is now [[Belgium]] which was also relatively [[Urban area|urban]] at the time. It then spread in the early [[12th century]] to [[France]], [[Germany]], and [[Spain]] and elsewhere. [[England]] never saw much of the commune movement because it was by comparison a pretty well run kingdom and did not need local pro