DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.63447#0086
70
TIJE HISTORICAL PAST OF ITALY.
coast, over which the Venetians virtually ruled, and called
the Province of Venetia, was also nominally under the
sway of the Lombards.
Charles was now crowned with the iron crown, still
existing at Monza, King of Italy, and a new and more
regular form of government began from that date.
Charles, after consulting with the Pontiff, judiciously
agreed that the people of Italy should be permitted to
live under their former laws.
The feudal system was in practice, and its institutions
were ratified by new grants. Accordingly, the Dukes of
Friuli, Spoleto and Benevento were allowed to retain the
same authority over those regions as they had formerly
enjoyed under the Longobard kings. These, however,
as all the lesser dukes, who were suffered to keep
possession of their former privileges, were obliged to
take the same oath of allegiance to Charles ; and this
oath he commanded should be renewed from year to
year. Charles, however, committed the wardenship of
the boundaries of his new kingdom, and of the terri-
tories of the cities, to counts of his own creation, invested
with great authority. These boundaries were called
Marches; and those who were wardens of them were
styled Counts of the Marches, or Marquises. It was
their province to administer justice over all his do-
minions, and inspectors were charged with the duty of
seeing that this portion of their charge was not neglected.
In order that Italy under this feudal oligarchy should
not be left without a semblance of freedom at least,
Charles was accustomed to summon a general assembly
of bishops, abbots, and barons, so often as he revisited the
country, in order to settle affairs of national importance.
The Lombards had admitted the order of barons only to
sit in their councils. The Franks acknowledged the
existence of two orders in theirs, the high clergy and
nobility, who were admitted to equal rights. This
custom, through the intervention of Charles, was made
good for the first time in Italy, and acted like oil on
the flames of ecclesiastical ambition ; for, finding them-
TIJE HISTORICAL PAST OF ITALY.
coast, over which the Venetians virtually ruled, and called
the Province of Venetia, was also nominally under the
sway of the Lombards.
Charles was now crowned with the iron crown, still
existing at Monza, King of Italy, and a new and more
regular form of government began from that date.
Charles, after consulting with the Pontiff, judiciously
agreed that the people of Italy should be permitted to
live under their former laws.
The feudal system was in practice, and its institutions
were ratified by new grants. Accordingly, the Dukes of
Friuli, Spoleto and Benevento were allowed to retain the
same authority over those regions as they had formerly
enjoyed under the Longobard kings. These, however,
as all the lesser dukes, who were suffered to keep
possession of their former privileges, were obliged to
take the same oath of allegiance to Charles ; and this
oath he commanded should be renewed from year to
year. Charles, however, committed the wardenship of
the boundaries of his new kingdom, and of the terri-
tories of the cities, to counts of his own creation, invested
with great authority. These boundaries were called
Marches; and those who were wardens of them were
styled Counts of the Marches, or Marquises. It was
their province to administer justice over all his do-
minions, and inspectors were charged with the duty of
seeing that this portion of their charge was not neglected.
In order that Italy under this feudal oligarchy should
not be left without a semblance of freedom at least,
Charles was accustomed to summon a general assembly
of bishops, abbots, and barons, so often as he revisited the
country, in order to settle affairs of national importance.
The Lombards had admitted the order of barons only to
sit in their councils. The Franks acknowledged the
existence of two orders in theirs, the high clergy and
nobility, who were admitted to equal rights. This
custom, through the intervention of Charles, was made
good for the first time in Italy, and acted like oil on
the flames of ecclesiastical ambition ; for, finding them-