Page:Bury J B The Cambridge Medieval History Vol 2 1913.djvu/238

210 century, commercial capital being placed on a par with landed property. A law of 750 dictates cavalry service with coat of mail and horse and complete equipment to all who possess at least seven casae massariae; the landlord of at least 40 iugera has to follow with one horse, lance, and shield; those who possess still less, with shield and bow; a part of the poor was obliged to do socage service in the fields at home. This economic development rendered it possible for the king to form for himself a power independent of its former limitations within the State, creating a central organisation of power by investing the free poor with landed property out of his royal domain. The king, that is the State, at this time of natural economy owed his income to landed property and payments in kind, for instance the different munera (augariae and operae) to preserve public streets and buildings, and different duties, market duties, port duties, which were raised by royal actores and were of entirely Roman origin. The royal property was naturally increased by every new conquest, and the coloni and slaves paying duties were used as if they were private property; or the king took possession of the land which had been public before the conquest, and let it to the neighbouring hordes for pasture.

The royal court lived on the income from the landed property, but this court was composed of followers who stood in a special relation of fealty to the king, the Gasindi, who on that account were greatly honoured, and had a higher wergeld than the other free Lombards. The king entrusted them with all sorts of commissions and delegations, chose all court officers from them, especially to the royal marshal (marpahis), the majordomus (stolesaz), the treasurer (vesterarius), the sword-bearer (spatharius), the chancellor (referendarius). In this manner a special court-nobility developed itself through the king's favour, standing in contrast and competition with the Lombard nobility. But it was also the custom that such Gasindi were endowed with land by the king, so that the king's landed estate provided for this new nobility not only indirectly by keeping up the royal household, but also directly. This new institution was only rendered possible by the fact that a considerable part of the population, when the original conditions of the Lombard settlement were changed, was obliged to seek a new existence, and found it by the king's favour. On the other hand the king's possessions diminished continually by these donations, so that for him and his adherents it was necessary periodically to gain new land; and this was generally only possible through new conquests, and so the peaceful period of the Bavarian dynasty was followed by a belligerent period.

After Cunincpert's death (700), his young son Liu tpert reigned under the wise Ansprand's guardianship. Raginpert, duke of Turin, son of Godepert and nephew of Perctarit, claimed the throne and defeated Ansprand near Novara, eight months after Cunincpert's death. When he died, shortly afterwards, his son and co-regent Aripert (II), after a