Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/244

 204 THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE share of the crops from all parts of the kingdom to the royal palace or granary. Instead the king took plenty of the land of the kingdom for his own use and lived largely on the proceeds of his private_estates, which he visited in turn and where provisions were stored up awaiting his arrival. He also got the lion's share of booty in war and of fines levied in the courts, and he expected gifts from his nobles when he called them together. However, since they were always looking for lands and offices from him, this source of revenue did not net much. Persons who were especially dependent upon the king for protection made a special payment to him. Charles restored to the Crown the exclusive right of coining money, another considerable source of revenue as managed in those days. Moreover, the king could demand services, instead of taxes, of all his subjects. They had to serve or help some one else to serve in the army every year, so that the king could always have a military force at his command. The people also did jury duty without pay in their local courts, enter- tained the royal agents as these traveled about, and worked at the upkeep of roads and bridges. Whereas among the early Germans there was little legis- lation, and law was regarded as something ancient and Royal customary, now the king made many new laws, legislation Charles in particular issued a vast amount of orders and instructions to his officials and of rules for the people in his realm as a whole or in some portion of it. The new laws did not necessarily alter the old popular customs, but often that was the case. Where the old law had been harsh and primitive, the royal legislation tended to substi- tute fairer and more civilized methods. The king's law, moreover, applied throughout his realm or a given part of it, whereas the old German laws had been for tribes. The old law had been personal; the royal legislation was territorial. Charles issued sets of regulations for his army, for the care of >rivate estates, for the missi, for the clergy, for the con- version of the Saxons, and so forth. His successors, Louis the Pious and Lothair, issued further capitularies. Charles also had the laws of the different German peoples withir