Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/310

 264 THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE The emperors left the local government largely in the hands of dukes and other lords, and were content if the Local inde- dukes were loyal to them in imperial matters and pendence of furnished them with contingents to make up an dukes and • i i • i i • i « margraves army with which they might rampage about, in Germany g ut t ^ e dukes were not inclined to do anything of the sort, and the emperors were constantly having to bring them to book. The emperors tried making members of their own families dukes, but even these did not remain loyal. Finally Henry III (1039-1056) tried to be duke everywhere himself, but found this scheme scarcely a success, and all its results were lost during the minority of his son. Even in the marks or new frontier territories, es- tablished against and won from the barbarians, as well as in the old duchies with their lingering tribal or national spirit, the emperors failed to establish a strong government of their own and allowed them to become the fiefs or family possessions of the margraves. Some of these local princes developed a machinery of government which the Empire as a whole lacked. By the end of the twelfth century the Duke of Bavaria kept court in royal style and exercised many regalian rights. He had his privy council, his chan- cery, and his court of justice, to which cases might be appealed from the courts of the counts, his vassals, who might be deposed if they failed in their duties. The duke could summon a general assembly of the land, which was divided into administrative and judicial districts. If he had no son to follow him, the duke could name his successor. The emperors could so little rely on their lay vassals that they turned for support to the bishops and showered lands Ecclesiasti- anc * ^ avors upon them in the hope of building cal princea up a loyal party. Thus began the numerous ecclesiastical states of Germany, where bishops and abbots ruled much like secular lords and sometimes fought as other feudal nobles did. Once they even fought in a church in the emperor's presence. Another instructive incident took place in Mainz Cathedral on Easter, 1184. The Abbot of Fulda and Archbishop of Cologne quarreled