Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/407

 CHAPTER XIX FRENCH, FLEMISH, ENGLISH, AND GERMAN TOWNS Of the towns beyond the Alps those of southern France were on the whole older than the others, more closely con- nected with the Roman past and with Mediter- Consular tanean trade, and also most like the Italian sou thern cities in their government. Like them they France j included both nobles and common people and were at first governed by consuls, of whom we begin to hear about 1120. These magistrates, usually twelve in number, were chosen annually, but seldom by the votes of all the townsmen. I Sometimes they practically nominated their successors, and sometimes the bishop or feudal lord had retained a share in I the town government and had a voice in their selection. j Associated with these annual magistrates was a fairly large advisory council, drawn also chiefly from the patriciate of knights and wealthy burghers who had taken the lead in establishing the municipality. Sometimes, however, a j larger assembly of citizens was called together. The south- ern towns did a deal of legislation and recorded their stat- utes at length, but this did not prevent them from tinkering with them at frequent intervals. The Italian influence in southern France was further shown by the fact that early in the thirteenth century the office of podesta spread from Italy to several cities of Provence. The Provencals and the Catalans of ports like Mont- pellier and Barcelona in the Kingdom of Aragon were close seconds to the Italians in Mediterranean trade. Trade of There was a "port of the Provencals" on the French** 16 ™ southern coast of Asia Minor and they had a towns street in each of the Syrian ports. Marseilles traded much with northern Africa and its sailors were the first to venture straight across the Mediterranean instead of skirting the coast of Italy. Narbonne profited by the trade route be-