IMC 2007: Sessions

Paper a: This study aims to explain the rise of the cities in the bishopric of Liege around 1000. From 800, Liege was the follower of Maastricht as cathedral town; it seems that it had only administrative importance; around 1000, hints of prosperity, increasing economical and political significance started to multiply. Our goal is to examine the reasons of this rising: contrary to Henri Pirenne's theses that emphasise the importance of river trade, we will insist on both political and rural factors. We do think that the temporary political and economical importance of the bishopric of Liege relies on the geopolitical position of the Lower Lotharingia and on the instauration of the Imperial Church System, which implied the concentration of political and economical powers in the bishop's hands. This case study is thus a contribution to the knowledge of mechanisms of growth of the medieval towns in the Low-Countries and Liege area, focusing on town-countryside relationships.