Urban uprising in Freiburg 1248

A riot burst out in Freiburg in 1248 to limit the power of the Jury of 24. The Freiburg Jury of 24 was a municipal authority. It was first mentioned in the documents of 1120. Originally it appeared to be the elected jury (i.e. the jury taking oath in public) - coniuratores fori. During the 12th century the Lords of Freiburg gave a range of powers to the Jury, one of the most significant was the metrological control. In the beginning of the 13th century, using an advantageous internal political situation, the Jury appropriated the plentitude of the legislative power in the city. Since then, though the Lord was able to issue laws they did not come in force if found contradictory to the interests of the city community. Besides, the Jury possessed executive power and limited judicial power. The consolidation of the power in the hands of the Jury led to multiple offences against law, which in the end became the main reason for the Riot of 1248. The Riot was accompanied by mass disturbances. It is most likely that neither the representatives of the authorities (the Jury and the Lords' Administration), nor the riot organizers originally being at one with the rebels needed the disturbances. An anonymous clerk of the City Chancery describing the riot expressed a common point of view of the events: the riot was fair as it was directed against the offences of the law; however the methods of the rebels were not acceptable. A negotiated compromise was reached - a contract was signed wherby the main Jury composed of the representatives of the City Patriciate was complemented with the second Jury of 24 to control the activities of the first Jury. Both Juries were subject to a full or partial reelection on the annual basis. The City Supreme Judge could attend the elections to control their legitimacy. A kind of government was elected by both Juries - 4 Consuls conferring executive powers. If a disputable situation occurred, which could occur due to disagreements between both Juries, the case was to be set down for the arbitration court of the City Judge. A penalty was set for the violation of the agreement - the guilty were to be expelled from the city with their whole families and their property was confiscated. The riot ended after this contract was read and the public oath was taken by the Lord of the City and both Juries. To confirm the contract documentarily, a document was prepared stamped with the city stamp and Lord's stamp.

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