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King Louis the Child of Germany:
An Inquiry into the Tolls of Raffelstettin, c. 905


During the reign of Louis the Child, last of the house of Charlemagne to rule in Germany, an inquiry was made into the tolls on the eastern frontier, and a statement was made of what tolls were customarily levied. The staple articles of exchange were salt, serfs, and livestock, upon all of which commodities thelony was taken with certain exemptions. The presence of the Jewish merchants, and the existence of fairs and markets, all indicate the virile condition of the commerce of eastern Germany.

1. But the ships which come from the western parts, after they have sailed beyond the Patavica wood and come to Rosdorf, or wherever they wish to stay and have a market, shall give half a drachma as thelony, that is, one scot: if they wish to go further to Lintzam they shall pay for each ship three half muids of salt, that is, three bushels. But for their servants and other goods they shall pay nothing, but afterwards they shall have permission to stay and trade wheresoever they wish as far as the Bohemian wood.

2. If any of the Bavarians wish to send their salt home, and the captain of the ship confirm this by oath, they shall pay nothing, but shall pass freely.

3. But if any free man transport his goods saying and paying nothing, and it afterwards be proved against him, his ship and his goods shall be taken from him. But if it were the serf of any one who did this, he shall be detained there until his master come and pay the damage, and afterwards he shall be allowed to go.

4. And if the Bavarians or Slavs of that country should enter that place to buy food with serfs, horses, oxen, or garments, let them buy without thelony wherever they wish in that place what things are necessary. But if they wish to pass through the market place of that town let them pass without any restraint through the middle of the market; and they may buy in other parts of the town without thelony whatever they can. If they are pleased to purchase more in that market they shall give the said toll and buy what they wish and as much as they are well able to buy.

5. But the salt carts which cross the River Enns by the lawful road shall pay at Url one full bushel, and shall be compelled to pay nothing more. But the ships which come there from Traungau shall pay nothing but shall cross without any tax. This must be observed in the case of the Bavarians.

6. But the Slavs, who leave Russia or Bohemia for the purpose of trade, wherever they obtain places for trading, either on the banks of the Danube, or anywhere among the Rotalarii or Redarians, shall pay one denarius together with two measures of wax, of which both must be worth one scot; from a peddler's bundle one measure of wax of the same value; but if any one wish to sell serfs or horses let him pay for each female serf a third part of a denarius, for each horse the same, for a male serf one denarius, and the same for a mare. But Bavarians or Slavs of that country, buying or selling, shall not be compelled to pay anything.

7. Concerning the salt ships; after they have passed the Bohemian wood, they shall not have in any place license to stay, or buy, or sell, before they arrive at Ebersburg. There from each lawful ship, that is, one which three men navigate, shall be paid three bushels of salt, and nothing more shall be taken from them, but they shall proceed to Merkel or wherever the salt market is fixed at the time; and there they shall pay likewise, that is, three bushels of salt, and nothing more; and afterwards they shall have free and secure permission to buy and sell without imposition by the count, or restriction by any person; and they shall sell their goods for as much money as buyer and seller are agreed upon between themselves, and they shall have free license in all things.

8. But if they wish to cross to the fair of Moravia, according to the estimate of their purchases at the time, they shall pay one solidus for each ship, and pass freely; and on returning lawful merchants shall pay nothing.

9. Merchants, that is, Jews and other merchants, whencesoever they come, from that country or from others, shall pay the just thelony both for their servants and their goods, just as was always the case in the time of previous kings.


Source:

Monumenta Germaniae Historiae, Legum, Alfredus Boretius and Victor Krause, Eds. (Hanover, 1897), Sectio II, Tome II, p. 250; reprinted in Roy C. Cave & Herbert H. Coulson, A Source Book for Medieval Economic History, (Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Co., 1936; reprint ed., New York: Biblo & Tannen, 1965), pp. 401-402.

Scanned by Jerome S. Arkenberg, Cal. State Fullerton. The text has been modernized by Prof. Arkenberg.


This text is part of the Internet Medieval Sourcebook. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts related to medieval and Byzantine history.

Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use.

© Paul Halsall, October 1998
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