34 Germany. 



The obligations of the recipient were of various 

 nature, but finally service in army or court became 

 the main one, giving rise to the class of knights 

 (Ritter) or barons, while the fiefs to the small farmer 

 gave rise to the class of peasants (Bauern, this name 

 appearing first in 1106 under Conrad II). 



The fiefs of the higher class, while at first given 

 only to the individual, became early hereditary, and 

 hereditary succession to estates and offices generally 

 became the rule. Primogeniture in the succession to 

 the estates did then not as in England prevail in 

 Germany; instead, either tenancy in common, or else 

 equal division among the sons was practised. As a 

 result the very many small principalities came into 

 existence in the 14th and 15th centuries, these grow- 

 ing smaller and smaller by subdivision. The first to 

 institute the primogeniture rule by law was the 

 house of Brandenburg (in the 15th century). 



In addition to the class of peasants and knights, 

 there came into existence a third class, the burghers, 

 when, by the order of Conrad I in the beginning of 

 the 10th century, towns were built with walls and 

 towers for defence against the encroachments of the 

 Huns, who endangered the eastern frontier Mark. In 

 order to encourage the settlement of these towns, any 

 slave moving to town was declared a freeman; and 

 the cities became free republics; gifts of land, in- 

 cluding forest areas, were made to the cities, and the 

 development of industries was encouraged in every 

 way. These cities, favored by the kings, and, having 

 become rich and powerful, in the later quarrels of 

 the kings with the lawless nobility, gave loyal support 



