City, law & time. Bremen’s "roland" and siena’s "good government"

In Northern Europe, Rolands are a symbol of municipal liberty. Many aspects indicate that this municipal freedom historically preceeded the territorial republic and provided a model for it. I am going to adopt the Roland of Bremen as a point of reference in order to clarify the relation between city, law and time. it represents a site of UNESCO-WORLD-HERITAGE-STATUS and its 600th anniversary was celebrated only a few years ago.

Roland#x2019;s shield #x2013;probably added after 1404#x2013; represents a political program. The inscription reads: #x201c;Vryheit do ik ju openbar / de Karl und mennich vorst vorwar / desser stede gehgehven hat / des danket gode is min radt.#x201d; (Freedom I make known to you / which Charlemagne and some ruler indeed / have given to this place / so as to thank God is my advice!#x201d;) The shield with the crest of the empire and the imperial double eagle symbolise #x201c;Vryheit#x201d; (freedom). #x201c;Vryheit#x201d; - what is that? Does it merely stand for the rights of a #x201c;free city#x201d; which the medieval Bremen claimed for itself? Or does it not also or rather refer to the everyday right of its #x201c;citizens#x201d;. These, however, are not independent from the rights of #x201c;the city#x201d;. My short account deals with the question what these citizens#x2019; #x201c;Vryheit#x201d;- rights - for which the Roland stood in 1404 and for which it stands today - might have been once and what they could be today.

I. A new rolandmyth

There have been many speculations about the figure of the Roland, and there have been several manipulations. We know very little about the real person by Charlemagne#x2019;s side #x2013;Einhard#x2019;s chronicle does not even mention him. Then, almost three centuries later, the #x201e;Chanson de Roland#x201c; is written which sees him, even more than Charlemagne, in the centre of a war with the Mussulmen. the S...

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