# Growth of communes and chartered towns (1120)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1120-growth-of-communes-and-chartered-towns
Location: Northern France

Urban communities increasingly negotiated liberties and self-government from lords. Within the broader West Francia & Early Capetians period, After the Treaty of Verdun, West Francia developed under Carolingian, Robertian and Capetian rulers. Viking settlement, feudal lordship, church reform and expanding royal authority reshaped the kingdom. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Louis VI (King of the Franks). Growth of communes and chartered towns mattered because collective action and political conflict altered the relationship between society and governing authority. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Growth of communes and chartered towns mattered because collective action and political conflict altered the relationship between society and governing authority.

Ruler at the time: [Louis VI](https://history-france.com/rulers/louis-vi)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Growth of communes and chartered towns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Growth+of+communes+and+chartered+towns&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Growth of communes and chartered towns](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Growth+of+communes+and+chartered+towns)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of French history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_French_history)