Communication Networks of Late Medieval Silesian Towns – between Cooperation and Competition

Abstract

The study makes use of the concept of urban networks to analyse the mutual communication of Silesian towns. The author draws on the results of one segment of the German urban historiography which explores the inner ties of the so called Stadtelandschaften. The urban network is conceived of as a hierarchically organized structure whose knots were formed by the central towns of individual Silesian principalities. In these towns the reports from hierarchically subordinated towns converged and were further transmitted to the central towns of other principalities. Similarly to the situation in the economic sphere in which every principality represented a separate economic unit, in the sphere of information dissemination every principality represented a hierarchical unit with stable knots of message gathering, processing and dissemination. A special position within the network of Silesian towns was held by Wroclaw which was used as an important communication knot by the kings of Bohemia. In a number of cases the Wroclaw couriers transmitted the news to other Silesian principalities or even beyond Silesian borders. A relatively dense communication network of Silesian towns played an important role during the Hussite wars. In the times of peace this network was maintained especially by the merchant capital.