Medaeval War Tactics

[Fisherking]

Frederick I Barbarossa had to fight his way into Italy to be crowned. Of his six expeditions into Italy this first was the most successful. City leagues were what kept him out. That was the mid 1100s.

I don‘t think you are going to find a more powerful figure in that time and if he couldn‘t whip the cities into line then what do you think happened elsewhere.

Other than the English Civil war and border fighting with Scotland and England you don‘t have people sacking and burning cities in the central middle ages.

Money was just coming back into common use. Earlier it was a mostly barter economy in Northern Europe. The cities were the best sources of money because of the markets…and before them the fairs. If you some how did take their money then you were left with no place to exchange your goods. Flanders was important to just about everyone in the north in the 1100s so nobody was going to kill the goose that was laying golden eggs.