The Roman nobles, heirs to their fathers’ agricultural dominions, succeeded for the most part in preserving through the successive invasions of the barbarians, the influence attached to the prestige of birth and wealth; they still possessed the greater part of the land and owned as vassals the rural populations.  The Grerman nobles, on the contrary, had not such extended landed properties, but they appropriated all the strongest positions.  The dukes, counts, and marquises were generally of German origin.  The Roman race, mixed with the blood of the various nations it had subdued, was the first to infuse itself into ancient Society, and only furnished barons of a secondary order.

These heterogeneous elements, brought together, with the object of common dominion, constituted a body who found life and motion only in the traditions of Rome and ancient Germany.  From these two historical sources, as is very judiciously pointed out by M. Mary-Lafon, issued all the habits of the new society, and particularly the rights and privileges assumed by the nobility.

These rights and privileges, which we are about to pass summarily in review, were numerous, and often curious:  amongst them may be mentioned the rights of treasure-trove, the rights of wreck, the rights of establishing fairs or markets, rights of marque, of sporting, &c.

The rights of treasure-trove were those which gave full power to dukes and counts over all minerals found on their properties.  It was in asserting this right that the famous Richard Coeur de Lion, King of England, met his death.  Adhemar, Viscount of Limoges, had discovered in a field a treasure, of which, no doubt, public report exaggerated the value, for it was said to be large enough to model in pure gold, and life-size, a Roman emperor and the members of his family, at table.  Adhemar was a vassal of the Duke of Guienne, and, as a matter of course, set aside what was considered the sovereign’s share in his discovery; but Richard, refusing to concede any part of his privilege, claimed the whole treasure.  On the refusal of the viscount to give it up he appeared under arms before the gates of the Castle of Chalus, where he supposed that the treasure was hidden.  On seeing the royal standard, the garrison offered to open the gates.  “No,” answered Richard, “since you have forced me to unfurl my banner, I shall only enter by the breach, and you shall all be hung on the battlements.”  The siege commenced, and did not at first seem to favour the English, for the besieged made a noble stand.  One evening, as his troops were assaulting the place, in order to witness the scene, Richard was sitting at a short distance on a piece of rock, protected with a target—­that is, a large shield covered with leather and blades of iron—­which two archers held over him.  Impatient to see the result of the assault, Richard pushed down the shield, and that moment decided his fate (1199).  An archer of Chalus, who had recognised him and was watching