Did these towns have a form of government?

              Most towns in the Middle Ages had some rules. One rule was that families had to keep a ladder, a pole, and a tub of water at the front of their house in case of a fire. Another example of a rule would be that the towns people had to clear the garbage in front of their houses. Most towns could have a court of their own or be a self-governing town. The towns people demanded the privileges of governing themselves by making their own laws, administering their own justice, and issuing their own coinage. To be able to be earn these "privileges", the royal authority had to be strong.As a result, they had their own customs, their own set of penalties for offences, their particular methods for court procedures, and their own local legislation. These towns also had a influence on the development of the European law, first, through their customs, second through the growth of the law merchant in Mediterranean cities. Guilds were also an important role in the local government. Both artisans and merchants, even though they both were freemen, were subject to the lord or bishop on whose domain the town stood.