In the cities—which were small by modern standards; Basel had about 10,000 inhabitants, Zürich, Bern, Lausanne, and Fribourg about 5,000 each—the development was a natural one, for the liege lords very soon gave the cities a certain autonomy, in particular over their internal administration.
Nas cidades que eran pequenas, segundo os criterios actuais, pois Basilea tiña 10.000 habitantes mentres que Zúric , Berna, Lausana e Friburgo tiñan uns 5.000 cada unha—o desenvolvemento foi natural, e os señores feudais pronto as dotaron dunha certa autonomía, en particular sobre a súa administración interna.