Validity of Kropotkin's "free cities" of the middle ages?

[Acostak3]

I found the "free cities" that Kropotkin spoke of in Mutual Aid very interesting. But i'm skeptical of how truthful his portrayal of them as anarchistic utopias is. If you are knowledgeable of this period of history, i would like to hear your opinion. And any suggested reading is very much appreciated.

[Absolut]

Its been a while since I read the book, but I didnt interpret the "free cities" as anarchist utopias, but rather examples of mutual aid. The same goes for the different guilds, I didnt see them as any kind of utopias, I saw them as examples of how mutual aid might look.

[Tablo]

Yeah, they simply showed some level of mutual aid. He never even said they were economically socialist or anything, just that people did some things for the betterment of the community.

[ComradeOm]

I go into a bit of detail on feudal cities, and Kropotkin's views on them, in this thread (http://www.revleft.com/vb/medieval-city-guilds-t113021/index.html?t=113021). You might find something of use there. Long story short: don't mistake Mutual Aid for a work of history

[Edit: Obviously, if that doesn't help then I'll be happy to answer any specific questions]