Cities and Knights Rules clarification.?

Question

Ok So I have two somewhat *rare* scenarios that I didn't find in the rules.

1. I have one knight, no other players have knights. There are no cities on the board. If the barbarians attack, do I defend Catan and get the vp or does nothing happen and the barbarian simply restart its advance?

2. Can I upgrade my city flipbook using commodities even if I don't have a city on board? (I.E. Trading to gain commodities early)

Answer 1

1. Yes, you get a VP for defending Catan.

2. Nope, sorry. In my copy, it's on page 7 of the rules:

If you have no cities on the board, you may not build City Improvements until you have built at least one city.

Also, don't forget that you start with one city on the board, so the only way this can happen is if the barbarians destroy your city.