“Afterward he [King William] traveled about so that he came at Lammas to Salisbury, and there his councilors came to him, and all the landowning men of any account that were over all England, whosoever's men they were, and they all bowed down to him and became his men, and swore oaths of fealty to him, that they would be faithful to him against all other men.”
—Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 1086
The event described in the passage best illustrates which of the following aspects of political governance in medieval Europe?
- The efforts of some monarchs to consolidate royal power directly over landholders, demonstrating regional variations in decentralized governance.Answer
- BThe establishment of a uniform, continent-wide feudal hierarchy that functioned identically in all European kingdoms.
- CThe adoption of East Asian bureaucratic systems that replaced all feudal lords with merit-based civil servants.
- DThe immediate collapse of all lord-vassal obligations across Western Europe in favor of urban merchant guilds.
Answer
The efforts of some monarchs to consolidate royal power directly over landholders, demonstrating regional variations in decentralized governance.
The passage shows King William of England requiring all landowning men, regardless of whose vassals they were, to swear direct oaths of fealty to him. This demonstrates that while medieval European political structures were highly decentralized, they were not uniform. Some monarchs attempted to centralize control and limit the power of intermediate lords, highlighting the regional variations in feudal governance.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Feudalism and Decentralized Governance in Europe
Estimated Time:1m 0s