[Vigilanteman]

Basically correct. However, England's most enlightened monarchs were those who inspired genuine respect and loyalty in their subjects, rather than ruling them by fear. This generally meant the local areas were ruled by barons and counts who did the same.

The best example is the legendary King Arthur (4th century), but Henry IV, Elizabeth I and Edward III all inspired genuine affection from the people whom they ruled. As pointed out in my previous post in the pre-Elizabethan Tudor's clan loss of territories, powerful rulers often translated into weakened countries.

Hmmmmm, we have more than a few modern examples of the same, don't we?

[ichabod1]

Absolutely. Whether it’s taxes or coercion, if the government is on the producer’s back he’s going to either do as little as possible or escape. And, though I don’t know THAT much about life as a feudal serf, I’m pretty sure there were ways of getting back.