MEDIEVAL KINGSHIP AND ITS RELEVANCE TO YOUR LIFE: A Thread

I’ve been on an English med history bent (~1100s) recently. Obligatory disclaimer: many things about medieval Kingship don’t sit well with me - regardless, keeping a kingdom safe and happy is/was no mean feat.

Among many things, what caught my attention is how purposefully and vigorously (not to mention almost constantly, at the beginning of a reign) the Kings of the time acted in traveling around the kingdom to quash rebellion, placate the lords, solidify their legacy, etc.

The successful Kings of the time (and more importantly, successful Kings and Queens THROUGHOUT time) paid great attention to these things, and only after tending to them did they hunt, ride, and host. They first fortified and maintained the realm, before anything else.

Of course, they had help from advisors/servants, but still often needed to be present and competent at many of these events. Those who got the order of work/play the wrong way round struggled - not receiving the respect necessary, not having loyalty of the lords and earls, etc.

The effective rulers still had issues arise, but their tireless efforts at maintaining the realm paid off: Henry II’s wife and three of his sons tried to usurp him, but he was competent enough and had earned the loyalty of enough followers to take down the rebellion.

John also tried when Richard the Lionheart was in the East, and found the same. King Stephen never managed the same measure of loyalty and was stuck in a civil war throughout most of his reign. Stephen likely lacked the 'big picture' approach - great soldier, mediocre King.

So why is this relevant?

I think that this analogy of the kingdom can be applied on an individual level. Every person has their own ‘realm’. It might be only your bedroom and your classes at school - or it might be your 500-employee business and your four properties abroad.

Either way, you have the chance and, more importantly, the responsibility to fortify and maintain your realm. What does that mean here? Do the necessary work first: make sure your family is safe, and your employees are happy (your 'lords and earls'). Get to your schoolwork first.

Make sure your room/house/mansion is “fit for a King” - not in material wealth, but in dignity and pragmatism. Rulers may have had servants, but your realm doesn’t cover most of Britain and France. You can probably pick up the empty Pot Noodle without the earls starting a mutiny.

Once you’ve taken care of maintaining the present and future realm, you can enjoy the fruits of the kingdom, to a certain degree. Relax, read, play, have a drink. If you’ve done the former well, the latter won’t undo the work. This applies over time AND every day.

Get it wrong at your peril. The bigger the realm, the more people suffer and more intense the suffering if you get it wrong. If you're effective, you can hopefully go on the Third Crusade and have faith that your loyal realm will hold back the rebellion until you return.

/END

I find it hard to prioritise what needs to be done in front of what I want to do, and using narrative helps me. What are your thoughts? Do you disagree? Where?

Note that this is not fully elucidated, and is more me thinking out loud.

Thanks for reading.

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